The Christmas Doctor

7/10 - what can I say, I'm a sucker for a doctor in a small town Christmas story

A very good movie from Hallmark, that might be predictable, but not too cheesy with a great cast, the lead actors have a good chemistry, all important in a romance, and you will shed a tear at the end if you're human. Well done Hallmark, a great festive movie.

Nobody should watch Hallmark films with massively high expectations, their Christmas output particularly. If a Hallmark fan or wanting to see as many Christmas films as possible, expectations would understandably be higher. They are very formulaic with most of them being more of the same narratively and structurally, apart from sporadic attempts at changes of pace. There are a fair share of them though that are surprisingly above average and even good amidst the many average and less ones.

The 2020 output from Hallmark did vary in quality but was not near as bad or wildly uneven as it could have been. None of the films from the batch were really terrible, and a small handful of them were actually very good. 'The Christmas Doctor' is one of the good, if not quite great, ones and definitely one of the better 2020 Hallmark Christmas films. Perfect it isn't, far from it, but 'The Christmas Doctor' is a good example of why Hallmark shouldn't immediately be judged negatively.

Am going to start with what could have been done better. It drags a little early on where the film takes a little time to get going. The final quarter is on the contrived and very formulaic side, not unexpected as that is common with Hallmark.

Did think that more could have been done with the big twist, which is introduced too suddenly and felt rushed through.

However, a lot is done right. It is visually pleasing and has a professional look. The appropriately festive locations especially. Enough of the soundtrack is nostalgic and pleasant enough. The direction is accomodating while not going through the motions. Holly Robinson Peete doesn't overplay, any mannerisms are not overdone, and neither does hold back too much. She has a genuine well matched chemistry with an equally good Adrian Holmes, who is leagues better than he was in 'You Light Up My Christmas'. The supporting cast are very good too.

Moreover, the dialogue is tighter and less stilted than a lot of Hallmark Christmas films and the cheese and sentiment isn't as much. The story raises some important relevant issues in a tactful manner, making the film heartfelt at points, it also engaged me and was charming and heart-warming while not taking itself too seriously. Did appreciate too that there was more to usual. The characters may be well worn cliches, but they came over to me as likeable enough and any negative character traits didn't come over as over the top like can be the case in Hallmark Christmas films. Actually cared for these characters, not the case with a lot of recently seen Christmas films. The ending is touching.

Concluding, nicely done. 7/10.

Truth be told, as I sat down to watch the 2020 Hallmark Christmas movie, I was sort of expecting that I would most likely be in for another run-of-the-mill-and-over-the-top sappy romantic Christmas movie. Why? Well, Hallmark does have a track record for producing these cheesy Christmas movies, don't they? But every now and again, Hallmark does surprise by releasing something that breaks their usual formula. So I opted to sit down and watch "The Christmas Doctor".

And actually "The Christmas Doctor" turned out to be one of those instances where Hallmark breaks away from their usual sappy, cheesy formula and surprise the audience. As it turned out, then writers Neal H. Dobrofsky and Tippi Dobrofsky churned out a storyline that was entertaining and enjoyable. It wasn't a movie driven by the usual romantic sap, which was a relief. Sure, "The Christmas Doctor" does have elements of romance to it, of course it does, but it wasn't the force that drove the movie forward.

So the writers definitely gave director Kevin Fair something wholesome, wholehearted and entertaining to work with, and that turned out to become "The Christmas Doctor".

They had a good cast ensemble for the movie, with lead actress Holly Robinson Peete (playing Dr. Zoey) and Adrian Holmes (playing Luke). I wasn't familiar with Adrian Holmes, but he carried the movie quite well alongside with Holly Robinson Peete. The movie also had the likes of Fred Henderson, Bronwen Smith, Nicole Anthony and Marlie Collins on the cast list, whom also contributed well to the movie.

Now, if you enjoy a Christmas movie that transcends the usual Christmas cheese of a man-and-a-woman-with-differences-and-some-dislike-between-them-having-to-work-together-for-a-mutual-goal-and-end-up-falling-in-love type of movie, then give "The Christmas Doctor" a chance. I genuinely enjoyed watching this one.

My rating of "The Christmas Doctor" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

So, this is now my 13th Hallmark Christmas movie of the 2020 season; this one falls somewhere in the middle of the movies I have seen thus far. Overall, it has a nice storyline. But, if I am being honest, the first 45 minutes were a bit slow, a bit boring at times. That said, the acting was good overall. Holly Robinson Peete's performance (a Hallmark regular) was solid. I must say, I think I am starting to like Adrian Holmes on screen. I have seen him in a few things now; I think he is a good actor. He had a pretty good performance in this film. The chemistry between the two (leads) was pretty good; it was believable, something a few Hallmark films I have seen thus far have been lacking. The supporting cast's performance too was strong, especially the doctor (Fred Henderson as Dr Ray). The scenery, props and sets were 'well-polished' and festive. Hmmm.... maybe this movie was not as 'cozy' (regarding its Christmas atmosphere) as some of the other Hallmark films I have seen. Finally, I did like the birdwatching element in the story; I will be looking for cardinals now when I take walks in the park. A nice Christmas story with some solid performances, well worth the watch for Hallmark fans.