Swept Up by Christmas

Lindy Booth is one of my absolute favorite actors. But in the beginning I was turned off by Gwen. She was incredibly bitter about Dirt Force One and Reed. She seemed to be looking for things to disagree about. Then suddenly (as is common in these movies), the bitterness turns to banter, mostly good natured. There's no transition to cooperation - suddenly it's there.

There are many of the common, even overused, elements for a holiday movie. Although it's not technically a promotion, Gwen's banking on success in the coming endeavor to allow her to buy the business over the competition. She has to decorate for the big event and ends up getting help from Reed because time is short. Tree shopping together. A festival. She has a disastrous relationship in her past. Reed is considering a move far away. There's a predictable sentimental moment in the works. All these elements are put together in an interesting way that has a fresh feel to it. It's all done well. And a nice ending.

There's a second romance in the story and it includes a man in a wheelchair.

Booth and Justin Bruening develop a comfortable chemistry. The acting is good all around. Background music is just right and not overpowering like some movies.

Interesting set up with a hoity toity auction house representative up against a cleaning service hired to clean the house while she is trying to decorate. Lindy Booth is excellent as usual with her ethereal beauty up against a manly man ex-military owner of a cleaning service. Dirt-force one. Cute name. Lots of fascinating scenes involving appraising antiques and deciding what to auction and what to keep for the family, good back stories involving Lindy's desiring to buy out the owner of the independent auction house against a conglomerate, the owner's estranged relationship with his famous singer daughter, manly man's back-story and wish to expand his business, etc. And in addition, if that were not enough, a very nice secondary romance with Lindy's best friend and caterer with Manly Man's disabled in a wheelchair veteran-partner. Full marks.

Swept Up By Christmas presents a romantic Christmas story told intelligently, with mature characters, each with his or her own issues to resolve. While the story line is familiar to Hallmark viewers, and the resolution of the issues involved is predictable, there are features of this film that serve recognition. For one, the leading characters are mature, successful adults, each in his and her professional careers. While they seem to have a history that renders them abrasive to one another at the start, a mutual work project offers them a second opportunity to slowly resolve those issues. Additionally, there are serious and interesting people around them. The project that brings them together involves the closing of an estate and bringing its contents to auction. This process is beautifully presented. The furnishings and genuine dignity of the manor is breathtaking. There are tangential relationships to be explored and developed, including one of a disabled war veteran who clearly falls in love with a very appealing young woman. Another involves an aging father who needs to resolve his relationship with his estranged daughter.

Of course, this being a Hallmark movie, all these problems come to a happy and gratifying end. The leading couple also find their true feelings and move on to a future together.

However positive all these aspects of the movie are, one issue was so distracting and noticeable that it kept this viewer from staying focussed on the film. The beautiful and very talented Lindy Booth appears to have lost so much weight,she seems to be either ill or anorexic. She has been in many Hallmark movies, looking healthy and vital, and appropriate. But in this film, she looks frighteningly thin. One hopes she is well. and one hopes, further, that she is not attempting to stay this thin in order to appear younger. Her physical appearance in this movie was startling and worrisome.

This is an intelligent, mature Christmas film and deserves watching.

I love Hallmark Christmas movies, but I find they fall into several categories. Some have relatively large casts with plenty of extras to provide atmosphere, while others are sparsely populated, with sparingly used music and extras. Usually, it has to do with the popularity of the main stars. While Lindy Booth has certainly been in her share of Hallmark films, this one sure was lacking in supporting cast members. A lot of time it was simply the two leads working by themselves in the house. Even at the party scene, the extras were all blurred, as there probably were very few. Unfortunately, this seemed to be a movie made on an extremely limited budget, even for Hallmark, and it didn't give off much warmth or holiday feel. I will skip future showings of this film.

Lindy Booth is a charming and talented actress, and she deserves much better than this. A very talky script that is really not that interesting. There is very little chemistry between Booth and her co-star, Justin Bruening. Maybe because the dialogue is pretty weak and there is very little they can do with it. There is just not that much Christmas spirit here or even just a good plot to keep your attention. Sometimes, you are like, who cares ? Another reviewer mentioned Booth's physical appearance, and we couldn't agree more. At times, she looks anemic. Maybe it is the fault of the director or the make-up and costume people, but this normally lovely actress just does not look healthy. Hopefully, 2021 will bring back the Lindy Booth that we all enjoy and appreciate. Someone give her a good script with a better character to play - she can handle it. Sweep this one under the rug this Christmas.