A Christmas Detour

I'd have to say as an avid Hallmark watcher, this is one of the cutest I've seen! The chemistry between actors is really good and the story line is sweet. I was really surprised by the supporting characters, Frank and Maxine. They were hilarious and worked well with the main actors. Paul Greene is really charming and handsome. He works well with Candace and overall this is a sweet, feel good Christmas movie!

I didn't get a chance to watch this movie the year it came out but I did watch over Christmas 2018 and I adored it. I love CCB so naturally I was happy to see this. I thought there was good chemistry between her male counterpart. I must say, I absolutely loved the supporting actors, the married couple that traveled with them... they were very good in their roles!! All in all, I thought it was a good movie - worth the watch.

I sometimes wonder why certain people choose to watch certain movies.....do not believe the negative reviews of this movie. This is a lovely Christmas romance movie, with good acting and realistic characters. I have certainly met and know people like these characters, even the parents of the husband to be....so I am confused by some of the reviews saying the characters are not believable. My husband and I enjoyed watching this together. You will too.

While I enjoy so many of Hallmark's holiday movies, this is not one of its best. Paige's character is just annoying, and Dylan is as stiff as a board. The unhappily married companion couple, Frank and Maxine, is the best-acted story line, despite their boring dialogue. What in the world did Paige ever see in her fiancé Jack? He's a dud. Nothing is remotely believable in this film. And, sadly, it appears that some substandard CGI was inserted, too, like the holiday tree in the very beginning. Everyone, including the director, was just going through the motions on this one. It could have been so much more with a better script and direction, and with actors who wanted to be there.

Candace Cameron Bure plays a writer who believes in vision boards and soulmates. She's engaged to a stuffy, insipid man and is supposed to meet his equally stuffy parents for the first time on Christmas. But bad weather stands in the way of her plans so she's forced to share a ride with a bickering married couple and a handsome bartender (Paul Greene) down on love. Along the way sparks fly, proving once again that opposites always attract in TV romcoms.

It's never a bad thing to see Candace Cameron Bure in a Christmas movie, even if she is playing a more obnoxious character than usual. It took me awhile to like the character as she's pretty much the exact type of person I try to avoid in my life. Eventually they do flesh her out a little and you grow to care about her some. I still wasn't completely enamored with her by the end. Which is saying a lot since I adore Candace and will sit through just about anything to watch her. For his part, Paul Greene is a step above the usual bland male lead these things tend to have. He's got a lot of charisma (and knows it), straddling that fine line between charming and cocky at all times. Candace and Paul have a nice chemistry together but, as fun as these two are, the real highlight of the movie is Sarah Strange and David Lewis as the married couple. They prove you don't have to have movie star good looks to be a compelling romcom relationship. In a perfect world actors like this could be the stars of the movie. As it is, we have to settle for them as supporting players who steal the spotlight. The guy playing Candace's fiancé and the actors playing his parents also do an admirable job with cardboard roles. I'm sure it wasn't easy.

Candace rarely disappoints with her TV movies. This one isn't among my favorites of hers but it is very enjoyable, despite a few flaws. It's predictable (as these things always are) but it does what it does well. If you're looking for a pleasant way to pass the time on a lazy Saturday afternoon, you could do a lot worse.