Every Christmas Has a Story

Without Colin Ferguson, I probably wouldn't have sat through this movie more than once. The story itself really isn't my cup of tea. A news anchor (Lori Loughlin) has an embarrassing mistake on live television, exposing her as someone who doesn't like Christmas. To save face, the network orders her to do a several-day small-town exposé in a place guaranteed to instill her in the Christmas spirit. I know lots of Hallmarks feature a plot or subplot of a character who doesn't like Christmas then learns to love it; but this one felt really forced and almost offensive. Her television blooper could have easily been explained away, and after the holiday season had ended, people would forget all about it. What if she was Jewish or Buddhist and held no special feeling for the Christian holiday - would the network still force her to change her views?

Once she gets to town, the movie gets a little better, since she and her cameraman (Colin) try and fail to ignore their rekindled feelings. They were an item in the past, so do you think the small-town charm and Christmas magic might help them get back together and solve all their emotional problems?

You'll have to watch this Hallmark Christmas special to find out. It might not end up being your favorite, but you'll probably enjoy it. I've happily watched it three times, glad for the gorgeous eye candy.

Why would anyone ever let Colin Ferguson go? The guy has been handsome since before 1990, with barely a change at all and not just his face and body, but the personality that shines from him. I would bet a lot of money that he's a really nice guy. So, I'm not sure that the lead female deserves him.

It's actually not a bad romantic story at all and I like the other "story" that the journalists are chasing.

The mayor is over the top, but aren't they always. It's as if they find the weirdest extra in the bunch, give them a suit, a wig and a script and let them loose.

Although it's essentially about the leads disdain for Christmas, it doesn't really have many festivities going on, but there's enough to make it cheery and enjoyable.

I'm fairly shallow, so it probably scores higher because of Colin, but I don't care.

6ish/10?

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.

While unknowingly on air, a TV personality accidentally admits she hates Christmas. In order to keep her job her boss sends her to a small town. The town in called "Hollyvale" Here she do news stories about this town and how the town is crazy about "Christmas". So she does daily stories from "Hollyvale"

Coming with her is her ex-boyfriend who also happens to be her boss.

The acting is fine. Christmas Movie fans will love this film.

The action that sets this movie going is this: A woman politely turns down a gift from a man. He continues to harass her for several minutes as she keeps politely deflecting him. He then gets so far into her personal space that when she turns around, he gets knocked over. Somehow, no one has a problem with the harassment. In fact, the woman is considered a bad person because the man lives Christmas, and she prefers not to celebrate it. Her boss even has a staff meeting where, in front of co-workers, she also acts like politely preferring not to celebrate means the woman is bad. No one even thinks to defend the woman and say, "The man was harassing her-- shouldn't we do something about that?" How is this a feel-good movie? The woman has to spend the rest of the plot atoning for being harassed?

When newsreader Lori Loughlin says on air that she doesn't like Christmas, she and her producer, ex-lover Colin Ferguson are shipped to Christmas-centric Hollyvale so she can "find her Christmas spirit". Can she do that when the town seems to be losing its own?

I sat down to watch this Hallmark TV Christmas movie, expecting it to be pretty much predictable, standard fare, but soon found it something entirely different. The script started in one direction and quickly veered into a mystery about the town and then into yet another one, eventually revealing itself as a meditation on what Christmas means to people in a secular age.

Although the stand-out role in these movies is usually some old-time performer in a support role, intended to please old geezers like me ("These young whippersnappers don't know how to hold your attention!"), here the laurels belong to Mr. Ferguson with his rubber-faced reaction shots. Well done all around!