Happy Howlidays

My friend and I watched Finding Mr. Christmas together, a reality competition to find the next male lead for a new Hallmark Christmas movie. The show was sweet and warm, like being wrapped in a cozy blanket for an hour. The ten guys truly rooted for and supported each other which was refreshing to see. The ultimate winner ended up being model Ezra Moreland.

My problem with the series was that there were just not enough challenges to fully show the men's acting chops. We watched very brief acting scenes as well as talent, dancing, and improv challenges. The second placer, Hayden, was seemingly the best actor but ultimately the crown went to the best looking guy with the best body.

I had high hopes for Ezra and wanted him to succeed. But watching Happy Howlidays is like watching someone drowning. Ezra looked great for sure, but the acting was tentative, flat, and one note from beginning to end. The poor guy was clearly in way over his head, not having acted before and having to carry a film. On top of that he had to work with dogs, a so so leading lady, and a bottom of the barrel script.

It was an incredibly disappointing ending to a terrific series. Hopefully lessons were learned for next years Finding Mr, Christmas. Meanwhile, I hope this at least leads to more modeling jobs for Ezra. And just maybe Hayden can be given a well deserved spot in an upcoming Hallmark film.

This is another Hallmark movie where the writers went all over the place with their various story tropes.

Did they want a funny dog movie? Well, they started out that way and then abandoned that idea.

Did they want an old girlfriend shows up to threaten the romance? They did that too, but killed any tension from it immediately.

Did they want a tense story about a broken person? Well, the female lead was a doctor who lost a patient and ran from the profession, but that's really only important for the scene where she admits that.

Did they want a heart wrenching dog story? They hinted at that then never got there.

The male lead is fairly wooden, except for a couple of scenes where he suddenly goes from wooden to berserk, and he didn't manage the transitions well.

It's watchable, and the dogs are well-trained and the best part of the movie. And women may like the male lead's abs, which they put on display in one scene just for that purpose. We won't be viewing it again.

Mia finds a dog in the rain one night so she takes to the shelter because she can't take him on. Max, the owner of the said rescue shelter rejects them. Because the world works in mysterious ways they meet again with their dogs who developed an instant attraction.

It's safe to say the dogs had more chemistry than the leads. Which is a shame. With a new face in Hallmark I was looking foward to this one but was disappointed. I'm not gonna judge Ezra because it's his first one, but maybe he should have started with a secondary role and the go from there. Like many leads nowadays did.

The plot of the movie is quite flat, maybe with other actors it could have worked. And it wasn't even necessary the Christmas factor. It could have been a summer movie.

I can't help but notice that this is the second actor to come back to Hallmark after the fail that is GAF. I just hope it ends there. And that's all I'm gonna comment about it.

The storyline was cute. The dogs were cute. The male lead was not cute or compelling. While print model, Ezra Moreland's performance had flickers of authenticity, it was for the most part wooden & superficial. If he went to acting class and got some real training maybe it would help. That said, this was his first acting attempt, so he probably was anxious about his performance, but right now, he seems to be "modeling" through the role & not finding his character. Like several others, I was surprised when Ezra was given (yes, given) the Hallmark "Mr. Christmas" title over the more talented and charismatic, Hayden, who was always the stand-out; the one your eye was drawn to in every ensemble//group shot and every acting scene. Hopefully, Hallmark will rectify their original decision & sign Hayden to a contract, too.

6.1 stars.

What everyone else already said. But the actors both have screen presence. It's a weird feeling watching several bad actors in one film. It's deliberate they cast these awkward leads, for sure.

The producers see something in the male lead. He has potential, he's getting there. But yikes, he's off sometimes. Lowndes is who she is. All of her characters are generally the same. She needs help too. She creates too much tension and drama in characters, so we often get the wrong impression.

The male lead's little sister seems cool and maybe she will get more opportunities in the future. The woman who is Lowndes' character's boss and best friend is likable too. So this movie is not all bad for casting choices.

The "other" woman should have been the lead actress. She is a good actress. I am going to repeat that the male leads younger sister is actually pretty good and should have had a more prominent role.

Hallmark took an average script and made a cheap movie. You can see how inexpensive this was. There are no big city scenes or major sets or props and I'm sure the actors weren't paid much. It's a free plug for spreading the message of animal adoption and such.

Her parents seemed out of place as if they were three strangers in an uncomfortable way. We soon find out what the problem is with her character, and it's an emotional moment, but she doesn't fit the mold for who she's supposed to be. I think you'll see. I think her parents were portrayed well for the short screen time. A shame they got stuck in this dead-end story.

Why am I wasting so much time criticizing this film? All said, this movie is grossly underwhelming, but I still felt the need to finish it.