A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado

This was a pretty decent Hallmark film, not one of their best this year, nor one of their worst...middle of the road, I say. The story was warm and nice, family-friendly (typical Hallmark). There were a number of fun, festive and cute scenes. I laughed at another review on here regarding the availability of pine trees in Colorado. Now that I think of it, it is a...how shall I put this...'funny' aspect to the story/plot. The script was fine. The dialogue between the two leads worked well, I believe. What stands out for me in this Christmas movie was the acting. The performance by Rochelle Aytes (as Erin, the Mayor's daughter) was great. She had a warm and fun vibe to her performance, which came off well on screen. Mark Taylor (playing Kevin) also had a strong performance. The chemistry between them was good. I liked the confrontational dynamic to this. The supporting cast was robust. I especially liked the cute performance by Grace Sunar as Claire (Kevin's daughter). She did an excellent job. The scenery, props and sets were festive and well-polished, for the most part. Did anyone notice the snowman in Kevin and Claire's front yard? It looked completely fake. I am surprised to see this, as Hallmark usually does a good job with props and sets. Overall, it is a decent Christmas movie with some strong acting. If you are a fan of Hallmark films, then this one is worth a watch.

You know the story. And you hope about chemistry between main characters. And this is the big problem. The second mistake - the supporting characters are reduced at sketches level. But the end has the role to save everything. Against the decent poor Christmas tree ! So, a very easy film, more boring and pathetic than bad.

"All boys want to be firefighters or cowboys. I'm tragically allergic to horses. So firefighter it is."

"Glad to see you don't scorn all Christmas trees." "If you are here to critique my tree decorations, you are a little early."

This was a slightly different entry in the Hallmark holiday movie offerings. Our two main characters were very antagonistic right from the beginning...hostile and challenging throughout...I had no idea that there was a right way or a wrong way to make a snowman or a snow angel. This lead to the first angry kiss I have ever seen portrayed on Hallmark. (And this is by no means a complaint, just an observation that took me by surprise...and I have watched a lot of Hallmark movies.)

"Oh my gosh! I love them so much!"-Claire

Kevin our single adoptive father and firefighter, and our protagonist who works for her father in the mayor's office meet when she decides that the tree in his front yard would be perfect for the town square tree lighting event that is going to bring in tourists, put Brooklyn, Colorado on the map and completely revitalize their economy. Kevin whose fire departments' budget is getting cut by the city's mayor's office does not agree...and the Sparks fly.

Lots of great one liners..."oh, I sent Santa my list weeks ago." "I approve this message.""my entire political career comes down to a tree."

And then there was an awkward moment that was actually handled well (and another first to my knowledge on Hallmark)..."I haven't done this in awhile." "Dinner?" "Go out on a date." " I'm gay. I think you're awesome." "But I'm not your type." At first I thought this scene was awkward, but the way it was recovered was genius and so natural. Can I just say how natural it is for someone new in town to be looking for a friend and someone to show him around without there being a sexual or relationship aspect?

I applaud Hallmark for trying something new and I think it worked. Another good looking cast with great supporting actors. One to add to your list to watch.

5/10 - unlikable characters, a bland storyline, and a lack of chemistry tanked the success of this Hallmark Countdown to Christmas entry

This movie is a knock-off of Miss Christmas. There were some minor differences that gave it a slightly different feel, mainly how the mayor got involved. I preferred the story and the leads in Miss Christmas.

While Rochelle Aytes and Mark Taylor had chemistry, it did not compare to Brook D'orsay and Marc Blucas. Aytes' Erin began the movie with too much arrogance and entitlement as the mayor's daughter. Eventually, as is almost always the case in these movies, her character softened and became likeable, especially in her relationship with Claire. Claire's backstory and appeal as a character helped make the movie more enjoyable.

The aspects of the story surrounding the politics were frankly insulting. I don't want to spoil and say exactly what aspects those were, but I think they would be obvious to anyone who viewed the whole movie.