In this movie I liked Nick better than his potential romantic partner. Yes, it is true they don't get along and there's no chance. And doesn't this usually mean they will end up together? It does mean there's a chance. But Neal Bledsoe did a very good job and he was exactly the man I would want to end up with the girl. He was professional and kind and even funny.
Liza Lapira was harder to like but of course there was no question as to which girl. She was quite pretty and intelligent, and sometimes funny in a sarcastic way, but the scenes where I could really like her weren't that common. I didn't see her carrying luggage but she had so many pretty clothes. Maybe she bought some while in town.
And how could anyone not like BJ Harrison's Miss Olivia who ran the inn? She's exactly who anyone would want to stay with. Though I personally don't like the idea of a bed and breakfast.
Adam Beauchesne would have made a great potential romantic partner but it was established at some point that Ryan was gay. And somehow I could tell even at the start. But if not, I could have certainly seen him and Natalie together.
Nathan Witte, the other major contender, didn't quite work for me. He was good, but just somehow harder to like.
And I really liked Ian Collins, the photographer who ended up having a bigger role than I had expected. But he established that he was gay right from the start. I wasn't looking at him as a romantic partner anyway, but he's just easy to like.
I never got the fire chief's name and don't know who played him, but he was quite professional.
Cranberry Falls, of course, is this ideal Christmas town with all the decorations. And add the period costumes during the festival and it's a holiday paradise.
New York City is pretty with snow on the ground. It was always snowing just a little, which is pretty to look at on screen.
Most of the music was good. Lots of traditional carols, many of them Christian (though that was the only mention of the real meaning of the holiday), many of those instrumental or performed by choirs. There was a group of traditional carolers in a very brief scene. However, toward the end there was a rock version of "Joy to the World" which I couldn't stand, and something even worse followed. An unfamiliar song with holiday-related lyrics and the style of the garbage young people think is music in 2022.
Family friendly? It was TV-G, but unlike last week when the CBS movie seemed to have nothing controversial, there are references to affairs and cheating. Now in 2022 apparently people can be gay and talk about their relationships in a clean way, and even have a relationship on screen, and it's all right. And if this is acceptable to you, there's nothing really that would make this movie a problem.
I am seeing a lot of holiday romances this year, and this is one of the good ones.
