Christmas on Candy Cane Lane

The Christmas on Candy Cane Lane writers went for absurdity and touching in the same movie, and they never sold me on either mode.

When you have a film where you're relieved when one character isn't in a scene, that's a bad sign. And not because you have a bad guy you don't like but just because the character is constantly annoying.

The whole subplot about "vandalizing candy canes" by moving them around was a non-starter for me. It wasn't serious enough to raise concern, nor funny enough to be amusing.

On the sentimental side, we have divorced parents coming to terms over their daughter and possibly becoming close again and an accused prankster who clearly isn't going to be the culprit.

More than halfway in, I looked over at my wife and said, "At an hour and sixteen minutes into the movie, I'm thinking it should have established SOMETHING I care about." Oops, and just after that Miss Annoying Neighbor walked into another scene to ruin it. We didn't turn it off but probably should have.

This is so hectoring and hard to take seriously. I gather this is intended to be a "film with a moral" but, if you want to produce a film that extols the virtues of reconciliation and renewal, you do need to write a believable screenplay.

I really struggled to see Rob (played by Dan Payne) as a well-rounded and consistent character. If someone had been through a traumatic experience, wouldn't he have at least shown some small amount of nervousness about jumping back in the deep end?

Since this is really built on the past, present and future of the relationship between Rob and Ivy (played by Andrea Barber), it fails to enthrall because the way their relationship evolves is simply implausible. So, all in all, a real dud of a Christmas film.

This is the Christmas movie formula we all know and love. The main couple with their problems, the other couple with their comedic interactions, the grumpy person that adds the element of stress to the main character. Just lighthearted Christmas for fun at its best.

This plot is perfectly thin, you can guess how things turn out right from the start, but that's what Christmas movies are about. Like a blanket and a warm cup of hot chocolate they are meant to be warm and comfortable with just a hint of merriment.

The cast is all fun, and they look like they are having fun. Even the obligatory teenage girl is not obnoxious.

All in all, a nice way to spend an evening.

I personally loved this movie. I thought all the cast did a super great job. Always like Dan Payne but Andrea Barber and the rest of the cast were equally as good. If you are looking for a wholesome family friendly movie you won't be disappointed. If you are looking for perversion or sexual thrills from under dressed women you probably won't like this movie. I am happy to see that lighthearted film making is making a comeback. I hope to see more films like this in the near future. I watched this on frndly for under ten dollars a month. They also carry Pixl and the inspirational channel as well.

This was an okay movie - guess they can't all be show-stoppers. Most of the cast was pretty good and worked well together. Too bad they were not listed in the cast listing on IMDB. The leads were awkward together. At times cringy to watch. Dan Payne definitely is a much more seasoned and polished actor than Andrea Barber. The daughter was a genuine trooper in her role and the police officer/ friend was awesome and her humor was fun, along with handyman Devon (again, neither of them were credited and both had sizable roles - why?). I agree with one of the other reviewers about Andrea Barber's lack of skill. Either she just doesn't have the depth for a lead role or was woefully unprepared. The plot kept jumping from one storyline to another, hard to follow(or care about) most of them.

Overall, it's a decent movie as long as your expectations aren't too high. Just could have been so much better. I'd say the director needs more experience or skill since that's where the cohesion should have come from. Choppy and labored and stilted.