A Season for Family

I just love Hallmark Christmas movies and can't wait to start watching them every year, from the older classic favorites to the new releases. I love them all, even the less than stellar ones BUT I just couldn't wait for this one to be over!! Every character had the weirdest, creepiest smile on their face and it was such a distraction during the entire movie. The two boys were actually the worst offenders of this permanent goofy smile thing and I'm sorry but real life boys that age just do not act like that towards each other and I agree with another person here that said maybe they should have cast two little girls for those parts?

I also didn't like how the father acted concerning telling his kid he was adopted because any child therapist would have disagreed with the way he was handling this whole situation. Definitely won't be watching this mess again.

I expected this to be one of Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel's sentimental stories rather than just a rom/com. And it was, sort of. Sometimes with a sentimental story, the romance is tacked on. It's secondary. In this movie it was integrated into the adoption story of the brothers who didn't know they were brothers. The romance almost takes over. There are still some sentimental moments, but the reveal is early in the movie to everyone but the boys. The romance develops like it would in most rom/coms and the obstacle, the secret from the boys, is always hanging there part of the romance story too.

Actually, the story is very predictable once the pieces are in place. The viewer can see how the details are going to be worked out as circumstances develop just screaming to come to that predictable conclusion. That's too bad. I'm not sure how it would have worked in a more sentimental way, but it sure seems like that would have made it better.

I've only seen Stacey Farber a few times but she is appealing as Maddy from the get-go. I actually liked her in those appearances too, but at least one, Butlers in Love, the movie itself was iffy at best. She has chemistry with Brendan Penny. Maddy is always upbeat and encouraging.

A couple of other things I didn't love. The plot thread of not telling Cody because Paul and his wife had agreed was just too rigid. It was necessary to make the story come out the way it did, but it didn't make sense. The other - just before the climactic moment there was a musical montage showing the main characters being thoughtful and it just left me flat.

The question that for me has become key to how much I love a movie - will I watch it again? Answer - I don't know. I think Stacey Farber as Maddy will bring me back.

Being adopted is one of the kindest shows of selfishness a person can show, but denying that adopted child the truth and even worse family is selfish, insensitive and abominable. Trying to tie deception to a flimsy excuse of a promise to wait for some magic number 10 indicates incompetence and immaturity as a parent. Zero empathy or loyalty to his child but blind loyalty to a person who is deceased? What?!! I'm just so disappointed that Hallmark thought that this behavior would make for a charming character that we are supposed to relate to. Not at all. What if his wife was actually alive and, say, his sister knew and hid that from him because she promised to protect the secret until he turned 50. How stupid is that? Come on. Do better...

Brendan Penny is a reliable Hallmark actor. His movies are always of a high standard, no matter who is starring opposite - he has a long list of very good Hallmark movies. I never miss one of his movies.

It was fun to see Jessica Siposs, who played his wife in the long-running Chesapeake Shores series, play his sister in 'A Season For Family. (Side note: when are we going to get a 'Chesapeake Shores' Christmas movie?)

I loved Park City, Utah setting and the refreshingly original plot. I don't mind the occasional 'return to your small hometown for Christmas' movie, but Hallmark appear to be making a concerted effort for a little more originality in their films, and that is a good thing.

Well-acted (especially the kids - they can sometimes be sickly sweet and unrealistically over-the-top enthusiastic in these movies, but are realistic and believable here), well-written, very few of the usual Hallmark tropes here.

A lot to enjoy.

The Brendan Perry character was obnoxiious in his refusal to allow his son to know his brother. Everyone else disagreed with him but he stubbornly refused cooperate. He said it was because his wife wanted to wait but everything changed and he was just not willing to relent. The Brendan Perry character was obnoxiious in his refusal to allow his son to know his brother. Everyone else disagreed with him but he stubbornly refused cooperate. He said it was because his wife wanted to wait but everything changed and he was just not willing to relent. Woul have been a better movie if he hadnt been so unreasonable.