'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.

This movie really is nothing new - it is realistic enough, but too dull, seen it all in these movies before. The worst part was when the lead told the children they 'did not miss a note' when they were off with the piano. I wouldn't intentionally watch it again, because I prefer more contrast / variety in these stories and there's nothing unique here to merit a re-watch. However, there are still a lot of good points regarding decision making and it might just give a bit of clarity when there's big decisions to be made. I also like that the lead was realistic about where she could afford to live - often homes in movies are too expensive for the characters' situations. I just wish they'd shown her two ideas of life in parallel and joined them together again at the end for a more original format for this genre - a bit like Sliding Doors but all-age friendly.

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.

...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.

'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.