A Lot Like Christmas

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.

It's "Clay" (Christopher Russell) who arrives in a small town just as the animated snow is falling onto such an obvious studio set - so now we know what we are in for. He's there to help set up a new superstore that's going to be just what the townsfolk need for jobs and prosperity. Meantime, the "Roberts" farm is facing a tough time. "Scott" (Matt Visser) keeps telling sis "Jessica" (Maggie Lawson) that they are on the brink of bankruptcy! The last thing they need is the new shop, especially one run by his old pal "Xavier" (Ian Collins). Scene set? Well now we have to create the gently convoluted scene in which she and "Clay" meet, then there's the bit when the start to fall for each other before the bit about him about his owning up to why he's there. Will she forgive him? Can they have a truce as the all important Christmas market will be crucial for her family and his job, yada yada... The denouement? Well come on now! I didn't hate this, and for the festive season it's your typical cheesy drama with some very light humour (mostly contained at the very start) and just the hint of a frustrated bromance between "Scott" and "Xavier" that's disappointingly undercooked. Nope, there's no way you will ever recall watching this, but it's harmless fodder to shove on in the background whilst you wrap, or stuff, or snooze through December.

Christopher Russell plays against his usual type as a big city corporate big wig. He usually plays rugged back to nature types. He has come to Maggie Lawson's small town to open a big box store, which threatens to put the local Mom and Pops out of business. Most especially Maggie's Christmas Tree lot. They meet and are immediately attracted to each other without knowing whom the other is. Disaster looms.

Christopher Russell is excellent in this: funny and sincere. Maggie was OK, although her character comes across as trying too hard with the hot new man in town. But really, who can blame her? He is gorgeous and nice. If not handled well however, this enthusiasm can come across as desperation. Unfortunately the story was dull with nothing on the horizon that could remotely be of interest. When she learns his true identity, she turns on him and will do anything to beat him at his own game. She commences to cut off her nose to spite her face. Christopher remains good-hearted and easygoing, which makes her antics all the more unattractive. When her little brother explains to this genius that she has bankrupted the business with all of her expenses outstripping their sales, it finally comes the inevitable sad end. Did she just blame Christopher for her own stupidity?

But wait! Thanks to her sudden inspiration of turning her farm into an event venue, the farm is miraculously saved. Like the next day. When very clueless (but still lovable) Christopher learns that the corporation he works for is based on lies, he decides the small town life is more his speed, and the romance is saved as well.

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!

Having been watching more Christmas films for a while now, since 2019 but becoming more regular each year. Namely those from Hallmark and Lifetime, with very variable success, with some UPTV and ION films too. Only got into the newly formed GAC Family films fairly recently, and like Hallmark, Lifetime etc. There are good films, some bad ones and some in between. Have liked Maggie Lawson and Christopher Russell in other things, though their work in acting and filmography are hit and miss.

'A Lot Like Christmas' is one of the in between efforts for GAC, and while it is a good representation of Russell Lawson has been a lot better in other films of hers. 'A Lot Like Christmas' was more or less what was expected. It didn't exceed expectations, but it is a long way from a waste of potential. Instead it sounded like potentially it would be a pleasant enough diversion with a number of good things and a few big drawbacks, and 'A Lot Like Christmas' turned out to be pretty much exactly that.

Russell gives a very sincere and charming performance in his role, and his character up to a point comes over as very amiable. Lawson has moments of perky charm. The supporting cast do well, despite their characters being stock and ones seen many times in similar films.

It looks good, lovely scenery and slickly shot. The music is pleasant and fits tonally enough, the placement also not getting too much.

For my tastes, Lawson on the whole tries too hard and her character goes overboard on the too eager to please side. Her chemistry with Russell isn't really there, pretty lacklustre, especially later on when the conflict kicks in and when Lawson's acting becomes particularly overdone. Also lost a lot of respect for Clay when his secret came out, a secret that was handled in a contrived and predictable way and a very mean spirited one. Which is a big reason as to why the ending didn't ring true. The conflict that it causes felt very forced.

The dialogue tends to be flat and stilted and also rather soapy in the final act. The story is one of those doing nothing new with familiar ground ones, so the predictability is excessive and nothing here feels fleshed out enough. The pacing tends to drag and the charm, light hearted-ness and heart are missing, especially later on. It is easy to predict what the ending is, but part of me really didn't want it to happen and that it would do something different but it went down the too easily resolved route.

Watchable but nothing special. 5/10.