Hats Off to Christmas!

Widowed Haylie Duff works at a small-town store where all they sell is Christmas-themed paraphernalia, all year round. When it turns out that sales are down for the last couple of years, her boss, whose immense office bespeaks the millions he has made off this venture over the years, parachutes his Wall-Street son, Antonio Cupo, over her. However, when he helps her wheelchair-bound son in a pumpkin-carving competition, things start to turn around in this ridiculously detailed but very watchable Hallmark romantic comedy.

At least part of that is due to some very fine acting on the part of the leads. Neither of their characters wish to be in this situation and they behave in a way that bespeaks their dissatisfaction and professionalism -- pardon me if I think the actors felt this way about the movie and used that for their performances. Given the ridiculous assumptions as well as the obvious and cheap cries for sympathy in the script, this should have been one of the worst of the twelve Hallmark Christmas romcoms this year. Instead, it is surprisingly good.

This story had good potential. Add one key element to the usual widow with a son breaks in the new boss plot-line. That element is that the son is in a wheelchair, injured in the accident that killed his dad. I also give this movie some small creativity points that Nick didn't come in trying to make Mia's life miserable by changing everything without asking.

I thought the execution was choppy. I expected more from Hayie Duff. At times she was OK, but at other times she seemed clumsy in her role. I got tired of seeing her tilt her head down in her humility pose. And she was clumsy at times with Antonio Cupo. They didn't seem to have chemistry and it sure didn't seem like Mia wanted to give Nick a chance. Most of the courting going on seemed to be Nick courting Scott, not his mom. There just wasn't enough of Mia and Nick connecting.

The company in trouble theme was also executed clumsily. (You don't leave your conference room door open when you are discussing ideas for cost cutting that affects employees.)

On the other hand, there were definitely some good moments especially toward the end. But they seemed like items checked off on someone's list of plot devices. Overall though, I guess there were enough positives that I give this movie a thumbs up, but barely.

Yes, I know it is cheesy and grossly sentimental. The interplay from the widowed single mother (she is getting over her husbands death well, kind of like Scarlett O'Hara) and the put upon disabled child is really over the top.

Yet for reasons I do not fully understand this is one my favorite Hallmark movies. I would recommend this one for all.

Actually really liked the concept and there was some decent potential here in 'Hats Off to Christmas' with its ideas. It is not original by any stretch, then again nobody should watch a Hallmark film expecting originality (which has only been achieved sporadically). Have nothing personal against Hallmark, far from it, and absolutely love Christmas, so there was no negative bias towards the film before watching. Actually wanted to like it.

That 'Hats Off to Christmas' didn't do much with its potential and wasn't the at least decent film that it could have been if it had tried harder actually saddened me somewhat. It is nowhere near Hallmark's worst, there were some really rough ones since 'Hats Off to Christmas'. It is not one of their best either, with some of their output being surprisingly good as long as one doesn't expect a massive amount or award-worthy.

'Hats Off to Christmas' best component is the acting, which was well above average all things considered. Haylie Duff and Antonio Cupo both do a good job in their roles, especially Duff as one of the few businesswoman-type characters in a Hallmark film to not be annoying and have a personality. Their chemistry is sweet and genuine. Jay Brazeau is also strong and Sean Michael Kyer has his heartfelt moments.

Production values are quite nice, especially the scenery, and they don't look cheap or drab. The soundtrack is pleasant and isn't as intrusive as can be the case for Hallmark Christmas films. A few heart-warming moments here and there, really did like the idea of Scotty's subplot and that did have moments of heart.

Sadly, those heart-warming and moving moments are eclipsed by the excessive cheese and over-sentimentality that the writing is full of. A lot of the dialogue is so cheese-ridden that it makes the cheesiest burger bland in comparison, and some of the interplay is really forced. 'Hats Off to Christmas' to me came over as far too sentimental and in a rather manipulative way too, little of it felt natural and Scotty's subplot in general could have been handled with a lot more tact (especially with the football game). The story does absolutely nothing new with story tropes well worn out long ago, so one predicts many actions and many of the outcomes.

It is also very contrived, its portrayal of business and retail is agreed unrealistic, too many of the characters do not feel like real people that behave realistically and have changes of heart that ring true and not spur on the monent-like. Instead there are a lot of over-reaction behaviours here, especially considering the misunderstanding, and too many decisions come too out of nowhere and come over as illogical. Kyer had his moments, but he tended to overact his role and a huge part of me was really disappointing in not being able to relate completely to Scotty's subplot.

Concluding, rather mediocre but not a complete humbug. 4/10

BEWARE OF BOGUS REVIEWS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM HONEST ABOUT THESE FILMS

"Hats off to Christmas" fits the cookie cutter mold that Hallmark Christmas Movies seem to follow. This one is a widowed falls in love with the her new boss who just happened to take the job she has been coveting.

Haylie Duff is always great. She shines as always and brings charm to spare in this melodrama that really is a "Movie By Numbers By Hallmark".

In this film her husband died 18 months ago in a car wreck. That same wreck has left her son in a wheelchair but it will be "A Christmas Miracle if he ever walks again".

I wish Hallmark would venture out a little more and do some films that don't follow the "Christmas Mold". They hire talented writers and directors! I just wish that would let them take some chances.

Now this film is not bad but it is predictable.