2019 was a very mixed year for Hallmark when it came to their Christmas output, most being in the average and less bracket. There were winners such as 'Two Turtle Doves', 'The Christmas Club' and 'Holiday Hearts'. There were also misfires like 'A Cheerful Christmas', 'Christmas Scavenger Hunt' and 'Christmas at Dollywood'. The premise for 'Double Holiday' sounded appetising and seeing it positively reviewed by some that can be critical of Hallmark's Christmas offerings added to the intrigue.
'Double Holiday' in my mind deserves the praise it's garnered here, or at least most of it. It more than lives up to the promise it had and is easily one of the best Hallmark Christmas films from that year. Absolutely loved the idea and that it was a celebration of both Christmas and Hannukah, something different back then for Hallmark, done in a tasteful and affectionate way. Hallmark have done this combination a few times since and with equal effectiveness. Great to see Kristoffer Polaha again, it's been a while.
Is 'Double Holiday' perfect? Not quite. The change of heart about a character is too rushed and out of the blue, really didn't buy how someone could convert to such a polar opposite opinion so quickly and easily. Which led to an ending that felt too neat.
Especially considering the amount of hostility there was earlier, which for my tastes was a little overdone.
However, 'Double Holiday' has so much to recommend. The production values still manage to be pleasing. It's not too drab or garish in photography, the editing didn't seem rushed or disorganised and the scenery has a real charm to it. The music is pleasantly nostalgic and is not over-used or constant, the latter of which is the case with a lot of Hallmark Christmas films. The direction is accommodating without going too far in that it becomes pedestrian instead.
Furthermore, the script quality is better than most 2019 Hallmark Christmas films, where a vast majority were either all the way through cheesy and stilted or a case of starting off very ropey and then got better. The script here is playful and heart-warming and the flow isn't awkward. The story is light-hearted and really warms the heart without going into over-saccharine territory, and doesn't follow the more of the same formula seen in the vast majority of Hallmark's films.
On the most part, the characters were interesting and easy to like, with the only reservations being Polaha's character being a little too hostile to begin with and the unrealistic change of heart. Polaha and Carly Pope are likeable leads, especially Polaha, and their chemistry once it warms up and becomes warmer is genuine and doesn't look ill at ease.
In conclusion, nice film. 7/10.
