A Kiss Before Christmas

The movie itself is nothing particularly innovative. A man feels if he'd made one particular decision at a crucial juncture, his life would have been better. So Santa shows up and let's him see what his life would have been like. Of course, that crucial juncture is what led him to meet and marry his wife. In order to get his old life back, he turns to the woman his wife has become (and she, of course, thinks he's crazy).

Nothing special about the film really but I was struck at how experienced actors (like Denton and Hatcher) come off in a Hallmark movie. Boy, does it make a difference! Many of these films star younger (and less experienced) actors who only underscore the superficiality of the Hallmark movie brand (with some exceptions). But take some pros and the pablum that is Hallmark sure goes down smoothly. Hatcher and Denton don't have to stretch their acting skills much but they bring a confidence and conviction to the roles that makes them very enjoyable to watch. I say put more fifty-somethings in these movies!

I really hate the premise where the lead is dropped into an alternate universe with no memory of how he got there or even how to operate. As a result he looks like a fool for a long time after that. Really, the character should be committed or suffer other permanent consequences. This movie takes this whole premise about as far as any I can remember. The characters even acknowledge that he's certifiable. I guess it's supposed to be funny. I just wanted to get past it. And I had looked forward to this pairing of lead stars.

Once you get past the initial pain, things smooth out. Ethan goes from being timid and disheartened with life, to a competent man who is more than just a noble nobody. The story becomes a mutual project to ,,,,, you guessed it, to raise money to save a youth center, which is also part of Ethan getting his old life back. The story uses many of the usual devices, but Teri Hatcher and James Denton carry it off with excellent chemistry.

There is a very sweet twist near the end. It transforms the story into something different. Some will say too sappy, but I love sappy.

Well, if you enjoy Christmas movies, then you definitely should check out this 2021 Hallmark movie titled "A Kiss Before Christmas".

Sure, when I sat down to watch this movie from writers Mark Amato and Tracy Andreen, I wasn't really expecting more than the usual Christmas sappy cheese that tends to make up the majority of Hallmark Christmas movies. But still, I hadn't already seen the movie, so of course I opted to give it a chance.

And I will say that director Jeff Beesley actually managed to put together a wholesome Christmas movie that has a good storyline, is nicely paced, has good acting performances, and definitely captures the Christmas spirit without succumbing to the usual pitfall of the Christmas cheese that you seen in similar movies.

The storyline told in "A Kiss Before Christmas" was good and well-written. Sure, there were a romantic element to the movie, but it was not the focal point of the movie, which made it all the better and enjoyable. Nay, this movie definitely captured the essence of Christmas and also provided good entertainment at the same time. So it was a sure win.

The movie has James Denton and Teri Hatcher in the lead roles. And it was actually fun to watch them act opposite one another on the screen again. And the movie also have Marilu Henner on the cast list, though in a minor role only.

If you enjoy Christmas movies, and want a movie with more contents to it than just the usual woman meets man and they clash and butt heads, but become forced to work together and end up falling in love and everything becomes happily ever after, then "A Kiss Before Christmas" is a movie for you.

My rating of "A Kiss Before Christmas" lands on a well-deserved six out of ten stars.

In recent years, Hallmark has curtailed the frequency of their Hall of Fame movies. 'A Kiss Before Christmas', although not billed as such, is in the same vein: digging a little deeper into the subject matter, taking a more serious, mature, thoughtful approach. In 'Christmas Carol' fashion, it's James Denton's turn to see what his life might be like in an alternate timeline. He and Teri Hatcher play their roles in a way that one might expect, since they've known each other professionally for years. Although I wish the story had been shortened about 30 minutes, if a successful Hallmark movie is one that makes one feel better for having watched, then I see this as a success - perhaps you will, too.

Two good actors & a few different twists on an often recycled plot lift this movie above most of the holiday tv fare. Hatcher & Denton have great chemistry and give excellent performances - especially Denton. The screen play is well written with enough twists on the typical plot line to be interesting & kept us engaged. But the acting in a number of pivotal, emotional scenes was remarkable for a Christmas movie. This pair gave an acting clinic that puts most of the Hallmark acting stable to shame - and raised this oft told tale to an 8 rating from me (which is basically a 10 for a Hallmark Christmas movie)