Northpole: Open for Christmas

Watching these 2 fifty-somethings sleepwalk through the twilight of their career gives this movie a special place in the film school case studies of corporate, group think, cookie cutter productions. How do you fill 90 minutes with dialog without really saying anything? "Northpole: Open for Christmas" is your answer. My XMas advice? Get to bed early...

This is a lighthearted story about Santa and elves and a nostalgic inn. There isn't a lot of plot and what story there is rambles and gets convoluted. But for those who are willing to forget reality and just ride along, it is enjoyable.

I've watched a few movies where Santa and/or the elves get a little too silly and childish in an effort to draw out humor. This movie uses a lighter touch with the mythical characters. There is still plenty of fantasy and fun.

Lori Loughlin and Dermot Mulroney are both over 50 at the time of the movie, but you sure don't notice that, at least with Loughlin. They work together well enough, but it's not their relationship that's magical.

For me, the real star of the show is Bailee Madison, as Clementine the elf. This young actress impresses me every time she does a Hallmark movie and this movie is no exception. Here, although she is only 16 at the time, she is starting to come into a role that isn't necessarily for a teenage actress. She interjects energy and optimism and a little wonder.

Lori Loughlin finds a sense of place, falls in love with handyman Dermot Mulroney and, oh yeah, saves her aunt's country hotel and Christmas while she's at it, in the second of Hallmark's annual "Northpole" series.

"Open for Christmas" grafts a standard Hallmark romantic comedy onto NORTHPOLE's elaborate magical thesis in a workmanlike fashion. However, there is little in the way of dramatic tension to make this worth watching. Ms. Loughlin inherits her aunt's hotel; it has no guests and no source of income. Even so, there is little sense of financial urgency about the outcome once Donovan Scott as Santa tells Ms.Louglin he is depending on her, despite the occasional histrionics.

The performances are fine. I won't claim that Donovan Scott has cornered the market on Santa, but he has performed the role once or twice a year for more than a decade. Pierre Jodoin's cinematography is excellent; he manages to capture that grey afternoon snowfall light that shows up around Christmas. Yet the script itself never manages to make the viewer think that the inevitable romcom happy ending is ever in doubt.

This Christmas Movie may be fun to watch for kids, but is really odd for adults. The romance plot could not be more linear and the part of reviving someones christmas spirit has been played exactly like this hundrets of times....also some of the dialogues and lots of coinsidences are really weird and just there to make up they had no clue how to give the plot a constant flow.

Northpole aired on the Hallmark channel as part of their Christmas in July programming.

Cute movie starring Lori Loughlin, Bailee Madison, & Dermot Mulroney. The movie is actually a sequel, but it is not necessary to have seen the first installment.

Mackenzie (Loughlin) inherits her Aunt's inn in Vermont and ponders selling it and getting back to her high powered lifestyle in the city as soon as possible.

What follows is Mackenzie's journey to rediscover her Christmas spirit and what truly is important to her heart.