Christmas Bake-Off

Thank you GAC, I loved this movie!! The actors were very good and everything just seemed so natural. The flow of the movie was also very good.. the supporting cast were also nice to watch. I liked it because A) it centered around food and B) it wasn't a "save the farm" or "save the family inn" Yes it wasn't the most original plot but at least it wasn't one that's been done countless times. I felt the leads had very good chemistry together but natural chemistry not forced and fake. The scenery was beautiful especially the interior of their home with all the Christmas lights - so pretty and festive. Watch out Hallmark... here comes GAC!! Kudos to all involved in this project- keep up the good work!!

Laura Osnes and Christopher Russell are incredibly well-cast on 'A Dash of Christmas' aka 'Christmas Bake-Off'. They can both act, their chemistry is off the charts right from the beginning, and Osnes is very, very easy on the eye.

The 'returning to your small hometown for Christmas' trope has been used many times before, but is only a sliver of the plot here. The baked goods are mouth-watering and the set design was stunning. The secondary cast were all solid actors, with none of the over-acting by those in peripheral roles that sometimes mars these films to be seen.

(This film comes a close second behind 'One RoyalHoliday' as my favourite Laura Osnes film, and given how spectacularly good I thought she was in that one with Aaron Tveit, that is high praise from me!)

Definitely one of GAC Family's best movies. Here's hoping we see Russell and Osnes together in more productions. Like, Christmas 2024 or earlier!

5.2/10

I don't watch these Hallmark style films to purposefully hate on them. I genuinely go into each one hoping that one of them will spark in me a little joy for Christmas love. However, it's really hard to not hate on them when they're all the same, or start off in the most horrendous ways possible.

I would say about ninety percent of this film feels fake. The chemistry isn't totally there, the makeup on the male lead is awful at times, and the prop drinks don't even move. The story is cute, the build-up feels unromantic, and the rest is just awkward googly eyes.

The big butt here is that it slightly saves itself at the end. The chemistry finally kicks in. The love, while seemingly forced, works the way it should. And everybody gets that classic happily ever after.

Overall, there are a group of people who'll love this film, and I don't want to take that away from them. I feel like this a film my mom and sister would watch on one of their Hallmark Saturdays. Unfortunately, I get nothing out of it, and if you're not a fan of the cheese then best to stay away from the nachos.

That's all for now. Thank you for taking the time to read my review. Until next time.... Enjoy the show!

7.0 stars.

Initial feeling of 'A Dash of Christmas' aka: 'Christmas Bake-Off', it's a generic holiday romance with a few interesting and lovely parts,, which makes it standard, because all of these films have some interesting parts. In this case it rises slightly above formulaic. What makes this movie stand out is...not much, unfortunately. It received fairly high praise from some people, but my gut tells me it's just so-so. I rate based mainly on entertainment, and this was average in that area. There were a few moments of really heartfelt romance, and he's a total dreamboat (which accounts for some higher ratings), but Osnes has a below average track record from what I recall of her films. I can see her in some pictures, just from memory, and none of them stand out. There's that one about Tahoe, and the one where she's a country singer, let's see...I looked up her other films and probably the best one is 'One Royal Holiday', which I gave 7.1 stars, for the same reason as this, both of these are about equal for me. It all points to one person: Osnes. I guess she's not my favorite. I bet if she was, all my ratings would be bumped up a full star.

Unfortunately, 'A Dash of Christmas' is nothing to write home about. I really wanted to like it for the few great scenes. But it only has a few great scenes and a few good moments, but mainly just a whole bunch of ok.

Both of the main characters are excellent actors. I enjoyed seeing them on the Hallmark Channel when they were acting in those movies. Now that they are on the Great American channel, these Christmas movies are feel good and I really enjoy watching them. I look forward to the Christmas movies in July, that is my favorite. But, they tend to be all the same. Girl comes home with an assignment or recently fired from their job. Runs into a man or sees ex-boyfriend. Storylines need to change up some. Get creative. I do love the traditional relationships so I will continue to watch. I do recommend everyone tuning in to this movie.