Gingerbread Miracle

This movie was pleasant to watch. I might have given the movie itself, based on plot and characters, a "6". However, part of what bumped it up for me to a "7" rating was the presentation of some aspects of Hispanic culture at Christmas time of which I was unaware. (I have to trust that they were accurately portrayed.) Another engaging aspect was the role and portrayal of the family's patriarch -- a very interesting character.

Absolutely adore Christmas and Hallmark have done some above decent and more Christmas films over the years. As well as a fair share of misfires. 2021 was a typically inconsistent year for Hallmark in all their seasonal blockings, but considering the circumstances it turned out quite a lot better than expected. Part of me was expecting all the 2021 films of theirs to be mediocre or below but quite a lot were the opposite. Exactly the same with its 2020 output too.

'Gingerbread Miracle' is not one of the very best 2021 Hallmark Christmas films, but it is also a long way from being one of the worst. As far as the Hallmark Christmas films that had aired up to this point (only 8 previously) goes, 'Gingerbread Miracle' is somewhere bang in the middle. Not the best ('Christmas in My Heart'), and also not the worst ('Coyote Christmas Creek'). It doesn't live up to its miracle name, but it doesn't waste its potential and is a long way from a disaster.

There is a good deal to like. Merritt Patterson is an immensely engaging lead and is the main reason to see the film, she is just so cheerful without overdoing and when it comes to the female lead characters of the 2021 Christmas output Patterson's is one of the more likeable ones. One that is not exaggerated in terms of flaws and not too perfect. The supporting cast are solid. It looks good with lovely scenery and the music is very pleasant and doesn't overbear.

Much of the script is amiable and not too cheesy or schmaltzy, with some nice playful banter between the two lead characters. The story is on the most part engaging and heart warming and did appreciate a lot that there is no contrived misunderstanding that is too neatly resolved or any pantomimic conflict. Didn't find myself bored or irritated by any of the characters and really appreciated too that Patterson's character in particular grew rather than being too perfect at the beginning or being difficult to like throughout before an abrupt last minute turnaround (both common with Hallmark)

Did find that a couple of aspects were uneven however. Jon-Michael Ecker does become more at ease and a warmer presence, but early on he did seem rather stiff and uptight. While the chemistry between him and Patterson did grow significantly by the end of the film it did take time to get developing, for the first half the chemistry was quite bland and awkward.

While the story engages on the whole, it is slight and it can drag at times. It is also not particularly innovative, there are things done differently to usual but it does revolve around the general formula with this particular scenario and doesn't do a huge amount new with it.

In conclusion, unexceptional but above average. 6/10.

It's above average then the normal hallmark Christmas films. It's a little slow at Times and does drag on but it's overall a cute Christmas film. Tho I wish there was more to the Christmas wishes and not so much on the romance.

Instead of "save the store," in this one we have "sell the store." Don't worry, with Hallmark no store is ever allowed to be sold, they are all saved, so we'll just get that out of the way right now. The cheery Merritt Patterson is a freelance lawyer who is trying to re-establish her career in the big city after a bad breakup sent her back to her hometown. The glum and sinister-looking (but nice) Mexican baker (I thought all bakers were jolly?) and proprietor wants to retire, so he asks her, a trusted friend, for help in finding a buyer for his bakery. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? However, his nephew, a big city lawyer, visits for Christmas and wants to horn in. I found him very out of line, pouty and whiny to boot. He doesn't like being a lawyer and wants to be a baker instead, but instead of having the guts to do something positive about it, he tries to put the kibosh on the sale of the bakery. Rude.

Merritt and Alex, the nephew, have a history of mutual crushes on each other, bad timing, and communication problems as teens. As adults, the reboot of their romance goes pretty well, and they do have some chemistry. Alex is very attractive and once he got over himself and Merritt realized that she was happy in her hometown rather than re-joining the rat race, all proceeded to the usual conclusion despite the appearance of a handsome French patisserie owner.

There was also some magical gingerbread involved but it was more of a superfluous gimmick than a miraculous gamechanger. It was cute though. I also enjoyed the Mexican Christmas customs. All in all, this was perfectly pleasant, but nothing really special.

The story had some interesting threads although the major premise of the leads working together to sell a family business is fairly common. The acting was good. There were a couple of interesting holiday traditions that haven't been done in Hallmark Christmas movies. The dialogue was good, but not sparkling. The overall story was mostly predictable with little tension and no great highs or lows.

The chemistry between Jon-Michael Ecker and Merritt Patterson was OK, but again, not outstanding.

I'm prejudiced when it comes to Merritt Patterson and I thought she did well in this role. Maya was very upbeat and easy going.