Christmas Movie Magic

Considering how many bog-standard Christmas movies get ridiculously high ratings on IMDb, it's astonishing that this refreshingly different, well written and thoroughly engaging film can only muster a 6.

Sure, it's not a masterpiece, with some slightly below par acting in places and the usual missteps that this type of movie tends to have now and again, but its strengths far outweigh its deficiencies. It dares to be bold, reasonably intelligent and thoughtful, and by the end actually has some of the real sparkle which the old Hollywood movies it's referencing had.

Trust me, you can do many far worse things than spend 90 minutes watching this. And, I suspect, you might even enjoy it!!!

Once in a while, Lifetime forgoes its mission to indoctrinate the viewers and remembers how to create entertainment. And comes out with a charming production which is original, entertaining, and rich in meaningful motives. New romance is entwined with enduring love and respect for traditions, in a contest of 50ies nostalgia and a pinch of magic. Would I want to see it with a few changes? Sure, like taming the newspaper director, perhaps unnecessarily harsh and villainous, but all quite minimal. The movie is good, as is. And,.... it does bring a little magic to our Christmas.

Greetings, salutations, and a seasonal welcome to all you movie aficionados. Here are my considerations and recommendation for Christmas Movie Magic.

Story: 1.00/2 - Direction and Pace: 2.00/4 - Performances: 1.00/2 - Enjoyment: 1.00/2

Total 5.00/10

Welcome to the atypical Christmas movie. There were so many opportunities to make this a memorable and more potent tale that I was saddened at the route the writers took. Though they have the great idea of a small American town celebrating the anniversary of the Greatest Christmas Flick Ever Made, which was filmed and premiered in their town, the writers try too hard to make it memorable. We see the movie's opening sequence and witness the boy meets girl walking a pig on a leash moment. Yeah, you read that right - walking a pig on a leash! It was the moment I found my thumb hovering over the off button. The performers are in super-cheesy mode, which makes it worse. Upon realising it wasn't the primary tale, I retracted my thumb from the button. And, even though the story smooths out a little, it falls heavily into the quagmire of Christmas movies. There's very little new in this picture. Another element that turned out poorly was the twists. The writers attempt to add some intrigue into the narrative in the shape of a secret love. Regrettably, they make this outcome too obvious. No sooner have our lovers found the clue than we, the audience, have guessed who it is - and how it'll bring our two principal players together. Sadly, the cast doesn't make the picture any better. They're not awful, but they aren't exceptional either. Better acting and direction were required to lift the film. The performers are as unremarkable as the narrative. Luckily, the director is a little more on the ball - but only a little. And they add a subtle sense of heart-warmingness and pepper a few decent scenes throughout, but it needed more mirth and merriment.

Because Christmas Movie Magic is un-magical, I'd only recommend watching it should your other entertainment possibilities run dry. And, in this season of joy, plenty of better Chrimbo Pics are on offer - some can be found on the list below.

Please check out my HO! HO! HO! Christmas Belles list to see where I ranked the movie.

Take Care, Stay Well, And Best Wishes For A Merry Christmas.

I really liked this one! I loved that it revolved around a hometown mystery and a 1950/s musical complete Let's with a dance routine at the end. As a fan of old musicals especially "singin in the rain" I loved the homages. As lifetime/hallmark Christmas movies go this was one of my faves so far this year.

I really enjoyed this movie. At last Mar Vista did a decent thing here. That is until the very end.

The climax of the story actually brought a tear to my eye and I was excited to see such a wonderful story culminate in the MCs love for one another. And then that stupid kiss at the end. What is even up with that? I don't know what's going on with the idea of the camera angles but they're obstructive and they destroy a good thing. Are they afraid I'm going to see a slip of the tongue or actual lips touching? They should be embarrassed.

Well, what did I expect. Whether it's Lifetime or Hallmark, they both have a way of destroying a good story and the really good ones are so rare.

I don't know what they were trying to do with this ending but it was by far one of the sappiest most ridiculous things I've ever witnessed in any of these movies. They took a wonderful story and completely ruined it. I don't even know if I can bring myself to watch another one.

If you want to see decent Christmas romance movies check out Netflix. At least you know the couple's having sex before they even utter those three words and it's a refreshing change to this nonsense.