Love You Like Christmas

I've seen quite a few Hallmark Christmas movies and most are schmaltzy, contrived and overly clichéd. This one feels different. It flows really well, with an outstanding lead in Bonnie Sommerville. She looks gorgeous, has a radiant smile and an easy-going natural acting ability which cuts through most of the clichés ! It feels like a Christmas version of "Doc Hollywood", although Bonnie plays a New York advertising exec who breaks down in Christmas Valley, Ohio. She meets Kevin ( a good job from Brennan Eliot) , who's a widower with a daughter & owns a Christmas tree farm which is on hard times. The supporting cast are great and the singing mechanic has a good voice too ! All in all, it's way better than most of the rest, so relax & enjoy !

A lot of these movies have to push the limits of credulity for their premise, but if you can get past that, they have a story.

In this case the stretch is a Madison Avenue ad exec driving to Denver for a client's wedding because she's afraid to fly. So she sets off in a vintage Mustang for the trip, winding up with a failing alternator in a small town in Ohio ... which happens to have an unseasonable early and heavy snow.

She meets an adorable little girl at the boarding house she must take refuge in while the part comes in for her car, and the film follows a growing relationship with the girl's father and others in the town ... particularly a woman running a diner who could use a bit of help promoting her business.

Other circumstances keep her stranded in the town until she seems to have "gone native". :-) Luckily, there is no "old boyfriend" trope, but there is the "big city exec helps small town business" trope.

But the characters and the story are enjoyable, and the film holds up under repeated viewings (thought probably a few years apart).

This movie has no big surprises or twists, but it is a very sweet romantic story.

Brennan Elliot does a really good job in this movie. Not too much and not too little. The character of Jo adds a special sweetness.

It is a nice, steady romantic story where the love Maddie develops for the community is just as much as her love for Kevin.

...this is a feel good Christmas movie. Love Brennan Elliott, no matter what he's in. His acting is natural, guy next door type that makes one feel you've known him forever. Loved the dog and the young girl.

I'm from Argentina so during Christmas time - which is not a huge thing as it it in the US - it's summer in my country, luckily i've spent the last 6 years in the US during that time and it's movies like this that make me appreciate every journey even more.

Christmas is such a special thing and this movie translates exactly that feeling. It is truly magical.

Yet this movie is everything we know about Hallmark. The plot was good, there were a few lines which were amazing - as in make me laugh for real, amazing - the characters were lovely, and so was the soundtrack. It's the very first time I notice the soundtrack.

It's indeed a very beautiful movie, and it's the perfect one to enjoy on Christmas time. It will be even more special.