A Holiday in Harlem

Hallmark has had a winning streak this year with Mrs Miracle and now this. They often show people who live in the city traveling back to a hometown for Christmas but they rarely show Christmas in a city neighborhood. I have no idea if Harlem or any neighborhood in New York is a close knit place but this is what I'd like to think they have. The relationships seemed real and the chemistry was great. The two leads were wonderful and their emotions seemed real. Tina Lifford has always been one of my favorite television actresses and her Mama Belle character was delightful. I loved the storyline of the divorced parents and how and why they did things the way they did. All in all a real home run for Hallmark.

I struggled to get through the first thirty minutes or so, I am afraid. And it wasn't until the last thirty that I started to truly engage with the story, engage with the performances. At face value, the story is a warm and sweet one. With a city neighborhood as the backdrop, the movie gives you a bit of a sense of Harlem during the holiday season (I've been told). And, as another reviewer has pointed out, inner-city settings in Hallmark movies are rare. The story revolves around Jazmin (played by Olivia Washington), a successful corporate fixer who returns to Harlem for Christmas (the neighborhood where she grew up) after a bit of a talking to by Mama Belle (played Tina Lifford), as she puts it, 'I don't want any more dried fruit baskets. I want to see you'. When Mama Belle is injured in a yoga accident, Jazmin decides to stay longer and takes over the block's annual Christmas Jamboree. However, there is one catch, she has to co-chair the event with her old best friend Caleb (played by Will Adams). And so, our romance begins, as we watch the two prepare for this community holiday event, all the while reconnecting and maybe, just maybe, falling in love. The script was decent. The writer (and director), I thought, did a good job of setting the scene (e.g., the opening scene thru the neighborhood) and portraying a sense of community spirit. The dialogue too, especially between Mama Belle and Jazmin, felt real, authentic. One problem with the story, with the script, however, is the balance between drama, comedy, and romance is a bit off in some parts of the film. These elements should reinforce each other, reinforce the overarching narrative of the story, and this is not always the case here. Another issue is the acting. Overall, it is a mixed bag. I had a difficult time connecting with Washington's performance. She has several noticeably awkward scenes, particularly early on in the movie, which made her performance difficult to engage with, I felt. Don't get me wrong, she does have some good scenes, particularly in the second half of the film. Indeed, her performance in the latter half is strong. Similarly, Adam's performance took a while to grow on me. Unfortunately, the chemistry between the two was not very convincing. Simply put: their romance never really developed on-screen. I did not feel it, especially their kiss at the end. This is partly due to the script, as another reviewer suggests, and partly due to the acting, of course. What stood out for me, and what arguably kept this one afloat, was the performance of Lifford. She was absolutely delightful in her role as Mama Belle. Finally, the movie does instill a bit of Christmas spirit and holiday cheer. There are some fun and festive scenes, including the Christmas Jamboree. And you got to love the Christmas sweaters. What's up with the soundtrack? The music for much of the first hour is a bit odd, and distracting at times. All in all, 'A Holiday in Harlem' is a decent Hallmark Christmas movie, a warm story with some unexceptional acting.

A Holiday In Harlem (2021) -

It was a simple film, but not overly exciting and the romance wasn't really at the forefront, with the focus on the jamboree instead.

Will Adams in the lead male role was cute and I felt that he was too good for the lead female, Olivia Washington's character, who still had a lot to learn even at the end, but nobody gave a bad performance.

As Christmas films go, it was pleasant and it definitely tried to incorporate something new, with Basketball and Poetry elements that had a seasonal twist, but it was all quite simplified.

I would probably say that this was a middle of the road effort. There wasn't a magic sparkle, but there was also no sickly sweet child or daft elf to spoil it either.

5/10.

Love the acting, the characters, the location but not necessarily the storyline. Still sweet but just not my favorite. And the leading lady was just adorable!!! ..........

Did like the premise, more so than most of the premises for this year's Hallmark Christmas output. Always hope that good premises are done justice and given good execution, and there are times where that is gotten and other times where the potential is wasted. Also instances where the premise doesn't appeal but the execution pleasantly surprised me. Hallmark's 2021 films had all three extremes, and all three extremes were obvious in the Christmas block.

'A Holiday in Harlem' doesn't waste its potential, but it also could have done a good deal more with it. Really did appreciate that it tried to do something different, but there are times where different doesn't always come off and it's executed unevenly in 'A Holiday in Harlem'. An example of a film that doesn't start off particularly good, but gets better if stuck with, which is a disappointment after three very impressive Christmas films from Hallmark in a row.

To me, 'A Holiday in Harlem' started off rocky with it taking too long to set up and some very awkward dialogue. Some of the editing seemed rushed looking and sloppy.

Did find too Olivia Washington and Will Adams rather stiff to begin with, particularly Washington who had too much of a fish out of water quality early on. Also thought there could have been more consistent chemistry, which isn't there at first and wouldn't even have been believable as a friendship. What would have helped though was if the relationship between them was developed more and didn't play as much second fiddle to the community stuff.

This sounds as if this reviewer thought 'A Holiday in Harlem' was bad. Not at all, actually thought that there were a lot of good things. Just thought that other 2021 Hallmark Christmas films were better and executed individual components more consistently. Both Washington and Adams improve from the middle act onwards, when the material becomes more natural and has more fun and heart. The supporting turns are very good on the whole, with a delightful Tina Lifford (classy, well meaning and fun) stealing the film. The chemistry also improves drastically, despite it never developing enough as a romance, but it's the heart warming community spirit feel that comes off best in the character interaction.

While not liking the editing sometimes, the film does look quite nice visually otherwise. Especially the colourful festive decor and the scenery. The music is also pleasant and fits nicely. The script gets a lot better later and sounds a lot less awkward and Lifford's dialogue brightens the spirits. The story likewise vastly improves, at its best in the heart warming last act (the section where most Hallmark films are at their weakest) and with the colourful Jamboree. It's light hearted and sincere and doesn't take itself over seriously, plus because of the different setting and scenario it is a lot less predictable than usual. The characters on the whole are easy to get behind and the community spirit really charms.

In summary, not great but worthwhile and worth sticking with if unsure initially. 6/10.