A Merry Christmas Wish

I really liked this movie and even though I could see exactly how it would end, I enjoyed the road getting there. The two main leads are definitely both seasoned actors and I thought their chemistry sparkled. The plot "save the farm" is a bit overdone but it is a Christmas flick after all.... I do not have an Instagram account so I don't follow the actors in their private lives but I instantly knew JW either just had a baby or was pregnant during filming, turns out she had her first child in 2020 and I think she was pregnant in this movie, congratulations! I'm glad CM & JW among others switched networks, I look forward to seeing them!

Wow! I forgot how much I love Cameron Matheson! He is the perfect leading man for a romance movie. Those eyes, that smile, he's just perfect! Age is not hurting him at all either. I recall watching and enjoying his movies years ago.

I don't know where I've been to not have seen him in so long but I'm glad I caught him in this movie. I had never heard of Jill Wagner before now but she was also very good and convincing.

These romance movies get rushed because there is less than two hours to convince us that the love is real in the ned and this movie did it for me.

A few movies this year also had me grinning from ear to ear by the last scene, which almost always incudes a deep passionate kiss and this movie doesn't disappoint. It went a little further and made me actually envision the couple's future together and that's the biggest reason they got the 10 rating.

The farmhouse used in this movie was beautiful and so well decorated. It made me want to move back to the country.

Great movie and love story. Hope to see both these actors again soon.

A Christmas movie with the classical theme of the unplanned return to the home town in the Christmas period. Janie Collins who works and live in Manhattan has to come back to Wodland Falls because of the death of her great uncle Randall and surprise she becomes owner of the farm of Randall: a great surprise for her. Then another surprise in a letter Randall asked her to rganize the Winter Wonderland in the barn of the estate.

Janie meets Dylan, the brother of her best friend Nicole, little by little she knows other people and prepares the Winter Wonderland with the help of Dylan, at the same time Jane has some memories (the song that she was dancing with Randall). Dylan is full of humour and very careful with Janie. Janie has also moments of doubts about her stay in Woodland Falls.

I enjoyed the performances of Jill Wagner, Cameron Matheson Morgan David Jones and Jeanna Jarvis.

6.4 stars.

Sure, this has Jill Wagner. Even she can't resurrect a dead story. This is a standard Christmas movie across the board. The only problem with this standard movie is that it has absolutely nothing exciting or interesting, or original about it whatsoever. Take all the usual ingredients of a standard Hallmark, and it's simply that - standard. But the standards of this standard film are below average. The dialogue is mundane, and everything is cookie-cutter. This is why I called it the cookie cutter of cookie cutters, because it's literally nothing. Even the title is perfectly vanilla. This film is like a low end two-door Nissan sedan fresh off the assembly, no bells or whistles. Nobody brags about owning a Nissan sedan.

This is an upbeat family friendly Christmas movie. The story, if you even call it that, is a checklist of Christmas movie tropes. There are no great highs or lows or surprises, but given all of this, it is fairly well done. It's just not that exciting, if like me, you watch every Christmas movie out there from late October through the end of the year.

Jill Wagner, as Janie, and Cameron Mathison, as Dylan, are accomplished veterans of many Christmas movies and rom/coms. They have chemistry but it doesn't stand out that much. There is a cute niece and a childhood BFF girlfriend for Janie. Janie has an existing boyfriend from the city who is one of the least flawed rivals I can remember, but on the other hand he is the usual "steady and reliable" which I guess is a bad thing. He does pay a little too much attention to business at Janie's expense, but I've seen much worse.

I found it interesting that the 43 year old Wagner's character had a conversation about wanting children going forward. This leads to a discussion I've had with my wife about how so many of Hallmarks stars are growing past the age where they appeal as romantic leads. Hallmark has dealt with this by bringing on board many promising younger stars. But this movie is not Hallmark. This is their new competitor, GAC Family. GAC stole some of Hallmarks better known veterans and that's just it, they are veterans. Merritt Patterson is the one of the few and probably most prominent younger female star with any length to her rom/com resume. Articles I have read imply she may still be more of a free agent. I have not been impressed with any of the other younger stars so far on GAC.

Almost all movies push a lesson or issue. A common one has to do with small town values and this movie has plenty of that. Big city and progress bad. Small town and time to enjoy life good. I think this movie presses that point a little too much.