michael_sluka

I decided to watch this because I think Jordan Frank could become a top male lead for vertical romances, but rarely does he pick a good script and rarely does he get a female lead that creates an attractive pairing with him. Such is the case here. The most watchable verticals have two well-paired leads with decent acting ability and usually a couple of supporting actors that can act credibly as well. This film doesn't have either. There's neither chemistry nor spice to the romance. It is a pretty forgettable watch.

....for a vertical romance drama. While the storyline has a lot of elements shared with other verticals, the details are different enough to make it come across as its own movie.

Anna Stadler and Marc Herrmann make for an attractive lead couple and are pretty good at not acting over the top like so many other vertical actors. The story and the leads both drew me in, making it a mostly enjoyable watch. I say mostly because, as usual, there is the typical antagonism from surrounding characters, most of which is unrealistic and over-acted. But, on balance, one of Marc Herrmann's more enjoyable verticals.

I disagree with the bulk of the reviewers here. This 'holiday romance' has the romantic tension surface right at the beginning. It comes in the form of the sarcastic snippets as the two ex-lovers are thrown together on a decorating project. Steve Lund actually does a very good job of delivering them with a sort of gentle, but pointed snark. Far better than most Hallmark male leads who are casted to act silly or naive for most of the movie. Merritt Patterson starts out stand-off'ish, but then rather skillfully starts adding warmth and romantic receptivity to her character as the plot arc progresses. Starting with notable tension and then progressing to palpable warmth is a better than average Hallmark acting job and pretty good evidence of acting chemistry to make this work like it does.