Rediscovering Christmas

It's was pretty boring. I feel like I've already watched two or three Christmas Lifetime movies where the main character designs department store windows. Hey Lifetime, can you pick a different career for you main characters? Why are they always in advertising, marketing or event planners?

As a diehard Jessica Lowndes fan, I was disappointed with this movie. Her performance was fine - as usual. But, the supporting cast was not. Maybe it was the writing. Maybe Hallmark really does do Christmas better. Ms. Lowndes' Hallmark movies are amazing. And oh BTW, I am an African American male. So no racist beliefs, thoughts, tendencies or the like here. This movie just didn't grab me and provide all the feels you expect and consistently receive from her movies.

Hallmark's new trend towards diversity. This movie has a romance between white woman and a black man. Pretty Jessica Lowndes and BJ Britt star. The decorating process isn't that interesting. The romance isn't terribly convincing they don't seem to fall in love - just become friends. She sings a bit here and that's nice.

I have been saying over and over, including posting on the movie twitter sites, that I want more Christmas movies where some of the many musically talented actors sing whether it be some carols, or an original song. There have been some, and yet there have been missed opportunities in other cases. This was an excellent performance by Jessica Lowndes.

The story is more of the same stuff being churned out by the writers. A festival or a ball or a pageant is in jeopardy and the movie's star (from a big city) has to fix it and to do so she has to work with someone she doesn't like (yet). Meanwhile there is a crisis in her day job and a promotion at stake. I just described 100 Christmas movies just this decade and probably a lot more than that. This one didn't seem to have much to set it apart and therefore, we have to hope for an interesting relationship between the leads along with possibly some humor and good dialogue. Again I say, I didn't really see anything to set it apart in any of those regards.

I think I'm being generous with the rating thanks to Jessica's singing. Otherwise the movie isn't awful, but it isn't great and there are a lot better ones out there, even with the same basic premise.

BTW: I'm going to say it because so many people do, but it isn't a factor in my rating. Do people really hold balls or wedding in barns? Is there heat? Jessica walks in from the outside with snow falling behind her with bare shoulders, and the two wide barn doors are open to the outside. Don't get me wrong. She and the vision are beautiful, but maybe our Christmas movie culture needs to get over the white Christmas thing.

This is Lifetime, not Hallmark.

Just to say now, in my view not all Lifetime's Christmas offerings are bad. Actually was pleasantly surprised by some, which has been true of my film viewings of Hallmark/Lifetime etc Christmas films in general over-time. The concept is not really very exciting and is quite more of the same (if you see one Lifetime Christmas film and then you see 49 more or something it's like seeing one film fifty times), but there have been Lifetime Christmas films that still work in spite of that because of having charm and good enough acting.

Lifetime have sometimes done well with the Christmas offerings centering heavily around saving businesses, including in 2019. 'Rediscovering Christmas' is not one of those films. Of a very mixed to unimpressive year, 'Rediscovering Christmas' is by quite some way one of the worst of the 2019 batch for Lifetime if not quite the worst. Not completely unwatchable, but 'Rediscovering Christmas' fails more than it succeeds. Though there is some credit due for a component that is usually a weak link in their films is one of the best things.

'Rediscovering Christmas' has a few good things. The scenery is nice. As is the music, which is easy on the ears and is not intrusive or over-used. The final song is single worthy.

Best of all is Jessica Lowndes. Am usually not a fan of Lowndes and usually find her a weak link in her films, just find her performances lacking in variety and expression and don't find her at ease. Here she is completely at ease and is the most charming and nuanced she's been to me.

It is however a performance that deserved a much better film. The rest of the cast are the complete opposite, with BJ Britt being both charisma-free and annoying. Not only does he and Lowndes not have any chemistry together in a very under-developed romance, they are very mismatched too and his appeal to her escapes me. Didn't care for the characters other than Lowndes, everybody else are walking ciphers. The direction is only functional at best and has little spark.

The editing can be sloppy and the photography has nothing distinct to it. The script is like a cobbling together of over-familiar cliches, and then there is the overkill cheesiness and schmaltziness to the awkwardly flowing lines. The story is not just a tired variation of a done to death scenario but is also very, very thin, which does affect the pacing. Which tends to be pedestrian. It also has no charm and takes itself too seriously. 'Rediscovering Christmas' has some truly cliched character writing, that gives the characters like one or two character traits and not much else.

Overall, pretty weak. 3/10.