Saying Yes to Christmas

When I saw the poster I thought that it's going to be a checklist for inclusiveness and all that so I had planned to skip it. However, I had some time to kill and gave it a shot. I am glad I did.

Does it check some inclusiveness boxes? Definitely but it doesn't feel like it's on purpose. I don't like being force-fed any kind of propaganda and I skipped many other films because of that. It wasn't the case of this film.

The protagonists are sweet and have great chemistry together. The entire cast did a good job. I will definitely look for more of their projects. The girl is very charismatic, she draws you in. The way she reacts to the "forced yes" moments, especially in the beginning, is really amusing, in my opinion. I also loved the comedy caused by the competitiveness of the main characters.

Of course, the events and decisions were not the most original. I knew how it was going to end, after the first 10 minutes. It is, like I said, a basic romance. The Christmas stereotypes are in, some of the romance stereotypes are in, as well. Also a few original traditions that I enjoyed. The nice thing was that nothing was forced, the main characters actually respected their parents, cared about not hurting people around them. No exaggerated drama.

Consider this a recipe with a few mandatory ingredients. The spices and the technique make the difference and the end product is delicious.

Goof: As they stood on the porch in the snow, he put his jacket over her shoulders, then as the camera draws back, there's NO jacket to be seen anywhere!

How did it suddenly disappear?

Saying Yes To Christmas (2021) -

I have seen a similar film* with Alicia Witt in the lead role being unable to tell a lie and enjoyed that one too, but I liked the idea of having the option of saying No taken away in this film, because we should all say yes to more things. As a wise man recently said to me "You only die once, but you live everyday" and I am definitely guilty of not making the most of those days, so I could appreciate this film which showed how much happier people can be when they do get involved and sometimes make a difference to the lives of others.

June (Erika Prevost) seemed very young in the lead role, especially to be a book editor, but it worked as a way to get her home for the festive season to try and recruit a visiting author.

Whilst there she reconnected with Romaine Waite in his role of Blake.

He was cute without being too gorgeous and distracting. And by that I mean that he didn't take over the rest of June's journey too much, but was enough to allow the romance to blossom.

They were both actually quite lovely together, because neither actor was trying to outshine the other.

I also enjoyed the inclusion of a different culture's festive celebrations.

June's Chief Editor Boss, Shannon (Sabrina Grdevich), was way over the top but in a good way that made you hate her and her terrible values and the rest of the cast all did their jobs well too.

Ultimately, everything that June goes through causes her to realise the true values in her life and how she wants to move forward in a happier way with a love interest by her side (That's not a spoiler, we all knew it would happen) and I liked the way that the production delivered it all.

7.47/10.

*I'm Not Ready For Christmas (2015).

The premise is like so many others. An assistant editor gets a chance to be full editor if she lands a new writer. Sent back to her home town, she runs into a childhood friend and ends up doing all the usual Christmas things with him. Meanwhile, he's trying to convince his dad to update their business. There is a twist from the usual though and that's the magic wish. Her friend wishes that she "says yes to Christmas" and it comes true. She literally has to say yes to anything Christmas.

Other than that twist, it is totally by formula and totally predictable.

As I often say, when the story is the same old stuff, the movie must succeed in the relationship. Erika Prevost and Romaine Waite have definite chemistry and they get plenty of screen time together. Prevost's resume is somewhat short and I've never seen her before, but she is very appealing both in personality and looks. She's younger than many of the leads on Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movies, so here's to seeing more of her.

Not every Christmas story is the same, because everyone has a different heritage, with different traditions, and people in the U. S. come from different countries. While this movie has a familiar story line of a woman who works in a publishing company and finds her own voice, this story is culturally unique, heartfelt, and beautiful!

It showcases asian culture and traditions (which I haven't seen before in TV Christmas movies in the states), but it also shows Asian and African American values like: love of family, pursuing a higher education, striving to be successful, continuity of traditions, service to others, the importance of creating community, etc.

It also shows young people the importance of knowing your value, standing up for yourself and your beliefs, not compromising your happiness for material things, that success is preparation meeting opportunity, and that taking risks in the pursuit of success and happiness pays off when you balance your heart and your mind.

It is sad to see the bias in some of the reviews, usually from people who are intolerant of minority stories, and minorities in lead roles.

For those complaining about the plot, Hallmark has made a living off of repeating story lines, usually putting actors in rolls with similar themes way too often at this point, and you've been supporting them for years!

Why can't Lifetime do a familiar story line with a twist? They're called universal themes for a reason, many can relate as it happens to almost everyone in different ways.

I invite open minded people, who see everyone as "human beings" first and foremost, to give themselves the opportunity to watch this and other lifetime movies (especially those with minority leads and cast), and rate them in a fair, objective, and unbiased way, as it should be.

I'm very pleased with this beautiful movie, and others done this 2021 -22 holiday season, which have shown classy, and culturally diverse stories that celebrate family and love in all its forms.

Bravo to Lifetime for making a commitment to be a network that employs a diverse casts and champions inclusion! Please continue to do so always, and continue making beautiful movies! Lord knows our nation needs to see our stories, our children need to see themselves represented in people who look like them, and our actors need the platform and the opportunities.

I celebrate and support them all! Bravo!

🙌💝🙌

P. S. My only negative mark: The actress that played a Puerto Rican writer did not speak Spanish with a proper pronunciation, and unfortunately she botched "Misa de Gallo" (Mass of the Rooster or Midnight Mass) as Semilla de Gallo (Seed of the Rooster).

I appreciate the effort to talk about different cultures. However, if you're talking about the traditions of Puerto Rico (for example), shouldn't you at least hire an actress who speaks fluent Spanish and has an accurate native "Puerto Rican" accent? There are plenty of amazingly talented actors on the island that would love the opportunity.

I do appreciate seeing my culture in a Christmas movie in the U. S. immensely, even if it was for three minutes, and hope to see an entire movie about Puerto Rican Christmases in the future!

Thank you!