Making Spirits Bright

'Making Spirits Bright' is a decent Christmas movie, not one of Hallmark's best nor one of their worst this season. Though a sweet romance with a noble underlining message, the story, at times, is slow, even tiresome, I'm afraid. This mildly entertaining Romeo and Juliet tale meets the art/business of Christmas decoration revolves around Grace (played by Taylor Cole) and Tony (played by Carlo Marks) whose fathers are former business partners/friends turned feuding adversaries. The old rivalry is stirred up again this Christmas as the two families enter the Bright Nights competition (with its $50,000 grand prize). As Grace and Tony work behind the scenes to help each other and their fathers, they begin to realize that they must find a way to work together to win the competition. They also begin to discover their feelings for each other along the way. One of the strengths of the story, I thought, was the dialogue and interaction between Tony and Grace. The writers do a good job of developing and capturing a romantic connection between the two that is believable and engaging. Moreover, the underlining message about the value of friendship and forgiveness resonates well on-screen with, for example, a heartfelt and touching scene towards the end between the two fathers, Bill (played by Garry Chalk) and Frank (played by John Cassini). However, the story is slow at times, boring even. Simply put: it lacked that X factor, something to make it stand out in a crowd. The acting, overall, is strong. I was impressed with Cole's performance in particular. She had a warm and gentle vibe to her performance that was lovely to watch on-screen. A very convincing performance, I felt. The two have good chemistry as well, which is a plus for a romance film. As I alluded to above, this storyline is what makes this movie appealing. Chalk and Cassini both had solid performances, which climaxed in a touching scene at the end (as noted above). Given the story is about a Christmas decoration competition, it has plenty of Christmas spirit and festive cheer. Thou a bit slow at times, all in all, it is a sweet romance with a good message and some strong performances by the leads. Worth checking out if you are a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies.

This is a pretty common take on the Christmas decoration feuding families. The one slightly fresh angle is celebrating the traditional approach over the noisy techy approach. The techy contest entry in this movie would definitely get annoying after a while, maybe after as little as two times through. The broad strokes of the story are definitely predictable and as is common for Hallmark, they wrapped up too many threads in HEA bows.

When the story is mostly same old stuff, I enjoy these movies when the leads' relationship has a chance to shine. In this movie, Grace and Tony got shorted on screen time. Maybe it was too many threads. Maybe it was too much contest.

I'm also not a fan of the arrogance and trash talking which in this movie almost reached the point of physical violence. The whole feuding angle was more than I would like to see, especially if, as I said, the relationship was shorted as a result.

There is a nice theme of reconciliation in more than one thread.

This was a very sweet story with a lot of charm. Even though this was pretty low-key, it kept my interest throughout. Taylor Cole and Carlo Marks were excellent together. I've not always liked Taylor Cole, but she really came through as a small town family oriented girl, which is not a part one would usually associate with her. I don't think I've seen a Christmas movie based on the business of decorating houses before. So although the Romeo and Juliet outline was pretty standard stuff, the background it is set against is unusual.

Grace and Tony are the offspring of two fathers who have been feuding for years. They were once close friends and partners in a Christmas decorating business but their differing work styles drove them apart. Tony's father is a perfectionist which has caused him to miss deadlines and not get the job done. He puts art above money. Grace's father is into efficiency and making a profit. They both enter the town's Christmas decorating contest as competitors. However in an effort to defeat a mutual enemy who emphasizes technology over heart and tradition, they end up trying to work together.

There are some genuinely touching moments in this and romance is sweet, thanks to the chemistry between the two leads. The Romeo and Juliet romance is appealing as they go from uncertainty to friendship and then love. I loved the relationship of the two mothers, who have remained secret friends throughout their husbands' feud. Also adding an interesting dynamic was the fraught relationship between Grace and her partner in their home-staging business.

I enjoyed watching this movie, a real romantic comedy. Also, I really like Carlo Marks even if he's seldom paired with a leadind actress with whom he has no chemistry.

It's a nice entertaining movie.

I've watched Christmas light competitions every Christmas and I have noticed more and more are automated with club lights and music than Christmas time, so I liked the concept of the movie fighting for traditional lights and set ups over commercialized ones. The b story with the business partner was distracting. Maybe because I watched it in the background, but I found the scenes awkward and didn't fit with the story. I hated the "friend" and they didn't make her likeable or redeemable. I liked the chemistry between the leads and the families but that b story really got to me and lowered my rating of the movie.