An Unexpected Christmas

Similar to last year's 'Five Star Christmas' and 'The Christmas House', 'An Unexpected Christmas' has a natural and witty feel to it, making it one of Hallmark's most entertaining Christmas movies this season. Our two protagonists in this story are Emily (played by Bethany Joy Lenz), a successful ad agency executive sent to her ex's hometown before Christmas, and Jamie (played by Tyler Hynes), the ex-boyfriend in question, a man who feels stalled in his career but who is spending this Christmas with his energetic, and sometimes chaotic, loving family. After an ill-timed run-in with Emily at the train station while picking up his sister, his family mistakenly thinks the two are still a couple. Jamie then convinces Emily, with an 'I'll help you, you help me' arrangement, to pretend they are still a couple to avoid ruining Christmas for his family. Thus, our story begins as we watch these two engage in a week-long deception, participating in the family's holiday traditions and activities together. Pretty soon it becomes clear that the pair are doing more than pretending. The writers do a great job of combining several popular plot devices and themes to advance the narrative of the story: deception (here, it's a pretend relationship), the 'stuck together during the holidays' device, and the classic 'a second chance at love' theme. These are done in a way that I found deeply satisfying. The script too is witty and the writing is heartfelt and compelling. This is displayed thru some engaging dialogue and banter between Jamie and Emily. Indeed, the characters, especially the dynamics between the two, feel genuine. They come off as two people who could have really been together but are now working through their post-breakup awkwardness and feelings. The acting, along with some good direction (by Michael Robison), is what makes this all work on-screen of course. Lenz and Hynes were brilliant. They had fantastic chemistry from start to finish, which pulled me in, engrossed me. They look and feel incredibly comfortable together on-screen, which is an appealing aspect of their performances. Lenz, in particular, is brilliant in this one. She did a wonderful job of portraying Emily's tenderness and vulnerability, and the longing she has for a place in, and the closeness of a loving family. I found it easy to connect and engage with her performance. This, combined with some funny and entertaining back and forth with Hynes, make for some very entertaining viewing. Hynes too did a great job of portraying Jamie's vulnerable side, which was quite convincing on-screen. The supporting cast was fun to watch as well. The big family vibe was front and center in this one, adding to the warm and festive atmosphere of the film. All in all, 'An Unexpected Christmas' is a fun, warm, and heartfelt Christmas movie. It's one of Hallmark's best this year. Highly recommend.

Tyler Hynes Bethany Joy Lenz are both good actors and they have a great chemistry together; both of them seem so natural that we forget that they are playing a role. They also seem like they're close: they're what makes the movie enjoyable.

The chemistry between Bethany Joy Lenz and Tyler Hynes is great. The characters are clearly in love. Lenz is great as an energetic Emily who has a big hole in her heart the size of Jamie. Jamie loves Emily, but is internally confused and that results in some poor decisions even going into the backstory.

The movie is fun and mostly upbeat. Family love saturates the story. And the story is unique in some ways, although at its roots, it is basically old-flames-work-together-to-make-a-Christmas-festival.

Jamie is a speech writer for the governor of Illinois. If the governor really ran her staff the way this one runs, it's no wonder all our governments are messed up. I've said many times that you can't expect much reality from these movies, but this one pushes that sentiment way too far. In fairness, I think the movie is meant to be silly for comedic effect and sometimes it is funny.

Jamie and Emily have broken up their long term relationship. Jamie has headed home for Christmas in small town Fulton, Illinois. Coincidentally, Emily is also heading there for work. They arrive at the terminal at the same time and Jamie's family, who love Emily and haven't been told of the break-up, are thrilled that Jamie has brought Emily home to spend Christmas. Emily needs a place to stay and Neither want to ruin the family's Christmas so they continue the deception that they are still together.

There were some good things and not so good things with this one.

The Good: Bethany Joy Lenz and Tyler Hynes performances and their chemistry together. Bethany was very funny in the comedy parts, and very touching in the emotional parts. Tyler Hynes performance made an essentially weak and troubling character tolerable.

The script had some unusual aspects and was witty. The banter between Jamie and Emily was good.

Emily's wardrobe. Bethany Joy Lenz's characters always seem to have fun and fashionable outfits.

Tyler's new hairstyle.

The cameo walk-through blink and you might miss it of Bethany's frequent co-star, Andrew Walker.

I like the scope big families provide in Hallmarks and this one had one.

The Bad: That big family? They were soooooooo energetic, loud, and overbearing that it became annoying.

Jamie's character. He dumped Emily because she was more successful than him and he didn't want to hold her back. OK. But his self-esteem problem was rooted in his need to be perfect in everything and vice versa. Even though we are told that his Grandfather also was a perfectionist, He grew up in a happy. Stable. And supportive family. This debilitating complex did not seem to be founded on much. It also causes him to be afraid of being honest with his family about his break-up and why. BTW he never does get the backbone to be forthright about it. Forgot to mention the very serious lying to his boss about the nonexistent speech and to Bethany about the Governor.

His struggles with writing the governor's speech. He was unable to write a word. His paralysis (again, it had to be perfect) was like a big depressing specter over the whole movie.

The plot was all over the place. The Christmas play his sister directed was needless and was a distraction. Bethany's project came to nothing. The the lightening-bolt like lesson of the newly-weds' rocks in the fountain was not used in the governor's speech, or Emily's theme for her project (what it was-I am unclear) the speech itself was short and lame. All that angst over THAT?

Some of the happenings were too silly. The Christmas play and the scene in the restaurant with the waiter. I don't mind silly sometimes, but silliness is not comedy.

A lot of negatives were outweighed by the acting and appeal of the two leads, and strong production values. I did not approve of Jamie's actions or inactions, but it did lend some depth and complexity to his character. I'm just not sure I want all those problems in a Hallmark hero.

This is a Hallmark holiday second chance romance. Jamie has neglected to tell his family that he and his girlfriend Emily have broken up...so when work has her at his hometown train station when his family is picking him up...they just assume that she is there with him for Christmas. Then Emily's job goes south when her spokesperson Jackie Joyner Kersey bails because of a storm...and she strikes a deal with her ex to play along as long as he can get her the governor for her ad campaign.

The grandfather, who was mr. Christmas, has recently passed away which was the real reason Jamie didn't want to tell his family...and the reason he broke up with Emily, her career was going up and his was going down and he didn't want to hold her back.

"Every stone tells the forging of two stories"-Jamie.

"Too many houses and never really a home."-Emily.

"We love you just the way you are."-Grandma.

Jamie's homosexual sister, Becca, has a sad story in that her partner left her after they adopted a son...so she lives with her parents. But Becca and Jamie are so supportive of one another it was really sweet. Their she-shed time is what makes this movie worth seeing.

The Christmas play disaster was hilarious and something I haven't seen.

"I'm really tired of feeling like a yo-yo."-Emily.