'Twas the Text Before Christmas

A stranger's text leads to a Christmas dinner invitation and an unexpected romance in this cute holiday story about found family. Unfortunately, the over-the-top, tacky holiday decor is a big visual distraction rather than offering a warm festive setting. (This seems to be a reoccurring problem with GAC/GAF productions.) Hoping that for next year GAC learns the art of classic, elegant holiday decor - less is more people! There are also a few disconnects that should have been caught in editing, but overall this is a festive, uplifting watch with a primary romance in the making, as well as a sweet secondary romance.

The last GAF movie I watched had over the top autumn decorations and annoying background music. Fast forward to this Christmas movie and now we have over the top Christmas decor and more distracting background music. I'm not sure who thinks this adds to the movies but please stop!

Other than these distractions, I thought it was a good movie although the pace was slow, especially the romance between Addie and James. The leads, Merritt Patterson and Trevor Donovan, worked well together and I liked the interactions with Jayne Eastwood's "Nana". Probably not a movie I'd watch again but enjoyable for a one time view.

This movie is supposed to span a period of 2 years, and 3 Christmases. But amazingly, none of the characters change in any way during this 2 year span. They wear the same clothes, I think Trevor has maybe 2 shirts during the whole movie, one of which looks very very cheap and poorly made. The character's hair, all of them, doesn't change one iota. A 11-12 year old girl, an age at which there are normally TONS of changes, does not change one little bit.

The restaurant scenes with the female lead and her father are exactly the same all 3-4 times. Same table, same background people, everything the same. Even though the several scenes take place over this 2 year period.

The movie itself is pretty boring. The actress playing the elderly mom would be more suited to play the grandmother, she has to be at least 75. She's fine, but unless Trevor is 50+, too old to play his mother.

Merritt Patterson is exactly the same in every role. Shiny happy face, no depth. Neither her nor Trevor are given much to work with here, just so so boooring, no chemistry at all. He is so wasted here.

GAF need to tone down their set decoration for these movies. It's always over the top and unrealistic. And doesn't anyone use other types of Christmas tree decorations? Why just large shiny balls everywhere? A women who loves Christmas and is 65+ in age would have a ton of more vintage looking stuff.

The basic motif to see it was, in my case, Trevor Donovan. And, indeed, he does a nice job . Good parts, forced final, fair portrait of Nana and some strange situations. But, more important, a pretty inspired start point , not too inspired used but , in good measure, acceptable.

I like it because I have not high expectations. A wrong phone number, the Christmas in Vermont of a New Yorker young lady, her boyfriends as autumn leaves and his father living between Australia of son and USA of daughter, family and a venerable couple at new chance of happiness and a burned turkey, a dog and a charming grandmother.

For a nice evening, good option.

The GAF movies I wave watched so far have improved a little this year but the decorations & set design are awful to look at; too much just lumped on and it appears its recycled into several movies. It takes away from the improved story telling. Even the snow is visibly fake, no care is taken to create a convincing illusion of it. Someone is a sleep on the job and could do so much better with some effort Please please do not let your audiences and cast down with this lack of attention to the canvass on which the stories are told. Without which we are better off listening and not watching and that's a real let down.