Designing Christmas with You

Yes, you guessed it, of course I had never heard about the 2023 movie "Designing Christmas With You" (aka "Mistletoe Moments") prior to sitting down to watch it here in 2024. I happened to have the chance to add it to my 2024 Christmas movie marathon, and since it was a movie that I was unfamiliar with, of course I did so.

Were I harboring grand expectations to Jo-Anne Brechin's 2023 movie? No, not really, as the movie's cover seemed rather generic and sappy. But then again, doesn't the vast majority of these movies essentially have the same cover of a woman and a man looking all cozy and Christmassy? And this movie was no different.

The storyline in the movie is generic, so very, very generic. Our leading actress stumbles into a stranger and it is an instant attraction, and she has to work on a huge Christmas event, but lo and behold the guy opposing her plans happens to be the leading actor, the stranger she bumped into in the beginning of the movie. Will they work out their differences and make Christmas a reality? And will they fall in love along the way? I think we all know the answers and the exact outcome of the story. So writer Ansley Gordon played it safe and put all bets on all the archetypical sappy Christmas movie tropes in history.

But of course, this means that the diehard fans of sappy Christmas movies will enjoy the movie a lot more than us casual viewers will. No doubt about that.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, and that is actually something I do enjoy when I sit down to watch a movie. The acting performances in the movie were fair.

Hardly a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time, but it was entertaining enough for what it was.

My rating of director Jo-Anne Brechin's 2023 movie "Designing Christmas With You" lands on a five out of ten stars.

It is the typical story line you expect from these kinds of movies (as in Hallmark, great american family, other made for tv christmas movies) but so very low energy. Nothing special happened, no christmas tree lighting or drinking hot chocolate or cider. Not even that much was said; there were lots of musical interlude shots. The actors were fine but didn't really have anything to work with so i can't say if they were good or bad. And i do not know what was up with the lead actresses roots. Yes, i understand they happen but the director chose to film so many close-up shots of her with her head down that it was very in your face.

There's very little purpose in critiquing the low production values for each movie, the similar 6 or so storylines used over and over again and the halting, bumbling style of the romances in Hallmark movies. I have seen these productions being made from around 2010 to present day and 90% of them all have the same general low-budget, repetitive storyline, cringe-inducing approach.

I turn a blind critical eye to all of this and just ask for a couple of things:

1. Do the leads seem casted for match in terms of physical appeal?

2. Despite the script always requiring romantic hesitancy, does the male lead at least act like he has 2 X chromosomes throughout the movie?

3. Does some overt romantic chemistry develop throughout the movie or do we have to view 90 minutes of nothing only to get a surprise kiss as the credits roll?

I think this movie rates a grade B- on my scale.

It's all about decorating and the decorating budget must have been forgotten about?... Maybe less fake snow and more vintage, Victorian design. Not realistic at all. Seems like the same bows were used in every scene. My home looks better than the Chapman house🙃 Definitely not a holly ball to remember. This is the cheesiest hallmark movie I've ever seen. Why make such a terrible movie if you don't have the budget to make it authentic to the script? The am new to Hallmark movies but there are some I do like but again, this takes the cake for the worst one I've seen. No drama, unrealistic timeline and again the budget and decor for the holly ball falls flat. Walmart decorates better than that!!

I am afraid this film just "couldn't get there." Their acting was ok, I guess, but the awkward moments were forced and it was totally lacking in chemistry. It was slammed together, like it was a weekend student film project, and it had no real substance or good conflict.

It snowed continually, I guess for effect, but the snow never built up.

AND the fact that they were having to put all those decorations up and there were no helpers, was a bit ridiculous.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel anything in this movie, not even Christmas.

PS - Lip synch went out the last 15-20 minutes of the film. Sorry. A for effort, F for failed.