Mingle All the Way

Let me start by saying I love holiday movies. It's the only time of year that makes me realize I'm not actually dead inside. Although completely predictable as every Christmas movie is the same, this one still managed to be cute and charming. The main characters were surprisingly easy to watch and meshed well together, which is a component a lot of other holiday movies struggle with. This baffles me as I fully expected Jeff, the love interest, to run off with Molly's male assistant. Although I really couldn't get past that feeling, they certainly were fantastic in their scenes together. I recommend this one.

The "fake romance" trope is commonly trotted out in Hallmark Christmas movies. If there isn't one every year, there will probably be one the next. LOL This is one. However, they put a twist on it by having the pairing not be truly fake, but just a new app which pairs people who need plus ones for holiday events.

However, the creator of the app is challenged to use her own app, and of course it pairs her with a man she's already been at odds with ... twice. So we have the start of an antithetical romance which isn't supposed to be a romance in the first place.

This movie's script succeeds where many fail ... it puts the leads together in ways which believably sell the idea they might gain affection for each other.

There are funny moments and quite moving moments, such as when the male lead defends the female lead to her mother, and later when the mother takes that to heart and shows up to mend things with her daughter.

We recommend this movie and we'll watch it again. (In fact, I write this review after our second viewing. We also saw it the year it first aired).

Have always absolutely loved Christmas and consider it still my favourite time of year. Love the nostalgia it brings, the family time and all the fond memories of our Christmas traditions which we still continue to do. There is a very, very small doubt of ever tiring of it. Also love Christmas films, and there are some classic ones that won't be named for fairness, and that was the main reason as to why 'Mingle All the Way' was seen in the first place, as well as wanting to broaden my horizons on them.

One sort of knows what to expect from 'Mingle All the Way', from the somewhat cheesy title and considering that story-wise there is not a whole lot of variation or seemingly much new on a fairly familiar theme. Recent viewings of festive films have seen some mild hits and also just as many misses, and 'Mingle All the Way' fits somewhere in the mixed bag/middling category, neither among the best or worst. Like a fair share of recently seen festive films, it is going to be one of those films that people will love and others will hate. Personally fit with neither extreme and am somewhere in the middle, finding it a watchable film but not a great one.

'Mingle All the Way' looks decent, the locations are particularly striking. The music provides some affectionate nostalgia and is pleasant to listen to. The Christmas atmosphere is handled charmingly and affectionately and the romance can be genuinely sweet and doesn't go overboard on the schmaltz.

Jen Lilley is a winning lead, while there is a feel good charm, amusing moments and the sentimentality doesn't get too much. Some smart tension at times too.

However, Brant Daugherty too often comes over as rather annoying and Lindsay Wagner is over-the-top in her roles, sometimes enjoyably but at other times it unbalances the film. The rest of the cast do their best but don't have much to do. The characters don't enough to them to make them interesting or rootable, while the direction is routine at times while far from being amateurish.

The story is not exactly dull and enough of it engages, but it is very predictable and some of it feels rather contrived too. The script doesn't always flow and can be very cheesy.

In conclusion, watchable but a mixed bag. 5/10

Molly Hoffman has created a social app not for love but for business escort purposes. Matches agree to go to business Christmas events with each other. It's called Mingle All the Way. Her investors suggest that she use her own app before they put money into it. She keeps bumping into Jeff Scanlon who steals her Christmas present for her dad. Jeff is having trouble finding a Christmas date and he uses the app. The two combative busy business people get matched up.

In order to make the premise work better, the investor should be the one setting her up with Jeff. Molly would be forced to make the pairing work with the investor following them around on their first date. I actually really like app idea and its potential for rom-com. The leads are fine Hallmark material. This is really straight forward as are most of the Hallmark movies. They truly don't have any drama. It does have the right sentiments. This is fine for those who love Hallmark specials.

Sometimes in a Hallmark film, you're left wondering how the actual love relationship managed to develop into the final romantic declaration & long-awaited kiss. Not so with this film. They were in each others company for most of the film & we were seeing a slow-burning romance blossom from detestation to apathy to affection and then love. It was a good watchable process, firmly enhanced by the performances and chemistry of both leads who totally nailed it ! Their time acting together in Days of Their Lives kept their chemistry fresh. The storyline was a bit ho-hum but all performances from bosses, friends, jealous co-workers, old girlfriend & parents (nice to see Lindsey Wagner doing well) kept the whole story-pot bubbling away nicely ! Would love to see a sequel !