Window Wonderland

This has more depth and substance than your average Hallmark Christmas movie. The leads are well matched and Naomi Judd is a wonderful in her supporting role. And could it be that the female lead is named as a homage to Philip van Doren Stern, the writer of The Greatest Gift, the short story that was turned into an obscure little Christmas movie entitled, It's A Wonderful Life?

It goes through the usual, slow coming together, then sudden falling out, and final happy ending of all Hallmark romantic movies. But, in this case whole is greater than the sum of its parts. My only criticism is the music. I found it too loud and intrusive, in parts. And not Christmasy enough. But that does not detract too much from this festive gem. Do watch it. You will not be disappointed.

I found the main characters (and the writing for them) witty and hilarious. The reactions and situations are believable, although silly. Naomi Judd is quite good. There are heartfelt moments and good chemistry. I recommend this Hallmark Christmas movie.

I watched this movie 4 years ago and decided to watch it again after seeing the co-star Paul Campbell in Surprised by Love and Once upon a Holiday. Glad I did. The dialogue between Paul Campbell and the short haired Chyler Leigh is witty, fast and fun-fun-ny. Some good familiar support with Naomi Judd, Eric Keenleyside and Terence Kelly. Cameron Matheson also has a role. Very Well Done.

This is a story about a young woman struggling with insecurity. At one point, referring to what they do as window dressers, she says "We create perfect images for people to admire", but her deeper meaning is about her own facade. Chyler Leigh plays this part so well. Early in the movie she is sitting in a restaurant with her successful boyfriend and I looked at her and thought - "she looks like a little girl with this man way out of her league". Not that Kenneth, not Kenny, is a catch.

Meanwhile, Jake Dooley's façade over his insecurity is his witty, but insincere response to almost everything. This is not a new character for Paul Campbell, but you can't argue with how well he does it.

Leigh and Campbell's chemistry progresses brilliantly from disgust into what you'd expect for the leads in the movie. And there is plenty of wit between both of them. Campbell is a go-to for Hallmark movies, but Leigh more than holds her own with him.

The story is not another typical Christmas romance. We think we know where it is going, but things go a little differently and the ending is a surprise.

Was a little unsure as to what my feelings would be on 'Window Wonderland' before watching. The premise sounded very sweet and had potential to have more depth than most Hallmark Christmas films. Love Christmas, always have and always will, and have many childhood Christmas favourites that hold up well still. Did have a couple of reservations, with the title being cheesy and Hallmark's Christmas output being quite inconsistent, a fair share of them not very good.

One of the surprisingly very good efforts though is 'Window Wonderland'. While it isn't for me one of my favourites, for Hallmark (festive and otherwise) it was pretty close to great. As far as Hallmark Christmas films, even if with its imperfections, 'Window Wonderland' is easily one of the best, makes the most of its premise and much better than its title sounds. The title made it sound cheesy and saccharine, but it's neither or at least compared to other Hallmark festive films.

Its weak link is the music, will agree with others here who have felt the same, which is too overbearing and should have been used a lot less and less obviously.

At times the lighting is a touch drab.

However, 'Window Wonderland' is nicely photographed and the interiors and displays have a real charm to them. Despite the lack of authenticity, the locations are made good use of and are lovely in their own right. The direction is accomodating but still gives the right amount of momentum. The script has a nice flow, doesn't have any unintentional humour and doesn't get too sappy. Really liked the playful banter and lightness of touch while having some genuine emotion as well.

Despite the story being very cliched, 'Window Wonderland' executes its cliches a lot less obviously and more freshly than most Hallmark efforts. It doesn't take itself too seriously, the playfulness is to thank for that, while still having more depth and poignancy than most Hallmark Christmas films. Lots of charm and it's amusing, heart-warming and moving in equal measure. It is always great to have characters in a film that don't grate, aren't dull and don't feel pointless. The characters here may be familiar in type but did find myself investing in them and liking their development (not always the case with Hallmark). The acting is really quite good all round, with affectionate chemistry between the two leads.

Summing up, surprisingly very good. A distinction not usually given for Hallmark films. 8/10