'Tis the Season for Love

The lovely Sarah Lancaster stars in this predictable but enjoyable Hallmark Christmas movie. Sarah plays a struggling actress who returns home for the holidays to the small town she left years before. She returns having never realized her dreams of stardom and discovers her ex now has a happy small town life, married with adorable kids. This makes her wonder if she made the right choice leaving all those years ago. Then there's some weird stuff with Santa Claus and you'll just have to see the rest for yourself.

I really like Sarah and will pretty much watch anything she's in. I can't say I loved this movie but I also can't say much against it, since my expectations are generally low on TV movies. Every now and then you watch a Hallmark movie and feel like someone just mashed together a few previous Hallmark movies and came up with something that seems to be new but doesn't really feel like it. That's what we have here. But even the weakest of scripts for these things can often be saved by the charisma of the leads and how well the romance works. The problem there is, while Sarah is certainly beautiful, she just seems kind of bored in this. There also isn't much of a spark between her and love interest Brendan Penny. It's not a bad seasonal romcom by any stretch, just not particularly great. If you're a fan of Sarah Lancaster, you'll probably like this fine. Otherwise you might find yourself trying to put together the puzzle of which Hallmark movies you previously saw the different pieces of this one.

Christmas Confessions/'Tis The Season For Love (2015) -

I adore Brendan Penny and he should be in everything and get naked a lot! He's so fricking charming and adorable in all that he does, but especially as Dean in this film. He could easily get ME to settle down with him, but I'm not sure that the relationship that bloomed in this one, with Sarah Lancaster as Beth would really last. She would always be looking to make up for what she'd lost and even Brendan, with his gorgeous eyes, wouldn't be enough for her. Throughout this one she was a bit sulky, although I'm probably just jealous that she got to snog him, as evidenced by the fact I was shouting B!tch at the TV every time she did.

I liked Gwynyth Walsh as the Mum, even though she was a bit overexcited most of the time and her hyper behaviour did seem a bit hard to buy, but she was just jolly and so far from the Klingon she played in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' (1987-94).

I also liked not knowing if the Father Christmas Beth talked to was the real one or not. It's those little touches of magic that add to these films, without making them silly. And Garry Chalk did very well in the role.

Overall the fact that Brendan Penny was in it, should be enough of a reason to watch it, but he was also playing a fireman. Sadly he doesn't get naked for a calendar, although he did in the version in my head.

It was sweet and cheery and full of Christmas. I'm always happy to come back to this one.

7.25/10.

...lifted to another level by the presence of the lovely and engaging Sarah Lancaster.

I've seen SL in quite a few TV movies and she has the knack of making average fare thoroughly engaging with her relaxed acting style - she seems to fit into roles with great ease and never ever seems to be acting, which is an extraordinary gift. Never underestimate charm in actors - some have it, and many don't. Ms Lancaster has it in spades, and it's underpinned by a quality of humility which again some actors don't seem to have.

...and children seem to really enjoy her company which explains the sheer ease (for the viewer) with which she works/acts with them in this flick.

The story is average but the setting is very nice - there's a scene on the ice rink which is thoroughly delightful visually...I'll say no more.

I could watch this again without any complaints.

Whether it is easy to not take 'Tis the Season for Love' and similar films seriously is dependent on whether the good things outweigh the bad and vice versa. Dependent on how many flaws there are and how big they are. And dependent on how well the film executed its good things. In some cases it is easy to not take it too seriously. In other cases it is very distracting when there are so many annoyances and done to an incompetent level.

'Tis the Season for Love' is not one of those films. It does have things wrong with it, then again when has a Hallmark festive film been perfect, and the flaws are a few of the usual ones. 'Tis the Season for Love' does achieve its aims though at being undemanding light-hearted entertainment that has charm and heart and has a lot of good things, ones that are essential to get right if a film is to be halfway watchable. My festive Hallmark film viewings have been hit and miss, 'Tis the Season for Love' is one of the hits thankfully.

Sarah Lancaster is very understated but also very appealing, personally didn't think she looked bored and appreciated that character flaws are not overdone (have found this too many times with Hallmark). Brendan Penny is a very likeable, relaxed and charming leading man, did not care at all this time about his character being cliched because there is never the mistake of taking any uptightness and such to extremes. Really liked the chemistry between the two, lead chemistry has always varied with Hallmark (and Lifetime) and this is one of the cases where it has worked. Very genuine and always comfortable.

Also liked the supporting cast, especially sympathetic Gwyneth Walsh. All the cast in fact do well in fleshing out characters that are Hallmark cliches used a lot but actually make them feel real. The direction is always competent and in control of the material while not phoning in. The production values are great, with it being particularly beautifully shot. The scenery is very easy on the eyes. The script doesn't come over as corny or schmaltzy, and flows naturally. Although the story is far from perfect, it is light-hearted, succeeds in not taking itself too seriously and is charming.

It is very predictable though, not that that wasn't unexpected, with little new done with a more of the same formula. It ends too neatly and conveniently too, which is also not uncommon for Hallmark.

Personally too thought that the music score was ill-fitting, with the twinkling sound and quality being too tacky and made it sound like it was lifted out of a late-80s/early-90s family fantasy.

Overall, well above average and quite good even. 7/10.

'Tis The Season For Love' is a movie with a good heart. The main theme that seemed apparent was 'choice'; the far reaching ripple effect on our lives, from simple decisions made early on. Nina Weinmans story evolves with a perfectly timed pace and the main character, Beth ( Sarah Lancaster) is portrayed with honest sincerity, while her journey to become her authentic self unfolds. Terry Ingrams vision is very well executed, with beautiful cinematography – wonderful colors and rich set detailing make for an enjoyable visual experience. The attention to detail set this movie apart, placing it in the top tier of the TV Holiday Movie genre (which I must admit, I love). Brendan Penny (Dean) creates a believable love interest and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop on screen. This movie is about love, family and the importance of community and how the surface appearance of success can actually be a mask covering doubts and insecurities. The musical score by Hal Beckett is heartfelt and playful; twinkly and sparkly in all the right festive places. He perfectly accents the intimate romantic moments with his delightful piano and string moments and the fun woodwind motifs really make those light comedic scenes work. Heartwarming stuff indeed.