Pete-Claus

I had seen this movie once before, and I had thought it was decent (rating it as a 6) but not remarkable. But I began watching it again, not recalling, at first, that I had seen it once before. What I soon realized is that the entire plot had been far more carefully designed and set up than I had remembered. It held together quite well. More important, as key elements of the plot were revealed to the main characters, they handled each new revelation in a fully believable manner. This helped the entire movie come across as being "real", despite the improbable nature of the plot.

As to some of the other reviews that complain that the singing wasn't good enough; well, at some points it was good and at other points not so much. But so what? This wasn't billed as being a musical production movie. It is a movie which has a plot that involves singing. They key point is that the singing aspects moved forward the very satisfying plot line.

There is more to this movie than at first meets the eye. That's why I upgraded my rating from a 6 to an 8, and almost to a 9.

This superbly done movie has what every Christmas rom-com should strive to attain: snappy dialogue with some humor, good acting, and a well-motivated storyline. All the usual expected rom-com tropes are included without trivializing them, in other words, they are nicely incorporated into the plot. What I noticed right away about this movie, which I have also seen in some other rom-coms that were a cut above the rest, is a sense of "presence" in the opening scenes that lets the viewer know right away that this is a movie to pay attention to. And, as in those other rom-coms that were a cut above, the plot moves forward at a good pace without slow spots. Lastly, the plot elements all come together without appearing to have been "contrived" to do so.

This is one is of my Top 10 favorite 2022 Christmas movies of 2022. You can see my other favorite 2022 Christmas movies by clicking on my profile link above; then look for "2022 FAVORITE CHRISTMAS ROM-COMs" under "Lists".

Who would have guessed that one of the best Hallmark all-around holiday movies of 2022 would be centered around Hanukkah, rather than Christmas? It is supported by tight scripting and a very capable cast, from the leads all the way down to the primary supporting cast and even down to the bit part players. From early on in the movie you can see that the roles are performed with pizzazz and a strong screen presence. Unlike many rom-coms, the plot doesn't dawdle once it gets rolling. You'll need to get through about 15 minutes of initial character and situational introductions, but by then the plot is already in second gear, and it starts accelerating from there.

This is one is of my Top 10 favorite 2022 Christmas movies of 2022. You can see my other favorite 2022 Christmas movies by clicking on my profile link above; then look for "2022 FAVORITE CHRISTMAS ROM-COMs" under "Lists".