Window Wonderland

This has more depth and substance than your average Hallmark Christmas movie. The leads are well matched and Naomi Judd is a wonderful in her supporting role. And could it be that the female lead is named as a homage to Philip van Doren Stern, the writer of The Greatest Gift, the short story that was turned into an obscure little Christmas movie entitled, It's A Wonderful Life?

It goes through the usual, slow coming together, then sudden falling out, and final happy ending of all Hallmark romantic movies. But, in this case whole is greater than the sum of its parts. My only criticism is the music. I found it too loud and intrusive, in parts. And not Christmasy enough. But that does not detract too much from this festive gem. Do watch it. You will not be disappointed.

I found the main characters (and the writing for them) witty and hilarious. The reactions and situations are believable, although silly. Naomi Judd is quite good. There are heartfelt moments and good chemistry. I recommend this Hallmark Christmas movie.

This movie is well done. When it was over, I hated that it WAS over.

This movie is wonderful and yes it's a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel, but this could have been a theatrical release. I think that highly of it.

It has some smart written dialogue and well acted. The movie has a couple of clichéd twists as it is a Hallmark movie and a Christmas movie, but it is clichéd wrapped in an engaging story, engaging cast, and some well acted scenes.

The movie is about two employees competing for a job by the way of a window display. Sounds simple, but the movie was so well constructed and the plot evolves, you want the characters to have a good ending and benefits both leads. I will not say how it ends, but it is a Christmas movie.

If you want to watch a movie for Christmas, this is for you. In fact I think this is right up there with any classical Christmas movie. Charlie Brown, Love Actually, White Christmas....this is that good imo.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND! MUST SEE! I give it a perfect score, 10 out of 10! You will enjoy almost every aspect of this experience.

I'm a sucker for a good Hallmark TV movie, especially romantic comedies and even more especially ones that take place at Christmas. I've seen quite a lot of them over the last few years and, while there are some standouts, most tend to be of the "watch once and forget about it" variety. I'm happy to say this one is one of the standouts. As a matter of fact, I might go so far as to say it's the best movie I've seen from Hallmark yet. The story is a very simple one -- a woman and a man are both competing for a promotion as a department store's window decorator. He's an aspiring artist who's struggling to make ends meet in the big city and she's driven and ambitious to the point that she's lying about her background and pretending her bathroom attendant mom is a stranger. As they work alongside each other they grow closer and eventually...well, you know where it's going. But knowing that doesn't lessen the journey.

It's not perfect, of course. As always, Hallmark finds a way to bring wealth and status into things even when it's not necessary. I think someone should do a study on how often this occurs in Hallmark movies. It seems pretty common, particularly in the seasonal romcoms. There always has to be at least one rich guy. Sometimes he's a knight in shining armor and sometimes he's a villain. Anyway I have no quibbles with how it figures into this movie's plot but it did strike me as one of those familiar elements you see in virtually every Hallmark movie. Another slight negative is that the window decorations that are such a big part of the plot are just terribly unimpressive. I can't imagine any major department store in New York City allowing those cheap and lazy designs. Also a painting we're told is a great work of art is strictly amateur hour.

Those are minor issues in the grand scheme of things. They likely won't stand out to the average viewer who hasn't seen a ton of these movies. The strengths of this one far outweigh the weaknesses. The leads, Chyler Leigh and Paul Campbell, are absolutely perfect with an amazing chemistry that makes them easy to root for. It helps that the movie never pushes too hard for them to get together. We all know from the very beginning it will happen but the movie lets it play out naturally and without a lot of manufactured drama or angst. The tone of the whole movie is light and pleasant, which is another major plus. Naomi Judd is adorable in her supporting role as Leigh's mother. She steals every scene she's in. The biggest plus for Window Wonderland is the script, which is so much better than you usually get with these things. The characters are likable and three-dimensional, not just wooden clichés. The dialogue is really good. I love the playful banter between the lead characters. It's just such a good effort from Hallmark. Funny and touching with some great characters and a story that, while mostly predictable, is extremely satisfying.

I watched this movie 4 years ago and decided to watch it again after seeing the co-star Paul Campbell in Surprised by Love and Once upon a Holiday. Glad I did. The dialogue between Paul Campbell and the short haired Chyler Leigh is witty, fast and fun-fun-ny. Some good familiar support with Naomi Judd, Eric Keenleyside and Terence Kelly. Cameron Matheson also has a role. Very Well Done.