Christmas in Pine Valley

The plot went from bad to worse. The male lead looks great, but is so monotone. Not sure where the writers came from, but they definitely need new jobs, because writing is not a strength for them. I kept thinking with time things would get better, but it kept getting more ridiculous and painful to watch. The actors and actresses were probably fine and with the right script they may be great, but this was a terrible movie and I think the fault lies with the writers. The male lead was boring also. Good looking, but boring. Oh, and who splits wood on a porch? Do your research people. I only gave it 4 stars because it was family friendly and was a safe movie for my family to watch.

I love Christmas movies and I'm one who will watch a movie to the end no matter how bad it is. But I just couldn't with this one! I couldn't get past the stiff acting of Andrew Biernat. I'm not an actor and I know everyone needs to start somewhere but he's just not ready for movies. I forced myself to watch 30 minutes but it seemed like 3 hours.

The premise of this movie could have been really fun but the dialog wasn't clever and many scenes were awkward. The lead actress tried but couldn't hold her own. The best friend should have played the lead. I love Christmas movies, even the corny ones but I just couldn't get passed everything that's wrong with this one.

Do yourself a favor and forget about this Christmas movie.

Honestly, I wanted to like this, but it was painful to watch. The plot was SO predictable and had nothing original to it. Also, the script was ROUGH. It affected the performances and was just boring and cheesy.

This is unfortunately a result of the production (GAC/GAF). I have yet to find one of their films that isn't painfully corny and sloppy. This movie suffers from cliches that move it to D-level, direct-to-DVD. There could've been any number of changes that would've improved the whole film.

The acting suffered from the overly cliched characters and I did like the leading lady, but it was a hard film to watch. Our secondary romance worked out ok. That is part of what saved the move. The production design wasn't too terrible.

An "innocent" lie or secret is a common trope in Christmas movies. Likewise big contract needed to save the "family" farm. Throw in reporter, Josh, sent to do a piece on the business which threatens to become an expose. There is also a fake fiancé and a fake marriage. Many of these have slight twists in the way they are presented especially the fake fiancé situation.

The acting is poor at times but mostly OK. The dialogue can be a bit odd, but there are some cute sequences too.

Another reviewer pointed out that the "family" is so inept at explanations to Josh. What's sad is that so many of the explanations should flow naturally even if this group is not really biological family so why would they fumble?

It is also uncomfortable that the lies grow more serious and less innocent, less "white". How the fake fiancé is established is a little ridiculous. So many of the gags are high on the silly meter. The basic lie comes up constantly one way or another.

Kristina Cole has a sweetness consistent with a typical girl next door. She definitely seems low key for the CEO of the business. She and Andrew Biernat have the potential for great chemistry but two things interfered with my appreciation of it. First Biernat has almost no spark in his performance. Second, and more significant, is the lying.

I don't think it is a spoiler to say that the underlying theme of the movie moves toward a sort of redefinition of what a family is apart from strictly biological. This is not a new idea especially for holiday movies. Many would consider the idea that family includes our closest friends to be valid. What might be different about this movie is the this "family" excludes any biological relatives.

So why is it a lie as far as the movie premise goes? Part of that is in misrepresentations in the blog, but even those are not unusual in the world of blogging. The movie is a little vague but implies Natalie wrote about traditions that were never followed by this "family". I think that and the perpetuation of the lies with Josh is where I have a problem that makes it hard for me to enjoy the inevitable HEA.

This movie has a ton of potential and a lot of positives, but for me the dishonesty, the intent to deceive, trumped that. Note to self - skip watching this again.

I write my reviews as if I'm talking to my grandmother, so I always try to find something nice to say.

I think I would have to tell her to watch Gilligan instead.

The plot involves a small company selling hand made products from a farm who inadvertently create the impression they are a family, and are forced to carry out the deception in order to obtain the big order that will save them from foreclosure.

The lead actress is ok, she has her moments, but the leading man is basically a male model type who has yet to learn the acting craft.

I did enjoy the "sister" character, and some of the scenes involving wood-chopping and jealousy were almost amusing, but the plot was trite and the ending illogical and forced.

I can understand why GAC buried this one in mid-November.

Sorry, that's as nice as I can be.