A Lot Like Christmas

I have now viewed this Christmas time film twice. I will recommend that others check it out. It is heartfelt, with fine chemistry between the leads. Both the tree farm and scenes of the local downtown are flush with lights, decorations and holiday cheer. The feelings of community and fellowship are strong. I sincerely hope that these type of small American towns still exist. I am not exposed to them in Central Florida. An enjoyable watch! Merry Christmas all.

Having been watching more Christmas films for a while now, since 2019 but becoming more regular each year. Namely those from Hallmark and Lifetime, with very variable success, with some UPTV and ION films too. Only got into the newly formed GAC Family films fairly recently, and like Hallmark, Lifetime etc. There are good films, some bad ones and some in between. Have liked Maggie Lawson and Christopher Russell in other things, though their work in acting and filmography are hit and miss.

'A Lot Like Christmas' is one of the in between efforts for GAC, and while it is a good representation of Russell Lawson has been a lot better in other films of hers. 'A Lot Like Christmas' was more or less what was expected. It didn't exceed expectations, but it is a long way from a waste of potential. Instead it sounded like potentially it would be a pleasant enough diversion with a number of good things and a few big drawbacks, and 'A Lot Like Christmas' turned out to be pretty much exactly that.

Russell gives a very sincere and charming performance in his role, and his character up to a point comes over as very amiable. Lawson has moments of perky charm. The supporting cast do well, despite their characters being stock and ones seen many times in similar films.

It looks good, lovely scenery and slickly shot. The music is pleasant and fits tonally enough, the placement also not getting too much.

For my tastes, Lawson on the whole tries too hard and her character goes overboard on the too eager to please side. Her chemistry with Russell isn't really there, pretty lacklustre, especially later on when the conflict kicks in and when Lawson's acting becomes particularly overdone. Also lost a lot of respect for Clay when his secret came out, a secret that was handled in a contrived and predictable way and a very mean spirited one. Which is a big reason as to why the ending didn't ring true. The conflict that it causes felt very forced.

The dialogue tends to be flat and stilted and also rather soapy in the final act. The story is one of those doing nothing new with familiar ground ones, so the predictability is excessive and nothing here feels fleshed out enough. The pacing tends to drag and the charm, light hearted-ness and heart are missing, especially later on. It is easy to predict what the ending is, but part of me really didn't want it to happen and that it would do something different but it went down the too easily resolved route.

Watchable but nothing special. 5/10.

Should you look for originality, you may take a negative view of this film. Big business crushing "mom and pop" enterprises, business competitors attracted to one another are themes that abound in shows. This time, though, they are developed with the appropriate tones. Love and hate situations, resentments among friends, hopes and dismays are rendered soberly, therefore credibly. Maggie Lawson and Christopher Russell are a good match and make their story appealing. Good will and kindness prevail, as expected in a Christmas movie. The result is not a home run, but a solid Holiday movie, one that it may be worth watching. GAC seems to have found the thread lost by Hallmark in many of its recent productions.

Christopher Russell plays against his usual type as a big city corporate big wig. He usually plays rugged back to nature types. He has come to Maggie Lawson's small town to open a big box store, which threatens to put the local Mom and Pops out of business. Most especially Maggie's Christmas Tree lot. They meet and are immediately attracted to each other without knowing whom the other is. Disaster looms.

Christopher Russell is excellent in this: funny and sincere. Maggie was OK, although her character comes across as trying too hard with the hot new man in town. But really, who can blame her? He is gorgeous and nice. If not handled well however, this enthusiasm can come across as desperation. Unfortunately the story was dull with nothing on the horizon that could remotely be of interest. When she learns his true identity, she turns on him and will do anything to beat him at his own game. She commences to cut off her nose to spite her face. Christopher remains good-hearted and easygoing, which makes her antics all the more unattractive. When her little brother explains to this genius that she has bankrupted the business with all of her expenses outstripping their sales, it finally comes the inevitable sad end. Did she just blame Christopher for her own stupidity?

But wait! Thanks to her sudden inspiration of turning her farm into an event venue, the farm is miraculously saved. Like the next day. When very clueless (but still lovable) Christopher learns that the corporation he works for is based on lies, he decides the small town life is more his speed, and the romance is saved as well.

I thought this was going to be yet another big-bad-executive-comes-to-the-small-town-to-ruin -it holiday movie. But in A Lot Like Christmas, the Big Bad executive is Clay Moore, who is one of those guys who everybody likes. He comes into town from Manhattan looking for a Starbucks. He asks these two elderly men that are sitting on a bench and they tell him that of course there is no Starbucks in that small little town, but there is a local diner. After getting the directions, Clay asked them if they wanted anything. They give him a big order which Clay remembers! Clay is just a nice guy who can talk to anybody about anything, buys random strangers breakfast, and helps older women with their groceries, etc ect etc

There were so many cool things about this movie. I loved the fake falling snow. The mayor was an African American woman. There was thankfully just two small town traditions. Too many can ruin a movie.

Jessica and Clay meet when she hits him with a tree she is cutting down on her family's farm. Oh and one of the things I look for in all of these Hallmarkish romances is a dance scene btw hero and heroine. After Jessica declares Clay her enemy, they have this we're-not-dancing-together dance to Jingle Bells, which was sooooo cute!!!!

And did I mention how much I loved Clay--with his lilac shirts and purple suits!