Hearts of Christmas

This was a decent Hallmark script-wise and acting-wise. And it certainly was a tearjerker due to a surprise reveal at the end. But it suffered from a couple of things. First off, the character Emilie Ullerup played, Jenny, a Neo-natal Intensive Care nurse, was naive and closed minded. That alone would have made her unsympathetic, but unfortunately her "nemesis" the CFO whose job it was to keep the hospital from failing by cutting expenses and laying off a few senior employees, including her mentor, Alice, was played by Kristopher Polaha. He is possibly one of the most admired and loved of the Hallmark male leads. He is very attractive and sexy as well as conveying strength and gentleness. Those eyes! That voice! Yes, I'm a fan. If the character he played wasn't quite so likable, reasonable, and so obviously a good guy, It would have made Jenny's belligerent behavior more relatable and sympathetic.

I also had a problem with the CFO of the hospital romancing a nurse. He is in a position of power over her. She is for all intents and purposes, his employee. He is firing people and deciding whose departments get their expenses cut. It was inappropriate and dangerous for both of their careers and reputations. It would have taken one jealous colleague of either of them to cry "favoritism!" to make a whole lot of trouble. What if they got seriously involved and it didn't go well? Once she jumps into his arms in full view of the whole hospital in the end, she has sealed her fate as far as working with him at the same beloved hospital. So not such a happy ending for one of them. Probably her.

I just don't know what he saw in her. She was cute looking, but she came across as a spoiled teenager to his mature successful bachelor who could have had his pick of beautiful exceptional women. Why was he even single in the first place?

Trying to end on a positive note, what a treat to see some actors who are now Hallmark regulars in bit parts: Kimberley Sustad as Matt's sister, and Brendan Zub and Chris McNally as two worried fathers. Of course, Sharon Lawrence as Alice, the focus of all of the angst, was wonderful as always. And speaking of Alice, what was up with Jenny and her cohorts diverting all Alice's personal Christmas Cards to the point she thought she'd been forgotten by all of her old patients? It was for a good cause, I guess, but not very nice in the moment. Nope. Did not care for Nurse Jenny.

As Hallmark movies go, this one is a tad more tolerable than the rest . The characters aren't silly and it's refreshing to have a plot centered on something other than cookie baking, chefs or small town Christmas festivals and reunited high school sweethearts. However, realism was left at the sound stage door when the action moves to the NICU. No one around these babies is gowned. Jenny wanders in wearing her street clothes, Mom and Dad - in their street clothes too,- hold baby James while standing. The nurses never seem to be actually taking care of the babies but rather sit around talking, and only look lovingly at the patients. every so often. Remember - NICU stands for Neonatal INTENSIVE CARE unit. The patients may be tiny but the technology and care provided is cutting edge and truly intensive as the name indicates. Hallmark makes it look like all that's needed to treat these babies is lots of sentiment and an abundance of Christmas decorations.

There has never been any bias for or against Hallmark Christmas films. Actually think there are a mix of good, bad (and worse in some cases) and somewhere between mediocre and decent, so it's a variable output really. One just needs to know what to expect and not to expect too much. Have also had any bias for this genre and the two leads are no strangers to good performances even in hit and miss film choices. Did like the idea for the story, although the structure is samey the setting is a departure to the usual ones seen.

'Hearts of Christmas' is a very pleasant watch and when taken for what it is and meant to be it succeeds at what it set out to do. Expectations were mixed, they were met and exceeded. The title is a pretty sugary one, but the film isn't as much so it's another case of not judging a film by its title. As far as Hallmark films go, 'Hearts of Christmas' is somewhere around high middle. This opinion is from judging the film on its own terms without comparing it to anything else, so am not saying (never have, never will do) that it is on par with something else that has gotten the same rating that will make some scoff.

Is 'Hearts of Christmas' perfect? No. The structure of the film and what happens is very familiar territory for Hallmark so there is a seen it all before vibe throughout. Did find the ending a bit too rushed and too tidy, as well as easily telegraphed.

A lot of the dialogue early on is heavy on the cheese and corn factors and doesn't flow very naturally, so there were moments where there was admittedly some cringing into my seat.

However, 'Hearts of Christmas' at least looks nice and professional. Although the authenticity of the locations can be, and has been, questioned, the scenery still looks lovely and appropriately festive, complemented very nicely by the photography. The soundtrack is nostalgic and isn't as intrusive in tone or placement as most other Hallmark Christmas films, as that has been a common criticism from me and quite a number of others. The direction is accomodating while not going through the motions.

The dialogue is less than great early on but if one sticks with the film it does improve, it is tighter and less stilted and the cheese and sentiment isn't as much. The story is very predictable admittedly, but it still engaged me and was charming and heart-warming while not taking itself too seriously. The characters may be well worn cliches, but they came over to me as likeable enough and any negative character traits didn't come over as over the top like can be the case in Hallmark Christmas films. Emilie Ullerup and Kristoffer Polaha are very appealing leads, they look comfortable and don't overdo any habitual mannerisms. Their chemistry came over as genuine, took time to unfold and didn't come over as contrived. The supporting cast also do very well, with a sparkling Sharon Lawrence standing out and also giving the film's best performance.

Concluding, worth watching. 7/10.

Yes, it made a huge change from the usual cookies, bakeries, ad agencies etc,, and the two leads could actually act, BUT the basis of the story made the Emilie Ullerop look really shallow, not altogether very nice, and totally unrealistic in her outlook. Getting sulky because an accountant was hired to do cost cutting is a fact of life, and certainly not a reason to blank the guy ! This was the irritating side of this storyline and made her look stupid. Of course it all comes together in the end, but only because she got the ending she wanted. If I was the chap I'd send her packing - after she apologised.

Any movie with Kristoffer Polaha will be a hit with me. Just his tender voice melts my heart! This was another one of Hallmark's heartwarming productions. I love their "farewells" to the babies as they are discharged. I think that would be a good practice for any neonatal unit to adopt.