A Christmas in Tennessee

An enjoyable holiday movie with a solid story and great cast. Some of the cast members are long time favorites. Mr. and Mrs. Claus are not to be missed. The daughter is cute without being toooo much. Her expressions when she sees Santa is perfect. It says Merry Christmas.

However, I am concerned with Andrew Walker's drawn appearance. He has lost weight and looks almost sickly in this feature. The thin appearance has aged him. I hope all is well.

Somewhat cheesy, somewhat sappy, but cute plot. The big bad developer angle has been hackneyed to death - so no points there. I was probably more impressed with the acting of the supporting cast than the two leading roles. Patricia Richardson was wonderful and Caroline Rhea was fabulous in this film. Would love to see these ladies in more Christmas movies. Best Mr. & Mrs. Claus cast ever. The cast playing the teachers and the neighbors were impressive also. The lead actors did well when there was slight banter between them but there seemed to be no believable spark.

I waited eagerly for this movie because the totally vivacious Rachel Boston is one of my most favorite actresses and Andrew Walker ranks high for me also. Throw in a cute kid and you should have an automatic winner.

The acting was fine. The chemistry between Walker and Boston was OK, but could have been better if the movie had spent more time on them and less on the business conflict. The business aspect of the story is one of the more used plot devices in Christmas movies and that aspect of the story was totally predictable and not only uninteresting, but a little annoying.

On the other hand, there was a Santa angle on the story that did add a little spice to it.

Overall, I was disappointed mostly because I wanted more from Walker and Boston and just a little less of the ominous tone brought about by the Scrooge-like boss and backstabbing assistant. It actually creates some extra suspense even if everything was still predictable. However there is still plenty for people who enjoy this type of movie to like.

Others have summed up 'Christmas in Tennessee' very well, both its good and not so good points. The former of which there is thankfully more of, even though it is a long way from flawless it does well in achieving its primary aims of being light-hearted undemanding entertainment and a pleasant enough diversion. It is not easy with every Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas film to not take things too seriously and take it for what it is, dependent on how bad the flaws are, it was thankfully easy here.

As far as the Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas films go, of which there are countless existing and some are (much) better than others, 'Christmas in Tennessee' is one of the solid high middle ones. If the story was balanced a little better than it was, with the different story elements being equally focused and the right ones given primary focus, it could have been one of the best and was quite close to being. There was more than enough to it to make me feel satisfied watching.

'Christmas in Tennessee', as said, could have balanced its story better. The business angle is focused on too much and at the end of the day didn't end up fitting that well with the rest of the film. It complicated the storytelling somewhat and the film lost its momentum. A shame because the romance and Santa elements are handled very nicely but could have been utilised more, particularly the romance.

Some of the dialogue is on the soapy side and because of not being focused on enough the romantic chemistry didn't feel fully formed.

The acting is better than average though and often quite good for this sort of film, where this component has been a mixed success (meaning either extreme of good or bad or uneven). The two leads' chemistry does have enough moments of charm and doesn't look awkward. The Santa plotline is where the film is at its strongest, with it injecting much spice and warmth without getting too sappy. The story is not perfect but it didn't feel dull generally and was light-hearted and heart-warming.

While not awards-worthy (nor is it that sort of film), the production values are pleasing and for a made for television film there is nothing really amateurish about it. The music is a pleasant listen and is used well, while any comedy didn't feel overdone and the more serious ones not ham-handed or too sickly.

Overall, quite good. 7/10

I loved this, perfect for the whole family. Always enjoy anything with Rachel Boston, and this was the cutest Christmas movie I've seen this year so far. Good job!