I've seen my share of Hallmark/Netflix Christmas movies this month (it's been one of those months) and I have to say, within the genre of Christmas cheese, is this film really that bad? Let's try to be objective:
Negatives:
- Very low budget. Everything looks very cheap, like they they used a friend's house to film it. The "dress shop" and "bakery" were all clearly just rooms in someone's house. Everyone looked like they were wearing their own clothes (why was Aunt Olivia always wearing a fascinator? Was she always just about to go to a wedding). That lobster looked fake. The lead actress's hair is the most expensive looking thing here. That's some good hair styling.
- Odd casting - where did they find these actors? The two leads were okay but everyone else looked unsure as to why they were there...maybe they owed the director a favour? The girl who was cast as "young Kelsey" had blue eyes when Kelsey clearly had brown eyes. Did this escape the casting director's notice? Who am I kidding, there was no casting director.
- Terrible acting - everyone from the coffee shop barista to the baker... everyone decided that OVERACTING was the way to go. The direction and editing was so awkward...someone yell cut already!
Positives -
The chemistry between the leads was decent. I bought that she found him attractive.
The lead actress was fairly endearing. She has some quirky facial expressions and a style of acting which is probably not to everyone's taste.
I liked the "plot twist" at the end... but clearly from the reviews I was the only one. In the world.
There are worst Christmas films out there. This is not a genre that screams quality, credulity, high production values etc.
In conclusion, this movie passes. You could do worse. I give it 4/10.
