Second Chance Christmas

The romance was a bit odd when it comes to its morals, but it was an okay movie overall. The couple had chemistry and the performances were decent.

My high school creative writing teacher told us that amnesia is the lamest, most overused plot device there is, and that's the whole basis of this plot. If you can get past that, here it's an opportunity for new beginnings in a troubled young marriage, nothing new either, but for those who can't get enough of happy endings after 90 minutes of what amounts to do-it-yourselves couples therapy, this should do it well enough.

Standard.

Jack is lazy, undisciplined, and has an iffy relationship with the truth.

Caroline is demanding, apparently micromanaging, and is unethical enough to deceive her husband into signing divorce papers without knowing.

Jack, in conspiracy with Caroline's parents, continues to lie to Caroline more than a few times. They justify it by saying they are trying not to stress her, but he doesn't have enough love or respect for her to clean up the house even a little before she gets home.

All this in the first quarter of the movie. At this point I wasn't sure I empathized with either one of them. She becomes more likable after the amnesia, but I can't tell he has improved at all. In fact I dislike him more and more because he is so stupid in addition to every other flaw.

In some movies, personalities change 180 with barely any justification for it. This movie does a great job of explaining changes.

The last third or so of the movie disappointed me and I don't want to spoil anything as to why.

A woman gets hit by a car, has amnesia, and forgets she was about to divorce her do-nothing, slacker of a husband and forgets she runs a successful event-planning company. Of course all her loved ones lie to her so she doesn't remember all these distressing details. And the viewer is somehow supposed to feel that all this deception ultimately leads her to some grand revelation.

It's pretty insulting, really. Just skip this one.

Dude, just clean up after yourself, and pay attention to your wife! Then she wouldn't have left you. No girl wants to accept such a pigsty.