NATAL EM NOTTING HILL

Featuring plenty of the Christmas traditions I know and love as an Australian, and filmed on location in London - which is a big deal, as many Hallmark Christmas movies are set in cities that they're not actually filmed in - Christmas in Notting Hill is a decent festive romance centered around Graham Savoy (William Moseley, of 'The Royals' and 'The Chronicles of Narnia' fame) who is an injured Premier League soccer/football star who must consider his future in the game. He meets Georgia (Sarah Ramos), a special education teacher from America, in London to celebrate Christmas with her sister.

Some Hallmark tropes feature here, but with a decidedly British touch.

Mosely and Ramos are pretty good together, but there were a few scenes that didn't make sense. Like Graham being able to walk and run despite him supposedly having an ACL tear.

Reasonable entertainment, but not nearly as enjoyable as, say, 'A Biltmore Christmas'.

The main character spends the whole movie getting childishly upset over things that aren't worth getting upset over. She gets mad at the guy because he doesn't say he's a famous football player, so what? She gets mad because, well, a lot. And he supposed to suddenly care about her because she's funny it's smart etc.. I don't see her being funny and smart I just see her being a pill. And he likes her because she treated him like a person, but she stopped treating him like a person really early on. Just ridiculous. Kudos for a nod to the original Notting Hill, because the dad is seen reading a copy of "Horse and Hound."

American teacher Georgia Bright (Sarah Ramos) goes to Notting Hill to visit her sister for Christmas. Injured professional footballer Graham Savoy (William Moseley) comes home to Notting Hill with his career in doubt. They bump into each other in an outdoor market. He is surprised that she doesn't know who he is.

It is Hallmark in London. The romance is standard Hallmark. It has two pretty leads doing most of the standard fare with limited drama. The big drama with the sisters seem to come out of nowhere. The main difference from other Hallmark movies is the London location. I wouldn't mind more local flavors. The interiors are probably shot on a sound stage. It is still a TV movie after all.

They clearly had no idea how to represent an ACL tear or the recovery from one either. He should have been in a brace with crutches because the only way to repair an ACL is with surgery, not a TENS machine. He would have been non-weight bearing for 6 weeks after surgery. As they had shown him getting injured right at the beginning of our story line he would have only been out of the hospital a few days and most definitely would not be walking around London. The only thing they got right about the recovery is the recovery time. Otherwise it was a cute predictable Hallmark movie that makes you believe in Christmas.

5.8/10 (6)

Same story, different country. It doesn't matter if it's America or England. It's a small world where the love interests will collide.

The thing that drew me to checking out this film was the inclusion of Association Football. Football is my favourite sport, and so I got curious on how the romantic dynamic would be incorporated.

It went about as well as I imagined. Only a slight bit of the game being shown, and the rest inferred along the way. The initial romantic meet up was classic, and the continuation really wasn't much of a surprise.

The two main leads were cute together, and had good chemistry. The second couple of the film, while not the primary story per se, they were also enjoyable.

My downsides were passion, editing and effects. While I did enjoy the actors, at times, I didn't feel there was a lot of passion which made the less than ninety minute film feel stretched. The editing and effects were a little choppy at times. Quick succession of camera cuts that seemed unnecessary. Also, the effects of snow felt too fake which bothered me for some shots. It looked like an overlay on the screen.

Overall, not a terrible movie. It's bad enough to get a 5.8 out of me, but just good enough to be rated a 6. If you're a Hallmark fan then you won't go wrong and you'll enjoy it I'm sure. If you're not a Hallmark fan and you're being forced into watching one then this is one of the better ones. You may still dislike it, but it's not as cheesy as others.

That's all for now. Thank you for taking the time to read my review. Until next time.... Enjoy the show!