Hope at Christmas

7/10 - an enjoyable romp from Hallmark Channel to brighten the holiday season

7.7 stars.

The daughter steals the show from scene 1.

I really enjoyed this movie, the casting was perfect. The lead female seemed to have an off day, no big deal, she is a bit wooden in this. She gets one free pass for the minor lack of charisma because she's drop dead gorgeous. The leading guy is probably one of the best looking men in Hallmark movies, and as a bonus he has a deep radio deejay voice. My hunch is the ladies find him to be a heartthrob. I enjoyed his performance, and feel he's the primary reason for high ratings.

The story is average, nothing special, but the interactions between the two families is really fun and inviting. I felt very comfortable with them, and if this were real life I'd wish to be a part of this little town of Hopewell full of people with such convincingly big hearts. It's something about the familiarity and cordial nature of everyone, bringing such good feelings, more than the run-of-the-mill. The book store owner, the mayor, they are so welcoming. The leading male's sister and family are so relaxed, yet very warm and likable. The whole town is chummy, and it feels genuine.

All of the usual requirements are met. The usual cliché is present: the interrupted kiss, the dead family members, the absentee father, one of the leads is an author, and one is disenchanted by Christmas, lighting the town tree, ginger bread contest, and someone owns a bookstore... The romance is only average, but it's the charisma and interactions between all of the people as a whole that brings me good cheer.

The leading male had an appealing temperament, but the female was abrasive and the ideal of she'd been hurt and so was unapproachable is so annoying! The idea of the female acting more like a child than the child, is just too much like the current political situation to be appealing! C'mon folks, you've created hundreds of these cookie cutter stories! Try to develop more maturity and originality! Sad indeed.

A nice film against, for many motives, itself. But a bookshop, a girl, a handsome teacher are good ingredients against a not very realistic/ credible romance. Sure, it is only Halmark and, against her obvious effort, Scottie Thompson is not exactly the most inspired Sydney. But that is only a detail and the film has all chances to appear as just nice.

This movie didn't exactly break any new ground, but it was a sweet story about life choices and the importance of family and friends. I loved the incorporation of the book store into the story.