#Joyeux Noël

Jen has no emotions. This movie is just her mumbling throughout every scene, saying how she is freaking out, not reacting to anyone around her, and seems to hate being in this movie. Most of the side characters seem to try so hard to make this movie work and Jen just stands there like a brick, then whines and complains about freaking out as everyone else is trying to help her and save this dying store that she for some reason opened? Her job is decorator but she opened a store? Her sister gave up a high paying job to open this store with her and she seems to be the owner of the store. The fake posts were one thing, then the visit got crazier and crazier, and Jen doesn't change at all. The mom should have been the main character as she's the only one who knows how to act in this ridiculous story. The dance someone comes together by magic. In other movies this would require a whole town to help pulling all of this off but in this one who puts it together?! No idea! Also doesn't this town know these two people very well and no one is surprised they are not married or have a kid? It's very weird. The climax of the movie turns out to be Jen confronting her mom and again a huge monologue of a mumbling mess, but this shouldn't have been the main point of the movie. The storyline is not clear, just a bunch of random arguments between various characters set infront of thousands of Christmas lights. The kid looks way too big to not be able to talk, so the whole mama thing to give away the lie was a stretch. Jen's acting is very hard to watch, monotone with exaggerated facial expressions, no voice change, even when she's out in the cold with her fake shivering voice. You could replace the dialogue with blah blah blah and there would be no difference.

When I say this movie is very different, I don't mean it dodged ALL of the normal Christmas movie tropes. It didn't. In fact, this is the SECOND script this season to feature a local business with a fake online profile. However, this one was MUCH better done than the first one we saw. Most of this style of plot are take-offs on Barbara Stanwick's old standard, Christmas in Connecticut. First of all, we had many audible chuckles and one laugh out loud moment. The dialogue between the sisters is clever and surprising. Clare Bowen's portrayal of a worried, uncomfortable, neurotic female lead is entertaining, convincing, and funny. Her takes in response to certain situations and dialogue are constantly amusing. A movie with lines this smart and funny is worth your time, and we'll be watching it again in coming years.

source: #Xmas

I have come to despise Hallmark. Their movies have become so family unfriendly. This one was an exception. There was nothing that I would have had to send children out of the room for. That being said, this was a cute holiday movie. The lead character was coerced into the deception instead of initiating it. That was different. Brant Daughtery was excellent. He came across as the caring friend/husband that any woman would want. Points taken away for the title. The spelling of Christmas as 'xmas' makes me cringe. Personal opinion. The fact that this was on Hallmark took another star. I have really come to detest Hallmark. But all in all it was a cute movie.

The lead actress talked so low and mumbled so much, that I had to turn on the closed captioning in order to understand what she was saying. Between that and her pained, pinched expression she wore throughout the movie, it made it one of the worst Hallmark Christmas movies that I have ever watched; and I watch every Christmas movie every year. I couldn't see what the lead actor saw in the lead actress, as there was nothing loveable about her. Losing your father at a young age and having your mother remarry a few times, while painful and distressing, should not be that traumatic to affect every area of your life for so many years. Get some therapy and get over yourself already.

Usually I can't stand these types of Christmas movies, but this one actually has a decent script and two leads with...chemistry? Gasp. Not only that but they had personalities and showed realistic signs of human quirks. To top it all off, it wasn't a story about a rich person going back to a small town and learning to love to build snowmen or something, it actually had an interesting storyline. Maybe I'm a fan of home decor instagram, but I'm also a fan of the concept that home decor influencers can be full of hot patootie at times. A+ transaction IMO. OH and that baby better be a paid actor, because it tried to steal the scene a few times.

While the entire story is not bad, Hallmark has a huge collection of christmas movies but many are so badly acted that you what a few minutes and then turn it off. This particular one - that actress went about as if she was under an electric shock. Terrible acting. Who is she? The guy I am familiar with and he was not bad. The actress who played her sister was far more likeable and jenu-ine and the character of a her mum was good but one bad actress can ruin it for all. Sometimes Hallmark movies are so over done it and this was one of them. It is a pity as the story was an interesting angle but I think they should have gone with another actress.

The featured review is unnecessarily uptight and unforgiving, just like this rating app which keeps telling me I have too many or too few characters. The point of such plot lines is to demonstrate how any degree of deception can blow up in your face. I mean this is a Hallmark movie; it shouldn't be comfortable to watch for all kinds of reasons, not the least the general "C" quality of them. There is supposed to be a moral somewhere, not a sleigh ride to goodie, goodie all the way. Claire Bowen was charming in "Nashville," I am willing to give this film some breathing room. Her costar is believable as a guy who had had to hold his heart in abeyance for years.

We only started watching because of Brant Daughtery. Finally Hallmark gets a good leading guy for a holiday movie, but leaves him mostly in the background. Astoria and Portland Oregon are not places that have snow (Astoria has an average of less than 1/4 inch of snow a year.) The premise of the movie is untruths, is this the new standard for Hallmark? Lies upon lies and too many to keep track of. Definitely full of family drama with bad family dynamics. Not sure it makes the best Christmas movie, but better than most Hallmark has done this year overall. Hope they decide to do more films with Brant.

I don't even know where to begin. Lets begin with the horrible storyline. Let's lie and think it's ok, as long as it gets us what we want and think it won't come out in the end. It irritates me to think we would buy into that plot. Horrible acting - overdone or amateurish. Timing was off - long, weird pauses between sentences, script was lame, no chemistry between lead characters. Should I go on, or do you get the point? Hallmark is really going downhill fast. Values and morals do make a good story. Hallmark needs to fire the writers and go back to what made them loved. I wouldn't spend your time watching this as it was wasted time that I can never get back.