Mesma Hora, No Próximo Natal

I know Lea Michele mainly from "Glee", where she was a mix of appealing an annoying. I liked her character a lot there, and she has had several TV roles since which I didn't enjoy quite as much. Here she is very appealing and still quite pretty. Her acting is good for this sort of movie.

Charles Michael Davis is also quite appealing. I sort of see where he has a different kind of appeal, but I don't really get the full benefit.

Phil Morris does a very good job, but that's to be expected. He was a detective from "The Young and the Restless" and I have seen him in other roles. I do wonder, though, why so many football metaphors when it's baseball he loves.

Bryan Greenberg has a certain appeal and is not a stereotypical bad guy. He just doesn't fit with this group and we know it. His attempt to be one of them is impressive. We just doubt we'll be quite happy with him.

Of course this movie fits a formula. It's a great formula. Sure, there is a little more uncertainty than I would have liked, but the ending is satisfactory. Or maybe it's more than that. I don't want to say too much.

Is this family friendly? I'd like to say so. On ABC it was rated TV-PG-D, and while I don't recall anything of an explicit nature, maybe they were being cautious because there were kids in the cast.

I don't see nearly enough of these movies. Aside from the fact that I don't want to spend the kind of money required to get all the channels, I wouldn't have time for all the movies like this on a certain channel whose name we all know.

But if I had to see just one of these movies this year (and I'm hoping the channels I have will offer more of them later) this is a good one.

This would've been so much better if Lea Michelle sang at least once!! Same love triangle (w/ boyfriend from big city) with modern touches - gay couple, interracial couple, & boy star is a divorced dad.

This movie is filled to the brim with great actors, but unfortunately that seems to be the only thing great about it. The character writing is generally passable for a rom-com, except for Bryan Greenberg's character, Gregg, who is boring, obsessed with work and so self-obeseed it is a wonder he is ever considered a viable romantic possibility, and Phil Morris' character, Mr. Williams, whose personality is 'sports', and that's it. Although portrayed well by their actors, these characters take the viewer right out of the story. The story is classically rom-com cheesy and predictable, and it guides the viewer through the story in a way that makes it seem like they expect the viewer to be a little slow. Lea Michele is fantastic, although her character also has its issues. Unfortunately, it seems the creators of this piece spent the money on the actors and the locations, and not the writing and editing team.

Second chance story in amazing natural scenery. It's not very Christmasy, but full of positive vibes (at least in the first half). The premise is original in terms of holiday movies - two people who fancy each other meet once a year on Christmas vacation, but the timing is never right for them. Of course, there is a love triangle and a big city workaholic boyfriend that is supposed to be unlikable, and one can easily argue that heroes don't know each other that well to be called soulmates by everyone since they only meet for a couple of days and don't stay in touch in the meantime. However, it was nice seeing some fresh faces in the genre, especially The Originals' Charles and Glee's Lea. All in all pleasant movie that can disappoint those looking for a movie filled with typical holiday activities, you won't find them here.

More PC, woke messaging from modern day Hollywood. This is on top of a bad acting and a lame plot. Ever wonder what happened to Nia Vardalos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Well, she plays the mom in this movie. Badly. Same with George Newbern who was in countless 80s cheeseball flicks. If your daughter is less that 16, please don't let them watch this or at least don't make yourself sit through this with them.