Looks Like Christmas

All of the Hallmark movies are boring. They are the same plot over and over and over..,,,

One of the most boring stories I've ever seen in a Hallmark movie. To bad Ann Heche has lost her cuteness. All the actors were not believable and extremely boring.

Anyone who watched the Hallmark channel during the 2016 holiday season saw incessant advertisements for three films: A Heavenly Christmas, A Dream of Christmas, and Looks Like Christmas. As a result, the phrases "Sometimes I just wish I'd never gotten married!", "Be careful what you wish for. . .", and "You flocked my Noble?" probably became burned in your brain. In my house, those three lines have now become household phrases. Every time I utter "You flocked my Noble?" à la Anne Heche, it cracks me up and instantly puts me in the Christmas spirit.

In the film, Anne Heche plays a structured, Type-A single mom in charge of everything Christmas-y in town. Dylan Neal, the cutie-pie you'll recognize from Hallmark's Cedar Cove, moves to town with his teenage daughter, and instantly clashes with Anne. He's her opposite, letting work come before Christmas and winging his behavior, rather than planning it. But, since it's a romantic comedy, their animosity will no doubt grow into attraction.

Even though I was really looking forward to this Christmas movie, it didn't live up to the hype. If Dylan wasn't so handsome, and if he didn't flock her Noble, I probably wouldn't re-watch it in the years to come. But, he is handsome, and as you can see from the previews, he does flock her Noble. If you don't mind a slightly annoying storyline and less-than-admirable characters, you can give it a try this Christmas.

This is airing in the UK as A Christmas Carol, though I think Looks Like Christmas sounds better: Maybe the studio are wanting viewers to watch thinking it is a version of Charles Dickens' classic tale.

This comes nowhere near the classic tale.

I have always liked Anne Heche, though it looks like she's slumped from the bigger budget movies into B-movie and Sci-Fi series, which is great for them to be able to have a great actress... unfortunately, they just don't use her to her fullest in this picture. The same can be said for Dylan Neal. I've seen them both do much better, maybe their hearts weren't in it, or it could've been the direction they were given, which is more likely.

The direction is pretty average and keeps the film at a steady pace, though it was a little too slow for me at times.

The story too is your stable fair for a Christmas Love story with no real twists to keep you engaged.

One handicap of the writing and direction was Dylan Neals character, Terry, who could be downright rude to Anne Heche (Carol) to the point that I wondered why were these two people destined to be together.

This is smack on the borderline of recommendation - do I or don't I recommend it? I just don't know.

If you do choose to watch it and find you're not getting on with it for some reason, turn it off because it doesn't really change much throughout the film.

Despite loving Christmas and having no bias against Hallmark Christmas films (far from it and this has been said before quite a number of times in other reviews of their work), the premise did not really excite me. Striking me as being too much of typical Hallmark and pretty old-hat. Saw 'Looks Like Christmas' as part of my quest to see as many Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas films as possible and because of liking both Anne Heche and Dylan Neal in other things.

Both deserved much better than the very lacking material they had in 'Looks Like Christmas', their characters were not worthy of them and makes them look bad as actors. 2016 did see some good Christmas Hallmark films, but it also saw some lacking ones. And while not as bad as 'A December Bride' and 'A Wish for Christmas', 'Looks Like Christmas' is one of those lacking films. Hallmark have certainly done a lot worse, including that year, but they have also done better.

Absolutely agree about Sean Michael Kyer and even more so Farryn VanHumbeck being the best things about the film, giving very charming and mature performances and coming over as very likeable.

It looks nice, well shot with lovely scenery. Wasn't impressed by the music on the whole, not unusual for Hallmark, but there were some pleasant and nostalgically festive parts.

Neither Heche or Neal however are on good form. Heche looks tired and like her heart wasn't in it and Neal also looked as though he had given up when his material got weaker later. Do agree about their chemistry being non-existent, with them being not remotely believable as friends let alone lovers. They don't look comfortable together and their rapport is awkward and far too hostile, the relationship is also rushed and underdeveloped. The rest of the supporting cast are bland in roles that are little more than ciphers and tried and tested Hallmark cliches.

Furthermore, the script throughout is weak. It was mostly very stilted and cheesy as well as dreary with too much blandness to have any sentimental value. The story never comes to life, with a very pedestrian pace. And because of doing absolutely nothing different with a premise already done to death is very predictable. It is also very thin, especially early on, there is a lot of credibility straining, including how Heche's character would continue having anything to do with Neal's character when his rudeness becomes excessive. The music is drab and tends to intrude.

Summing up, very lacklustre and a waste of two talented actors. 4/10.