On the Twelfth Day of Christmas

Was really quite surprised by 'On the Twelfth Day of Christmas'. In a very pleasant way. While there are plenty of at least watchable Hallmark Christmas films, there are very few that are great and some of them struggle to even reach mediocre. So this could have gone either way. The title was not as corny as other Hallmark Christmas titles and the premise was sort of intriguing, even if fairly typical but in a different setting/basic scenario.

'On the Twelfth Day of Christmas' is no award winner or a masterpiece, but that was not expected. It is not realistic to expect that from a Hallmark film, Christmas or otherwise. It is a very charming and surprisingly very well executed film by Hallmark standards, and to me it is easily among their best festive efforts. Proof that Hallmark should be given a chance without prejudice or scorn, because there have been times where they show they have a good film in them and 'On the Twelfth Day of Christmas' is one of them, for reasons that have been summed up already.

Sure there are not an awful lot of surprises, but one comes to expect that from Hallmark. But whether that matters or not is dependent on the execution of everything else and this executes most of its everything else remarkably well. It's all very easy to figure out and it can get corny at times.

Did feel too that the central relationship took a little too long to develop, do agree that if it was clear that they felt the same way and in love earlier it would have made the reaction to the secret coming out more plausible. The reactions came too out of left field and extreme done in the way it was in the film.

However, 'On the Twelfth Day of Christmas' a lovely looking film, particularly the photography, and the music is fitting with the atmosphere and more subtle in placement and tone than a lot of Hallmark Christmas films, that are known for intrusive music. The dialogue has some corn but takes itself more seriously than most Hallmark films, with some welcome levity here and there, without being overly so and it has flow and heart. The acting is good, with engaging lead performances from Robin Dunne and especially the ray of sunshine that is Brooke Nevin. The Christmas theme is charmingly and sincerely handled.

The story is somewhat formulaic, but is very heart-warming and sincere. Also personally don't think it's that unrealistic, other Hallmark festive films are more guilty of that to much worse effect. Actually agree with another that Maggie's motivations regarding her job are understandable and even relatable, also topical in this day and age considering the nature and increasingly negative impact of media and journalism now. It is good to find a Hallmark festive film where it was easy to care for the characters, only losing it a little with Mitch at the point mentioned above, where there is actual growth with them (especially Mitch) and where there was actual chemistry between the two leads worth investing in.

Summing up, very well done. 8/10

Brooke Nevin & Robin Dunne star as Maggie and Mitch, who once upon a time were in college together and find themselves back in their hometown and begin to reacquaint their friendship. Maggie has only fond memories of Mitch, who helped her get home for Christmas when she was a freshman. Maggie always wondered what happened and why Mitch never came back to college... He also has no Christmas spirit whatsoever, so Maggie sets out to rekindle his spirit and hopefully some romance as well. She begins sending him anonymous packages full of Christmas cheer. To complicate matters the packages become a media frenzy and she is assigned to write a story on them for the local paper. Will Maggie tell Mitch before someone else takes credit for the cheer? Cute romantic Christmas flick.

Compared to all movies: 8.0. Compared to Hallmark Movies: 9.7.

I'm seeing a pattern, so my next task is to modify my rating system. Surprisingly half of the Christmas movies in my binge-fest are actually out performing what I anticipated. This film outdoes itself, and consequently is my new fav. I know more favorites will emerge as I continue this journey for another 90+ Christmas movies.

A naive college girl is the recipient of a selfless act of Christmas cheer. Her ride home falls through, but a male student, also a communications major, does her a big favor by giving her a seat on his way home for the holidays. They get stuck in a blizzard, and he gives her a mini-adventure to pass the time. Eventually she arrives home, and they part ways - leaving us to anticipate a pleasant reunion after the holidays.

To our surprise they jump 10 years forward. We discover he did not return to school, and they lost touch. As fate would dictate, they eventually bump into each other. He has accepted a job as a radio deejay in her hometown, and she is a writer for the newspaper.

She discovers that somewhere along the way he cultivated a total disdain for Christmas. Of course she is curious about this, and longs to inspire him once again. She decides to be his anonymous benefactor (secret Santa). What begins as a benign gesture, turns into the talk of the town. Word of her private gifting of the 12 days of Christmas spreads to the radio and the newspaper, and takes on a life of its own. All the while, nobody knows she is the secret Santa.

I was greatly trepidatious that the ending would be lifeless and trite, but astonishingly, it was wonderful. The endearing and heartfelt gestures that she fashioned were quite revitalizing, and I could not help but fall hopelessly in love with her irresistible, and adorable self. Refer back to the heading: Never had a secret Santa quite like this one. She comes right out of a fairy tale.

The mystery unfolds bit by bit leading to a wonderful climax at the end of this absolutely marvelous and elegantly wrapped film. I had to wipe the tears off of my rose tinted glasses a few times, but I deign not concern myself over it. The probability is very high that I have had a starry-eyed reaction to a disproportionately lovely creature named Brooke.

Yet another Christmas movie that will be assigned to my yearly Holiday watchlist.

One caveat for truly adoring this film: you must be in love with one of the lead characters. If not, this adventure may fall flat. Why? I figure it's because this movie puts all its eggs in one proverbial basket: the two main characters' ability to tug at your heart-strings.

What magical land of unicorns and fairies did a creature like Brooke Nevin venture out from? I mean, if I had to describe the perfect caricature of a Christmas love interest/angel/goddess...

And Robin Dunne, I'd imagine the ladies swoon over him similarly, especially for his radio voice, and satisfactory acting skills. He nails the part, probably from a female perspective. As a male, I can say he did ok.

We've liked Robin Dunne since we first saw him on Sanctuary ... SO long ago now it seems. Since that series was canceled, he's been in several Hallmark movies.

In this one he's a DJ who lost his love for Christmas when his mother died in the season. Years later, "Maggie", who knew him briefly but was intrigued, comes across "Mitch" when he takes a job as a DJ in her town.

She decided to rekindle his spirit by sending anonymous Secret Santa Christmas gifts. Unfortunately, her job as a human interest reporter for the local paper complicates life when the gifts get publicity and her paper assigns her to cover the story.

The conflict on interest and the accidental secret of course make for the trouble spot all the movies need for their climax, and this is a good one. It makes much more sense than many of the forced crises in these film.

This one is definitely worth watching, and even an occasional rewatch when you're in the mood.

The other high rated reviews already cover very well the movie plot and its strengths; no need for me to duplicate that discussion. What I do want to add is that while the eventual ending may be predictable, the plot twists and character responses along the way are not, so the movie kept me entertained and engaged all the way through to a very satisfying ending. Highly recommended.