A Lot Like Christmas

At the first sight, it deserves a lot of critics. Not only for predactibility or for huge unrealism but for waste of good parts, especially the explanations of Scott to his sister about the need to sell the farm and the good image of the clash between paseism and pragmatic present.

But the film is saved, in some measure, off course, by same , so familiar "firefighters"- Frances Flanagan,Dolores Drake and Christopher Rusell , the last in same armor of the kind guy from big city with precise mission but , in same measure, with so many virtues, making him new version of Prince Charming ( his look helps in significant measure ).

So, what you expect, step by step. And nothing more else.

This is not a Hallmark movie but is made just like one, with the same type of story arc. Two 40-ish people are attracted to each other, a big issue gets in the way to make them leery about the other, and it all gets resolved before the end. It even has what my wife and I call the "Hallmark kiss" during the last minute of the movie.

My biggest detraction is Maggie Lawson who plays Jessica Roberts, the Christmas tree farm owner (with her brother). She isn't a particularly good actress but she has a really annoying voice, sort of a gravelly quality to it that both my wife and I found off-putting. Maybe that is why she is making TV Christmas movies.

Anyway, their little community farm, established in 1947, is struggling but the holiday season is usually a good one for them. This season a Manhattan based company has opened a big multi sales store that threatens to close down the smaller community owned businesses. But their marketing manager is a handsome, single man that takes to Jessica right away, and she to him.

The story has a good message, sometimes being where you want to be is more important than business success at all costs. We enjoyed it as light entertainment after dinner at home streaming on Amazon Prime.

I am a fan of Maggie Lawson and her energy and upbeat personality. I was very pleased to see that Clay didn't march in oozing with arrogance and privilege. The character needs to be confident, almost to the point of overconfidence, but Russell didn't overdo it. Clay is actually a pretty nice guy and there is no mean and antagonistic confrontation with Jessica like so many rom/coms seem to think are necessary.

Unless the story has a special sentimental draw, I want upbeat in my Christmas movies. Tension is necessary, but this movie spends a great deal of screen time showing how small businesses and small towns are being ruined by big corporate ones. It's a fact of life. It's not an unusual story angle especially in Christmas movies, but there was too much of it in this case.

This movie diverts from the formula by having Clay's secret revealed around the half way point. This makes it possible to take an unusual tack through the rest of the movie, but unfortunately it was annoying. "It's not personal, it's business" immediately disqualifies Clay as any kind of romantic interest given Jessica's circumstances. Perhaps the appropriate response to him is "It's not business, it's my entire life". Clay has no clue. The ruined the rest of the movie for me and despite it was the only way to end this type of movie, I couldn't believe what happened.

I thought this was going to be yet another big-bad-executive-comes-to-the-small-town-to-ruin -it holiday movie. But in A Lot Like Christmas, the Big Bad executive is Clay Moore, who is one of those guys who everybody likes. He comes into town from Manhattan looking for a Starbucks. He asks these two elderly men that are sitting on a bench and they tell him that of course there is no Starbucks in that small little town, but there is a local diner. After getting the directions, Clay asked them if they wanted anything. They give him a big order which Clay remembers! Clay is just a nice guy who can talk to anybody about anything, buys random strangers breakfast, and helps older women with their groceries, etc ect etc

There were so many cool things about this movie. I loved the fake falling snow. The mayor was an African American woman. There was thankfully just two small town traditions. Too many can ruin a movie.

Jessica and Clay meet when she hits him with a tree she is cutting down on her family's farm. Oh and one of the things I look for in all of these Hallmarkish romances is a dance scene btw hero and heroine. After Jessica declares Clay her enemy, they have this we're-not-dancing-together dance to Jingle Bells, which was sooooo cute!!!!

And did I mention how much I loved Clay--with his lilac shirts and purple suits!

He is adorable but she ruins it. I finally had to stop watching it over half way through. Casting makes a huge difference and Maggie Lawson was terrible in this part!