Christmas in the Cotswolds

Slightly different all-age friendly grown-up blended family storyline, albeit with a few boring tropes included (eg baking food fight) but the big problem is it really doesn't feel very British. For starters, the film needed to include more typical Cotswolds building shots / landscapes. This is a fairly relaxing watch - most of the drama is the back story, not much happens on-screen, so I can't believe they spun it out to 90 mins. However the relationships are uplifting - the generally get on well together, including current and ex wives. This movie could have been excellent, but it required more visuals and less explaining eg could have shown weather forecast and people ringing to cancel etc. The former would also have potential to improve the British feel with a map etc. Overall disappointing but mainly frustrating because the potential wasn't maximised.

When I tuned in I thought it was a Hallmark film due to female lead having an American accent, but as it continued it's lack of Cotswold scenery and the red Buick barn which look more like a modern community hall grated. I checked to find it was a British movie with British actors which hadn't even been filmed in the Cotswolds! Okay I could have overlooked this if the script and delivery but the script was repetitive and wordy, and delivery like watching a school play except here it was accompanied with music which did little to evoke our emotions.

A real waste of everyone's time, including mine.

I think this film was going for The Holiday vibes. It's harmless enough but honestly, if you're English it's really going to grate as it's pretty obviously not filmed here (the old cottage definitely isn't old, the pub doesn't look like anyone's local, we never get snow at Christmas etc). I guess cost came into. The actor playing the leading man Dylan looks bored senseless and the acting in general is a bit forced and wooden. The plot & love story isn't very convincing. Why the father has never taken the youngest daughter to America to meet her half sister didn't really make sense - why couldn't they have just gone in a school holiday? There aren't really any surprises here - maybe it will do well in other markets but I think most British people will be irked by the 'very English' just being, well clearly not!

All in, I'm not sure why I bothered and while I do like the odd cheesy movie, this one isn't really worth sitting through.

I'm all for suspending belief but there are more plot holes in this film than a beginners knitted scarf. I doubt the producers/director have ever been to England as it couldn't have been more un-English if it tried. Wherever it was made I'm pretty sure it wasn't the Cotswolds and if this film was trying to emulate The Holiday it scores a big fail. The settings were all off for the English countryside and even the make-up was a miss. Whoever did make-up obviously forgot their kit and only managed to replace it with one slightly too orange eye shadow used on every female cast member. A very disappointing watch and one to miss now you have been warned.

My first impression was that the female lead is definitely not American and is putting on an accent, which was true because she's Welsh. Would it have been hard to find a real American for the American lead? They mention she's from the States in every other line. I am American, so I can't speak to the authenticity of its Englishness, but I will say that it is filmed in England and the producer (and one of the directors) is English. Some of the reviews say that it it would bother real English people but it is actually made by English people, which is kind of funny.

The worst parts of this movie were lighting and sound mixing for me. The plot and acting weren't great but I don't expect that of Christmas movies. The lighting was always at least slightly uncanny. At times it made it seem like they were in front of a green screen, or maybe they were. The music sometimes got incredibly loud compared to the dialogue. I couldn't just turn it down because then I couldn't hear them talking.