The Secret Gift of Christmas

7.9 stars.

The first part of this film was like a train wreck for me. I couldn't stop watching as I was intrigued by what appeared to be a failure, but it was still kinda fun. I love the actors, that wasn't the problem, but the way she acted, so gaudy and odd, almost like she was the weird second cousin of Mary Poppins or something. Couldn't quite put a finger on the mannerisms and oddness. Anyways, she does become endearing after a while, then I still couldn't stop watching because it was so darn entertaining and I had to continue this movie. But I had to go eat supper, so I paused it for a while and then came back to finish, and mostly it was great. The twist at the end, or near the end, was a bit deflating, didn't like how things went. Maybe it was just a simple misunderstanding, but was too juvenile to fit into the high quality portrait of a narrative that had already been painted. Nevertheless, I wink at the apparently minute discrepancy in an otherwise wonderful love story between a flamboyant personal shopper and a handsome father.