Christmas in Notting Hill

I gave it five stars for effort! All the actors seemed very enthusiastic about their roles, but they really had nothing to work with and none of them rose above it, either.

The premise was promising, but the execution was abysmal. I was sitting home alone, bored, the night before Thanksgiving, and decided a cheesy Hallmark Xmas movie was what I needed. This didn't disappoint. I laughed at myself for the entire time because I kept watching it. Kind of like watching a train wreck.

The writing was amateurish, the dialog was totally cringe, the conflicts were silly and shallow, and about the only thing really interesting was the reference near the end to the excellent TV series "Ted Lasso".

But I had fun making fun of it. Just wish I'd had someone here to laugh with.

I agree with most people about Georgia and her terrible acting. Her makeup alone was clownish and completely distracting. The only thing worse was her terrible personality. I felt zero romance or chemistry between the two. I am not even sure what he saw in her, it wasn't her charm because she had none. There was little to no humor in this like Notting Hill. Just a girl taking out her insecurities on everyone else. The plot dragged if there even was one, and the ending was sloppy and incomplete. There was zero character growth and zero romance. I love the lead gentleman and he is quite a good actor but I still would never watch this again.

5.8/10 (6)

Same story, different country. It doesn't matter if it's America or England. It's a small world where the love interests will collide.

The thing that drew me to checking out this film was the inclusion of Association Football. Football is my favourite sport, and so I got curious on how the romantic dynamic would be incorporated.

It went about as well as I imagined. Only a slight bit of the game being shown, and the rest inferred along the way. The initial romantic meet up was classic, and the continuation really wasn't much of a surprise.

The two main leads were cute together, and had good chemistry. The second couple of the film, while not the primary story per se, they were also enjoyable.

My downsides were passion, editing and effects. While I did enjoy the actors, at times, I didn't feel there was a lot of passion which made the less than ninety minute film feel stretched. The editing and effects were a little choppy at times. Quick succession of camera cuts that seemed unnecessary. Also, the effects of snow felt too fake which bothered me for some shots. It looked like an overlay on the screen.

Overall, not a terrible movie. It's bad enough to get a 5.8 out of me, but just good enough to be rated a 6. If you're a Hallmark fan then you won't go wrong and you'll enjoy it I'm sure. If you're not a Hallmark fan and you're being forced into watching one then this is one of the better ones. You may still dislike it, but it's not as cheesy as others.

That's all for now. Thank you for taking the time to read my review. Until next time.... Enjoy the show!

They clearly had no idea how to represent an ACL tear or the recovery from one either. He should have been in a brace with crutches because the only way to repair an ACL is with surgery, not a TENS machine. He would have been non-weight bearing for 6 weeks after surgery. As they had shown him getting injured right at the beginning of our story line he would have only been out of the hospital a few days and most definitely would not be walking around London. The only thing they got right about the recovery is the recovery time. Otherwise it was a cute predictable Hallmark movie that makes you believe in Christmas.

American teacher Georgia Bright (Sarah Ramos) goes to Notting Hill to visit her sister for Christmas. Injured professional footballer Graham Savoy (William Moseley) comes home to Notting Hill with his career in doubt. They bump into each other in an outdoor market. He is surprised that she doesn't know who he is.

It is Hallmark in London. The romance is standard Hallmark. It has two pretty leads doing most of the standard fare with limited drama. The big drama with the sisters seem to come out of nowhere. The main difference from other Hallmark movies is the London location. I wouldn't mind more local flavors. The interiors are probably shot on a sound stage. It is still a TV movie after all.