I'm Glad It's Christmas

It was a beautiful simple Christmas movie. It was not as cringy as some Christmas movies but no need to overanalyse. Just watch it when in the right mood - aka around Christmas and enjoy the story. And in this day and age where everything is littered with virtue signalling, it was nice to watch something clutter free and wholesome.

A group of people working hard, trying to reach their dreams, opportunity knocking, supporting each other even when it means letting go and making the tough decisions one needs to make it in life.

Overall great vibes and brings the Christmas cheer to life. I enjoyed it.

As a professional musician, I am horrified that this woman (Jessica Lowndes) is called a singer. Simply listen to her duet of Deck the Halls with Paul Greene and you know she is not. She cannot match pitch and maintain a key from one phrase to the next. Maybe this was because of multiple takes? If so, why was there no consistent key established? Shame on the music production team for allowing something so painfully out of tune to make it to the final version. Maybe they can't hear pitch either. My musician husband and I rewound the scene about five times with our jaws on the floor. Have never heard such an unprofessional final musical product in a movie, except where the singer was SUPPOSED to be awful, like Florence Foster Jenkins. And then came Joy to The World, which wasn't. Sad to build an entire movie plot around this woman singing, when she cannot. I scored as high as four stars only because Gladys Knight and Paul Greene CAN sing.

The story is about a struggling performer who has reached the crossroads of deciding to abandon her dreams if she doesn't succeed by the year end. Chloe agrees to help put on a neighborhood show produced by Cora (Gladys Knight). The execution of the story has some rough moments and lacks depth. It relies on many of the formula Christmas tropes including "do you like like him?" The story even contradicts itself in the conclusion.

The acting is fair to poor. The dialogue is flat. Lowndes and Paul Greene have chemistry but it is not infectious. There are no great highs or lows or real surprises.

Lowndes sings several times through the movie, mostly in brief snippets. It seems like many movies Lowndes appears in that the movie is mostly an excuse for her to sing. Greene should not quit his day job. Both of these actors have moved from Hallmark to GAC Family and GAC seems to realize that Lowndes is an asset the more they allow her to sing.

The conclusion is the show and does include multiple performances including Gladys Knight.

The story and romance are just one more among many. The singing raises the movie above that but only marginally.

I enjoy the Hallmark/GAC movies that have the actors singing or are instrumental. However, I do need to rant. This movie and Harmony of the Heart ends with Jessica Lowndes singing with another person supposedly in a duet. Both Paul Greene and Jesse Metcalfe are excellent and talented musicians and singers in their own right so why does Jessica need to sing soo strongly and loudly to drown them out. Especially insulting is her overpowering Gladys Knight in the last scene. JL already sang earlier bits in the movie so we know she can sing but it is pretty annoying when all you can hear in a duet or trio is her belting out as loudly as she can. Does she not know softly and harmonizing. Could be lovely scenes like in Country at Heart with Jesse Schram and Niall Matter, JS and Lucas Bryant. 7 because the story is appealing and Paul Greene is a good actor. Too bad he is no longer on WCTH.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! I absolutely adore Paul Greene and will watch him in anything he stars in, when he smiles his whole face just lights up and such kindness shines out, he makes me feel good just looking at him.

I didn't realize what a great musician and singer he is until this movie. The rest of the cast were all so highly talented especially Jessica and her beautiful voice! I really enjoyed all the music and singing it was festive, beautiful and fun! Loved seeing the incomparable Gladys Knight, she looked and sound fantastic!

I really enjoyed the storyline, it's not the basic Christmas romance formula we've all seen on Hallmark, no this starts out with him letting the girl know upfront that he likes her and really would like to date her, she also feels the same but because she thinks she might be leaving and moving back home she doesn't immediately act on her feelings. They both grow to care about each other while putting together a Christmas concert. Jessica has a huge choice to make... what will she do?? I'm not saying but suffice it to say I think they all live happily ever after! (As they should!) Everything was so Christmassy looking that it put me in the mood to get up today and start decorating my own home for Christmas!

I really enjoyed the movie and will definitely watch it again.