Christmas on Candy Cane Lane

This is the Christmas movie formula we all know and love. The main couple with their problems, the other couple with their comedic interactions, the grumpy person that adds the element of stress to the main character. Just lighthearted Christmas for fun at its best.

This plot is perfectly thin, you can guess how things turn out right from the start, but that's what Christmas movies are about. Like a blanket and a warm cup of hot chocolate they are meant to be warm and comfortable with just a hint of merriment.

The cast is all fun, and they look like they are having fun. Even the obligatory teenage girl is not obnoxious.

All in all, a nice way to spend an evening.

The Christmas on Candy Cane Lane writers went for absurdity and touching in the same movie, and they never sold me on either mode.

When you have a film where you're relieved when one character isn't in a scene, that's a bad sign. And not because you have a bad guy you don't like but just because the character is constantly annoying.

The whole subplot about "vandalizing candy canes" by moving them around was a non-starter for me. It wasn't serious enough to raise concern, nor funny enough to be amusing.

On the sentimental side, we have divorced parents coming to terms over their daughter and possibly becoming close again and an accused prankster who clearly isn't going to be the culprit.

More than halfway in, I looked over at my wife and said, "At an hour and sixteen minutes into the movie, I'm thinking it should have established SOMETHING I care about." Oops, and just after that Miss Annoying Neighbor walked into another scene to ruin it. We didn't turn it off but probably should have.

This is so hectoring and hard to take seriously. I gather this is intended to be a "film with a moral" but, if you want to produce a film that extols the virtues of reconciliation and renewal, you do need to write a believable screenplay.

I really struggled to see Rob (played by Dan Payne) as a well-rounded and consistent character. If someone had been through a traumatic experience, wouldn't he have at least shown some small amount of nervousness about jumping back in the deep end?

Since this is really built on the past, present and future of the relationship between Rob and Ivy (played by Andrea Barber), it fails to enthrall because the way their relationship evolves is simply implausible. So, all in all, a real dud of a Christmas film.

This was an okay movie - guess they can't all be show-stoppers. Most of the cast was pretty good and worked well together. Too bad they were not listed in the cast listing on IMDB. The leads were awkward together. At times cringy to watch. Dan Payne definitely is a much more seasoned and polished actor than Andrea Barber. The daughter was a genuine trooper in her role and the police officer/ friend was awesome and her humor was fun, along with handyman Devon (again, neither of them were credited and both had sizable roles - why?). I agree with one of the other reviewers about Andrea Barber's lack of skill. Either she just doesn't have the depth for a lead role or was woefully unprepared. The plot kept jumping from one storyline to another, hard to follow(or care about) most of them.

Overall, it's a decent movie as long as your expectations aren't too high. Just could have been so much better. I'd say the director needs more experience or skill since that's where the cohesion should have come from. Choppy and labored and stilted.

Christmas On Candy Cane Lane (2022) -

I did not like Andrea Barber in the lead role of Ivy, but Dan Payne was much better in his role of Rob and certainly more charming than his character was in 'How To Fall In Love By Christmas' (2023).

I didn't think that the two actors worked together either. I could understand why Rob had left her, because it's all very well being a strong independent woman, but independence is knowing when to ask for and accept help.

Dan was just so fricking hot though! I'd like to sit on his lap as Santa or not. Those eyes and that softly spoken voice - Yum!

The cranky neighbour Mrs. Walters (BJ Harrison) was way over the top. It was almost as if they wrote her in to give the actor something to do and there were a few others playing the ham and cheese a bit heavily too.

Actually the whole film seemed to be much more of an ensemble piece anyway, with lots of characters to potentially fall in love or cause problem and I liked the fact that to start with I didn't know who was going to end up with who for a change, although I did of course have my suspicions.

I do find it hard to see the fascination in something as specific as the light display event shown in this film, because it doesn't really happen here in the UK, where we might drive around and point out houses, but would never make a beeline for a certain avenue or cul de sac draped in lights or get out and wander around, mostly because light displays rarely appear on more than about 30% of houses and I don't feel the need to ooh and aah up close. Maybe I would if there were some planned arrangements with more than just lights like in this films case, but I'd probably still be one of only a few.

As for the actual story itself, sadly it wasn't comedy enough to be good for its humour and it wasn't serious enough otherwise. If they'd made it a proper comedy it might have worked better, because otherwise it just became a bit of a farce, with relationship issues thrown in as an attempt to create balance.

It wasn't the worst I've seen or ever will, but I felt that it could have worked better with a little bit more thought all round.

6.01/10.