The Christmas Shepherd

I have just spent a rainy afternoon watching a set of Hallmark Xmas movies. Some were good, and some were quite bad. This one was enjoyable. I liked how realistic it was about dating and being older and alone and what a hassle it is to try to 'date". Then the fear a person can feel when they meet someone. It was very respectful to the spouses who were no longer with them. It was a lighthearted, well acted sweet movie. The two lead actors and the kid where all very good. Of course the dog was good too. It kept away from the corniness that many movies like this tend to lapse into. If you want to watch a feel good, slightly romantic sweet movie, that also has a realistic more "quiet" ending, this is a good one.

It's about a selfish father and daughter that refuse to return a dog to its rightful owner.

Most of these Hallmark stories are not for rocket scientists but are just pleasant holiday fare. And I always see mistakes. This movie was supposedly set in Massachusetts and its environs. The woman lived an hour from Boston. But when they were "in town" buying a Christmas tree you could see huge sheer cliffs and ocean in the background. Clearly NOT Massachusetts. I wish the producers would give viewers more credit for intelligence and pay more attention to details like this. My other objection is that the credits at the end are squished into about a #2 font so that you cannot read them. This is the fault of the network. I like to see location and music credits and even some of the other actors' names but it is impossible when they reduce the credits to practically nothing. Many of the channels do this and I find it frustrating.

Hopes were not high for 'The Christmas Shepherd'. Count me in as another person who found the premise ridiculous in concept. Saw it anyway though because of my love of Christmas and my appreciation for festive films. The film's biggest name cast name is Teri Polo, who as an actress is somewhat hit and miss. my first exposure to her being the 'Criminal Minds' episode "I Love You Tommy Brown" (one of that show's worst episodes of the season it was part of) where she didn't particularly impress me.

Generally found 'The Christmas Shepherd' to be quite charming and with its heart in the right place. Also not quite as ridiculous as it sounded on paper. 'The Christmas Shepherd' fares quite well as a romantic drama, not amazingly done but pleasantly enough. Dog lovers are likely though to not enjoy the film as much and instead watch it in frustration and annoyance, that aspect of the story could have been done in better taste as has been said already.

Will start with the good. Despite the lack of authenticity, the locations are lovely to look at and overall 'The Christmas Shepherd' is appealing visually. The festive feeling is captured well in the soundtrack. It is scripted with much sincerity, flows quite well, has cohesion and the dialogue doesn't feel too shallow or fake.

Despite also being flawed, the story is mostly engaging, is very sweet and charming, with its fair share of heart-warming and touching moments. Definitely a film that had its heart in the right place, and it didn't come over as too dark with generally the right lightness of touch. The pace didn't come over as dull or rushed and while the acting didn't blow the socks off and is not perfect, it tends to be better than average. The dog is cute as is the romance, which does sparkle, and the portrayal of dating is done with sensitivity.

Some of it though came over as overwrought and melodramatic, with Polo having instances where she tries too hard which can be seen in some of her facial expressions. 'The Christmas Shepherd' can be too cheesy in spots and too sentimental in others.

Others have mentioned the subplot with the dog, which is one of the film's biggest failings. Even for anybody who is giving the premise a fair chance and not take it too seriously, the execution of it here shows a complete lack of research and realism and came over as face-palming and in a tasteless way instead even for those who aren't dog owners. A shame as other aspects of the story are sensitively handled and are realistic, namely with the dating.

In summation, nice and well-intentioned but not great. 6/10

The producers probably couldn't resist the play on words in the title of this film. There are no sheep or sheep herders in this film. One might say that this film has gone to the dogs (or dog), but that would be a play on words that wasn't accurate either. No, it's a film centered around a German Shepherd.

"The Christmas Shepherd" is more dramatic and sad than most of the TV movies made for airing during the holiday season. It's very low key in the romance area, and is more about healing and getting on with life. I don't think it's accurate to call it a romance. It's clearly a drama and a Christmas story. In this plot, both of the main characters have lost their spouses.

Sally Brown's husband was in the military and after serving three tours in Afghanistan without an injury, he died of a hart attack in his last stateside tour. Sally has a son who is in the Army and stationed in Afghanistan. She is a famous author of children's books, but lives in the country of Massachusetts, preferring solitude away from the crowds that she had been around when her husband was alive. She has a couple of lady friends in town, and her best companion is her German Shepherd, Buddy, whom her husband brought back from his last tour in Afghanistan as a pup five years ago.

Mark Green is in the Army reserves and has a young teenage daughter, Emma. His wife and Emma's mother died a year or two ago, but we never find out the cause. Mark had a successful career in advertising but quit it after his wife died. He moved to a smaller town in Massachusetts to be near his sister and family, and owns and operates a coffee shop.

When Sally is in town one day, a heavy thunderstorm with fierce winds and lightning occurs, and Buddy is frightened by it and takes off. Sally is frantic over her dog's disappearance and spends weeks trying to find him, and is unable to work. The dog, in the meantime, many miles from home has been hurt and is picked up by a truck driver who takes him to an animal shelter. Mark's sister runs the shelter and Mark take Buddy home. As Emma gets attached to the dog, heartbreaks are in store as these people are brought together over Buddy.

One can guess how the story will end, but it's not the usual effervescent romance that develops in the formulaic holiday romance films. The plot is a good one, but two aspects of this film are troublesome. The first is the exaggerated association of coincidences or good luck being attributed to Buddy. The script pushes this notion in places, to the disbelief of this and probably many other alert viewers. The second is Teri Polo's overly dramatic acting for most of the film, especially her nervous anxiety and inability to even calm down. The role might have called for that, but if so, it's a distraction that makes it much harder to believe. Perhaps she and the director saw it as building empathy for the character with the audience, but in reality it's a picture of a distraught person who needs professional help.

Jordyn Olson is fine as Emma Green and Martin Cummins is very good as Mark Green. The supporting cast members are all fine. Overall, this isn't a holiday season film that will leave most with a good feeling, even with its supposedly happy ending.