Christmas She Wrote

Absolutely adore Christmas and Hallmark have done some above decent and more Christmas films over the years. As well as a fair share of misfires. 2020 was a typically inconsistent year for Hallmark in all their seasonal blockings, but considering the circumstances it turned out quite a lot better than expected. Part of me was expecting all the 2020 films of theirs to be mediocre or below but quite a lot were the opposite, some were surprisingly very well done.

'Christmas She Wrote' sadly is not one of those very well done efforts. Actually thought it pretty lacklustre, with one good performance surrounded by pretty much almost everybody else being pretty bad to put it lightly. As far as the 2020 Christmas Hallmark films go, 'Christmas She Wrote' is down there with the weakest. It is a case of me really liking the premise, which is a relevant one, but really not caring for the execution of most of the elements, the worst affected being the most crucial ones.

Starting with the good, Danica McKellar gives a charming lead performance, that isn't affected or dull. The role itself is very similar to those she plays a lot but it doesn't feel tired this time. Andrew Francis, the only other good performance, is strong and their chemistry is far more believable than the central one.

It is a very attractive film visually, very nicely photographed with beautiful scenery and festive decorations. The music is well placed and isn't too loud or constant, it appeals on the ears on its own too.

Dylan Neal however does not work at all. Far too uptight and with so little charm or charisma. Disliked his character too, who is a complete jerk and often for no reason, and his chemistry with McKellar is non-existent and completely mismatched due to being at a loss constantly as to what anybody would see in him. The personalities also contrast too much. The rest of the cast make little impression in stock roles, some hamminess going on too.

Too much of the dialogue is too cheesy and schmaltzy, and the flow in the first half is not natural. The interplay between McKellar and Neal is really contrived throughout. A lot of the story badly drags, and it is also very slight and predictable for most of the length. Some of the later plot developments like the underwritten and forced conflict is rushed and not developed enough. The ending is too easy.

Concluding, lacklustre. 4/10.

It is an unexceptional Christmas movie, I'm afraid. The premise of the story is fine and quite relevant given the decline of journalism across many Western democratic states (it's difficult to find steady work as a journalist, e.g.). However, the script, at times, was rather generic, I thought. The writers could have done a better job (as other reviewers on here have pointed out) of setting up, developing the romance between the lead characters. The acting was decent. Danica McKellar, a Hallmark regular, had a strong performance, though it was not one of her better Hallmark movies (e.g., the scene where she gets fired seemed awkward, some strange reactions, I felt). Let's be honest, without her on the top of the bill, this one would have tanked. Dylan Neal is a good actor; I have seen him in many Hallmark films, and he usually comes off well on screen. However, casting got this one wrong, I'm afraid, as he and McKellar were not a good fit. The chemistry between them seemed forced, which is never a good sign. I still have the ice-skating scene with him chasing after her in my head. Unpleasant viewing, I thought. Simply put, they just did not work well on screen in this one. The chemistry was not convincing. The supporting cast was strong. For example, Andrew Francis (playing Stephen) had a strong performance. Indeed, it was the dialogue between Francis and McKellar, which stood out for me in this film; casting got this one right. The scenery, props, and sets were well-polished and festive (a Hallmark trademark). I did have a bit of a laugh reading another review on here: I agree, Hallmark needs to stop pushing hot beverages in their Christmas movies (if they do, make sure the actors' cups are full). No complaints about the music or music editing; this has been an issue in several Lifetime Christmas movies this year. All in all, it is a run of the mill Christmas movie with a Hallmark favourite at the top of the bill (which will no doubt draw many fans to this one). To be fair, I did not find myself grabbing for my iPad during the movie, so it did engage me; i.e., it kept my attention for 84 minutes at least.

6/10 - awkward chemistry dampened the festivity of this Hallmark flick

Danica and Dylan, such an odd couple. Her ex doesn't match her either. Dylan could play Danica's father. I like Dylan with the detective.

I almost didn't watch the movie after I read the bad reviews but because I'm a fan of Danica McKeller I decided to watch it anyway. I really liked the movie! I will definitely watch this every Christmas season.