Un Natale per ritrovarsi

Even though we're from the South, this movie did nothing to warm our hearts. The lead actress seemed to have no fire at all, and while I don't want to seem shallow, we thought her either an odd or brave choice for the romantic female lead.

Thirty minutes in, the story lacked momentum, the cast personality, and we simply had no empathy for any character or what happened to them.

When the female lead was introduced to the male lead and they'd barely exchanged two lines, the "mayor" comments to another character "I don't know if they're flirting or fighting". Well ... neither. They'd just been introduced and barely said a word to each other.

We don't tolerate writing that stupid, so we ended this experiment, despite our appreciation of Bruce Campbell.

Wish there were more reviews uploaded at this point, since the only one that's here is so dismal. I, too, am from the South, and felt that they did a good job with location, even tho, of course, it was Canada rather than Louisiana. I found this to be a treasure trove of family riches. Jaicy Elliot is one of my new favorites and I hope Hallmark continues to use her. She is so engaging and real with a presence and class that are fun and satisfying to watch. I've seen her now in several different roles and she always delivers. The entire cast just works so well together and are so believable in their roles. There's a subtlety in the relationships of the principal characters that might not be apparent to all, but if you watch, and give the story a chance to unfold, it's much easier to appreciate what's happening and is actually well done. Lovely that there's more to it than just boy-meets-girl. I have to say that it's a treat to see Hallmark step up and dig in and deliver a better quality story/film. This is truly NOT one of their weak and basic romances that's so far fetched that we can't relate to it. So bravo for this great piece of work. A wonderful addition to the holiday fare.

Cute story for a Hallmark Christmas movie.

But the best part was having Bruce Campbell in it. Had Bruce Campbell not starred in this movie, this would have just been another typical Hallmark movie. But suddenly you add Bruce Campbell and it's now a Hallmark movie starring Bruce Campbell!

Bruce Campbell steals the spotlight in every scene he's in (and that's a good thing). He may have starred in a corny Christmas Hallmark movie. But he sure brought a flair to it.

Story wise, its a relatable situation to families. And sure the plots abd twists can get corny, but remember it's a Hallmark movie. And it tries to blend family connections and Christmas times together.

In today's world of shows and movies it is a bright spot to find these story gems in the fray. The story line and flow was spot on, and the characters were convincing. I really enjoyed the setting, all be it, I am from Baton Rouge and a bit bias. The story line is one that hits home with adopted children and the care that was given to the script to not over sensationalize it, while still providing a plot with "stickshun" (staying tuned in) was expert. Almost every parish in Louisiana has some form of festival throughout the year. I think the festival that was portrait in the movie reflects the family lifestyle that still exist in Louisiana. Hope to see more work like this in the future.

I chose this as the first Hallmark Christmas movie of the season on my DVR because it sounded atypical. It did not disappoint. Of course, there's the usual Christmas schmaltz, but at least it's geographically different schmaltz. Also, as an adoptive mother I'm interested in the "What if I met my biological parent" storyline. Added bonus: the heroine is not a size 2.

It was a pleasant movie but not entirely believable. Hard to believe that the love interest had never been outside his county before. However, I do know a Louisiana gentlemen who CLAIMED that he'd never been to New Orleans until my husband's Navy reunion took place there. (At least that whole Vietnam war thing got him out of the state.) But I digress.

I did enjoy the movie, even though the plot was predictable. It won't go on my list of Hallmark Christmas movies I could watch every year ("The Christmas Card," "A Very Merry Mix-up," "Nine Lives of Christmas," and several others), but I could watch it another time or two.