(Final scene, final lines) Caroline: I think I am getting a signal. Oscar: You definitely are. But we (the viewer) definitely are not. Unfortunately, the chemistry between the two leads in this Lifetime Christmas movie is, simply put, bad. I just did not see it/feel it on screen between Sara Canning (as Caroline Williams) and Zak Santiago (as Oscar Ortiz). I have seen Canning in several similar TV romance movies over the years; she is a good actor in such roles. Santiago is a new face on screen for me. His performance was warm but not in line with Canning's (or this genre of film, really). The script too seemed rushed in this regard; there was no real buildup of the romance between the two. The script (and performances) seemed to solely really on the dinner scene (where they get in a food fight). It is like they turned on a switch at that point in the film, which made the dialogue that (immediately) followed (where she explains how close she has gotten to Oscar, e.g.) seem disconnected with what we were seeing on screen, at least with what I was seeing. The supporting cast did not help matters thru-out. For example, the scene at the Christmas tree about 60 minutes in where Betty is asked about her Christmas ornament on the tree; this was quite an awkward exchange. The following scene, where they are all in the living room near the Christmas tree, had a lot of awkward expressions, just some bad acting in that scene. That said, the story is a warm and heartfelt one. The scenery, props, and sets were very festive. I liked the Christmas ponchos, which I have never seen before. I also learned a bit about other Christmas cultures (namely, the lighting of the lights - candles in bags - along the streets), which I enjoyed. Overall, however, this new edition to Lifetime's original Christmas movies was a bit of a letdown.
