Christmas Under the Lights

Of course I was not familiar with the 2024 Christmas movie "Christmas Under the Lights" from director Lucie Guest, but opted to add it to my 2024 Christmas movie marathon, and thus give the movie a fair chance.

Writers Russell Hainline and Beverley Wood didn't exactly think out of the box when they wrote the script for the movie, as they basically played it safe by putting all their money on generic sappy Christmas tropes, for better or worse. Well, sure, "Christmas Under the Lights" was a watchable movie, don't get me wrong, and you're in for a treat if you enjoy these particularly formulaic sappy Christmas movies that follow the Hallmark-guidebook-of-how-to-make-a-sappy-Christmas-movie.

The only face on the screen that I was familiar with was actor Niall Matter, whom was in the movie for maybe less than a minute. But I've seen sufficiently many Christmas movies to recognize him. The acting performances in "Christmas Under the Lights" were fair.

Hardly a Christmas classic in any way. Nor is it a movie that I will return to watch a second time.

My rating of director Lucie Guest's 2024 movie "Christmas Under the Lights" lands on a five out of ten stars.

I enjoy Heather Hemmens in most of her Hallmark movies. I thought this one was good, and she played the emotional story beats very well, mostly in trying to grapple with her mom's death and the regret associated with that. The romance as usual was a slow build over the course of maybe two weeks (lol), but I liked that it wasn't your typical "I'm in love with you" but rather "I really like you and want to see where a relationship could go".

For my first '24 Hallmark offering, this fit the bill. But it wasn't anything particularly groundbreaking. Still, even the most casual of Hallmark fans will find something enjoyable in this one, so I say give it a watch!

Christmas Under the Lights is easily one of the best Hallmark movies I've seen in years, and I watch plenty of them! What sets this one apart is its calm, realistic tone and the maturity in its storytelling. The acting is wonderfully natural, the characters feel genuine, and the story has surprising depth. Instead of relying on clichés or forced drama, the film focuses on heartfelt relationships, emotional growth, and a community coming together.

It's a refreshing, feel-good movie with just the right amount of holiday magic. If you're craving a Hallmark movie that feels authentic and meaningful while still delivering all the festive charm, this is a must-watch!

The male actor was great, The female actress I was not a fan of She felt dry and whiny. The leads did lack chemistry as far as I could see from a home or perspective Sterling could have been a lot better put together as well. Felt like it was missing a lot. The story had potential and the lead actor was good for it but the female actress just didn't feel right for the roll. For me this was a Hallmark want to miss not something I would care to see again. Was helping for more emotion and story and development and I felt like it was missing a lot of that The co-stars were nice but the lack of development and not feel dry and bored after a A period of repetition.

6.4 stars.

Not much to see here. The story has potential that sort of falls flat. Mother is deceased, the lead female has flashes of seeing her mom, memories, all that good stuff, it is endearing.

The brother turns out to be a very quiet farmer who really has no personality. He is very laid back and nonchalant about life in general, which is sort of a realistic point of view actually. Many people become that way in life.

She is a go-getter, but too much of one. She ran away from home several times, wanted to get out, see the world, be adventurous and daring. These traits are her downfall, and now she's back home to see the town for Christmas due to her circumstances.

She meets an artist who is best friends with her brother and they eventually hit it off.

The film is not exciting and there is very little romance. It's a story of a woman reliving her past and regretting all her decisions, yet not really. She's conflicted, and so is this film.