Christmas in Vienna

I didn't see it until the end, but there is a little touch of The Sound Of Music...which is my all time favorite musical.

Vienna is absolutely gorgeous! Even more so at Christmas with all the lights, trees, Christmas market, candle arches, glühwein, advent candles, traditions...etc! This film is worth watching for its little bit of music history and the gorgeous Vienna at Christmas backdrop.

The story revolves around Jess, a concert violinist in Vienna for a holiday performance and a vacation. While in Vienna she looks up her college roommate who is there being the nanny to her widowed cousin's three children. The children are delightful and when Jess' friend gets an opportunity to sell her hand painted ornaments at the Christmas market...Jess takes over the looking after the three children. Being with Jess the three kids slowly start to come alive...something their father notices. Jess and Mark seem to have this undeniable attraction. Mark was raised in a military family and as a diplomat has continued the constant moving into his own life...which has been hard on his kids, especially after their mom passed away.

I loved this film and highly recommend watching it for the holidays! It is gorgeous, filled with beautiful music, Christmas traditions and a sweet family holiday romance with throwbacks to The Sound of Music.

The good point of film was, obvious, Vienna. The second good point -Sarah Drew effort to save a romance not so credible. The other good thing - the subtle reference to The Sound of Music. But, unfortunately, nothing more. Sure, a Halmark , so, the expectations are reasonable . But, against the not new recipe, it is not fair to ignore the potential of a real good story, sacrified for a too gray product of serie.

Sarah Drew is so lovely and her chemistry with the cast was wonderful but the romance between her and Brennan Elliot just isn't believable. Elliot's character is too stiff and disinterested to be deserving of love from Drew's perfectly played, sweet and lovable character. This dynamic has worked in the past for Hallmark with Lacey Chabert in Crossword Mysteries and All of my heart, but misses the mark here. The acting is good between the leads, but you're left wanting better for Drew's character. The backdrop of Vienna is beautiful, it's a shame they didn't do a better job with casting the male lead, but it's still worth watching

This is another of what I call a 'classic Hallmark movie': beautiful scenery, dress, props and sets; a warm story and a solid script; good acting; and plenty of Christmas spirit and festive cheer. I enjoyed this film. The setting in Vienna was beautiful. I first fell in love with Vienna while watching Before Sunrise (starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy), an excellent romance film by the way, and have been there several times since. It is a beautiful city. However, I am not sure I agree with Jess (played by Sarah Drew) when she says in the film, 'Philadelphia is the Vienna of the US'. It is a bit of a stretch with the comparison here. The story, overall, was pleasant to watch. I found myself engaged thru-out, which is a good sign (I did not, e.g., grab for my iPad during the movie). The dialogue on occasions was fun and cute. For example, Jess had lines such as 'tinsellitis', 'American Mary Poppins', 'how do you take your coffee? A tad too seriously', all of which made me laugh a little. The acting was very good. Sarah Drew had a strong performance. Brennan Elliott was pretty good too. My only critique here was regarding the chemistry between the two. I thought Sarah did well, but she could have been helped a bit more by Brennan. At times, he lacked that chemistry; it felt more like he was becoming friends than falling in love. The supporting cast performed well; Hallmark usually does a good job casting such roles. Overall, it is an enjoyable Christmas movie that provides some holiday warmth, spirit, and festive cheer. Fans of Hallmark will no doubt enjoy.

I suggest that when Hallmark produces these holiday romance movies, the first order of business should be to cast two leads with demonstrable chemistry on film. Unfortunately, this film lacks adequate chemistry to make it memorable.

On the other hand, the performances of the two stars are adequate, If you overlook a poor imitation of violin finger work. And the child actors are actually great in their roles.

But the architectural wonders of Vienna cannot fix this story about two people who meet while at career crossroads. In the end, this is a romance and its most important element is the magical feeling of true love found.