One December Night

A broken friendship in need of mending, grief for losses in need of closure, aging with failing health, a rekindled youth friendship, good music, and Christmas time. Here, all you need for a rich story to tell in a movie. What makes the movie enjoyable is that all the ingredients are honestly dosed well, with gentle touch, and rendered credible. What could have gone, as often happens, pretentious or garbled with cheap emotions, becomes, here, a captivating and moving production. The acting is good, the pace is just right, the pathos is real. Kudos to Hallmark for choosing a different and thoughtful pathway.

I've been a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies since they did few enough titles a year that they didn't all look the same. "One December Night," thankfully, doesn't follow the recent formula.

I was curious to see how Peter Gallagher had matured; my image of him is from another favorite Christmas movie where he plays the immature brother, "While You Were Sleeping." Age has been kind to Gallagher, and his acting proved he's more than just a pretty face.

While the plot still contains a few too many, "Will they or won't they?" (when we all know they will), it's nice to see a story that revolves around older actors in this bromance. The young folks in this case are the side story.

While it's no "Christmas Card" or "Snow Bride," still, nice job Hallmark.

Wow! This movie breaks the mold of what one finds on Hallmark this time of the year. I almost believe that it was made my an independent production company and Hallmark just bought it--it really does not have any of the usual tropes. Ladies, if you have a husband/ boyfriend around and you want to force them to watch a Hallmark movie this Christmas, I guarantee that this one will make them the least ill!

Bruce Campbell and Peter Gallagher can do no wrong. The interaction between the two of them was great. They were actually just like brothers - conflict, bickering - just great!

The secondary story about the young singer - not interesting. Yes - Eloise Mumford's character was a music/singer manager - but the focus on this singer wasn't really necessary (even as little story time devoted to her). The music manager issue could have been handled without the screen time given to her story.

Solid performance by Eloise Mumford and Brett Dalton ... and what a treat to see DiDi Conn (Frenchie from Grease)! No one can mistake that voice...

6/10 - music-themed Christmas flick does a nice job of balancing some originality while maintaining the familiar Hallmark spark that people tune in for.