A Lot Like Christmas

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This is not a Hallmark movie but is made just like one, with the same type of story arc. Two 40-ish people are attracted to each other, a big issue gets in the way to make them leery about the other, and it all gets resolved before the end. It even has what my wife and I call the "Hallmark kiss" during the last minute of the movie. My biggest detraction is Maggie Lawson who plays Jessica Roberts, the Christmas tree farm owner (with her brother). She isn't a particularly good actress but she has a really annoying voice, sort of a gravelly quality to it that both my wife and I found off-putting. Maybe that is why she is making TV Christmas movies. Anyway, their little community farm, established in 1947, is struggling but the holiday season is usually a good one for them. This season a Manhattan based company has opened a big multi sales store that threatens to close down the smaller community owned businesses. But their marketing manager is a handsome, single man that takes to Jessica right away, and she to him. The story has a good message, sometimes being where you want to be is more important than business success at all costs. We enjoyed it as light entertainment after dinner at home streaming on Amazon Prime.

After minute 14 I had to call it quits. Whoever was in charge of the music should be made to do community service ---- it is that criminal. Deep ee doop doop doop ee deep. Probably the worst, silliest background music EVER. Unbearably cutesy wutesy lame. And the acting . . . You would think, at least, that the woman from "Psyche" could do better than this. No way she was like this in Psyche. I think the writing and directing must be to blame. Nearly everyone seems like they're deliberately being hammy. Plus ---- a big box store exec on the job drops into a hick town wearing PURPLE? Not just purple, but purple jacket and purple pants. And first thing he does is walk into a diner and tries to order Sumatran coffee? Is this guy so entirely clueless? Apparently so. Gimme a break. Bad writing, bad acting and the music is beyond deplorably bad.

Having been watching more Christmas films for a while now, since 2019 but becoming more regular each year. Namely those from Hallmark and Lifetime, with very variable success, with some UPTV and ION films too. Only got into the newly formed GAC Family films fairly recently, and like Hallmark, Lifetime etc. There are good films, some bad ones and some in between. Have liked Maggie Lawson and Christopher Russell in other things, though their work in acting and filmography are hit and miss. 'A Lot Like Christmas' is one of the in between efforts for GAC, and while it is a good representation of Russell Lawson has been a lot better in other films of hers. 'A Lot Like Christmas' was more or less what was expected. It didn't exceed expectations, but it is a long way from a waste of potential. Instead it sounded like potentially it would be a pleasant enough diversion with a number of good things and a few big drawbacks, and 'A Lot Like Christmas' turned out to be pretty much exactly that. Russell gives a very sincere and charming performance in his role, and his character up to a point comes over as very amiable. Lawson has moments of perky charm. The supporting cast do well, despite their characters being stock and ones seen many times in similar films. It looks good, lovely scenery and slickly shot. The music is pleasant and fits tonally enough, the placement also not getting too much. For my tastes, Lawson on the whole tries too hard and her character goes overboard on the too eager to please side. Her chemistry with Russell isn't really there, pretty lacklustre, especially later on when the conflict kicks in and when Lawson's acting becomes particularly overdone. Also lost a lot of respect for Clay when his secret came out, a secret that was handled in a contrived and predictable way and a very mean spirited one. Which is a big reason as to why the ending didn't ring true. The conflict that it causes felt very forced. The dialogue tends to be flat and stilted and also rather soapy in the final act. The story is one of those doing nothing new with familiar ground ones, so the predictability is excessive and nothing here feels fleshed out enough. The pacing tends to drag and the charm, light hearted-ness and heart are missing, especially later on. It is easy to predict what the ending is, but part of me really didn't want it to happen and that it would do something different but it went down the too easily resolved route. Watchable but nothing special. 5/10.

Sauce

He is adorable but she ruins it. I finally had to stop watching it over half way through. Casting makes a huge difference and Maggie Lawson was terrible in this part!

This is supposed to be a small town so why would the residents not know a superstore had already opened and was taking business away from them, they act so surprised? Also a reporter from a TV station with the call letters that start with "K" would be on the West Coast, yet 1 minute earlier they mentioned this small town is in New York state. So that TV station wouldn't exist there.

When watching GAC Christmas movies I expect to hear the word Christmas, but this movie went overboard with the use of holiday instead of Christmas and I can't support that. Turned it off half way through. Do better GAC. These are Christmas movies. It's Christmas, not holiday.

Should you look for originality, you may take a negative view of this film. Big business crushing "mom and pop" enterprises, business competitors attracted to one another are themes that abound in shows. This time, though, they are developed with the appropriate tones. Love and hate situations, resentments among friends, hopes and dismays are rendered soberly, therefore credibly. Maggie Lawson and Christopher Russell are a good match and make their story appealing. Good will and kindness prevail, as expected in a Christmas movie. The result is not a home run, but a solid Holiday movie, one that it may be worth watching. GAC seems to have found the thread lost by Hallmark in many of its recent productions.