Magic in Mistletoe

I know I sound like the grinch but this is the worst hallmark Christmas movie I've ever watched...my wife and I watch alot but this guy and the leading lady would never make it in the real world...he's flat and drab in acting and is way below her pay grade...no chemistry at all. Most of these movies are around 5 with an occasional 7...maybe cause I'm a guy but I watch alot of these and this one was a bomb...if the guy could be replaced with most dudes they use it actually might have a half life...and the script of getting upset with the leading lady twice proves to me he's a turkey and she needs to find a better human being.

I have read the other reviews so far, and I definitely understand why this movie isn't necessarily a favorite.

A quick summary: Paul Campbell, known for his clever wit and affability, takes a more moody tone in this movie. Instead of being his usual laid-back self, he portrays a 'down on life' author, and is insufferably grouchy, though we understand his plight.

He lost his parents, and has become sour on Christmas as a result. On top of this, his infamous books (which struck me as Harry Potter-esque) have bloated his fame to proportions that make him feel overcommericalized and basically sick of everything.

His publicist is helping to save him from himself; she tries her best to do damage control, but he's slow to trust her and she is equally put off by him.

They find common ground by the end of the movie, although the chemistry (in my eyes) never forms. I don't know if PC is trying to stay out of really romantic roles; I understand he's happily married in real life, and I'm sure that there's some hesitation on his part to sink into these overly romantic roles. He does fantastic work with comic relief, and that is his strongest suit.

I missed the witty writing in this movie; none of the lines or situations were particularly memorable for me. What I did love was that we can all relate to imperfect relationships and feeling down on ourselves/life. Even when we have everything we need, or success as it is defined in society, loneliness and isolation are pervasive; in fact, it is often worse when we have reached success.

The hardest thing for me to write is that I find this movie somewhat dull. I wanted to love it, and the two leads are both attractive and brilliant in their skill. It just wasn't a good Christmas-escapism kind of movie. From the drama standpoint, this would be a good flick to watch if you feel a little blue, or have been struggling to make sense of well-intentioned people that inadvertently have caused you pain.

The movie touches on the reason for his sadness, and it's something most adults will experience.

The scenery was beautiful, including the properties they used; his house is perfection. I also loved the few scenes with children in them, especially when Paul's character is fielding questions and he dotes on the adorable little girl (the fairy!). He shines with children, and it's easy to see he was being completely himself in that moment, and also with Bree and Luca (the other children in the movie).

It's possible that the movie could be improved by a little more softness from the female lead; it was hard for me to feel any chemistry at all between the two leads, and this was mainly his doing (getting significantly miffed in two scenes), but she also had a sort of 'edge'. In real life, I would never expect these two characters to really connect romantically.

After Campbell's hilarious Three Wise Men an a Baby I had high expectations on a fun quick-witted flick. The movie was unfortunately low on the comedy, higher on tropes.

The premise was slightly different than normally in Hallmark Christmas films, with the prickly novelist and the competent (and not bungling) PR person. This should've translated in more sparkly banter than there was.

Lyndie Greenwood's female lead was radiant, but Paul Campbell's character felt a bit bland in comparison: sympathetic, but not with the same energy levels. I couldn't really picture those two as a couple.

It was a pity that the novel they talked about sounded much more exciting than this movie.

Magic In Mistletoe (2023) -

I liked the strength of Lyndie Greenwood as April, and she was witty and cool too, but I am starting to get tired of Paul Campbell as a leading man. His character of disgraced writer Harrington was a knob and took far too long to mellow or redeem himself. Perhaps Paul needs to take a different role within these films now? I've noticed his name as a screenwriter, maybe that could be his place going forward?

As the film started off I certainly thought that April would have been better off with "Harry's" best friend Chris (Oliver Rice) or even Lindsay (Amy Trefry), but I supposed that the point was for Harry to be a bit temperamental. I just felt that April deserved someone easier to deal with in the first place.

The concept of trying to rebuild someone's career after a badly thought out social media comment was very relevant in a world where cancel culture is rife and nobody ever seems to consider that maybe there was something else behind it, so I thought this look from the other side was on topic to balance the scales.

I did feel that they should have just asked Harry why he made the comment in the first place and maybe given him more of a chance to explain his sudden change of heart towards the season, perhaps pushed him to open up sooner.

And I do get annoyed when people hate on Christmas because they've lost someone. You should never do that and those that you lose would never want that. It seems like the stupidest reason to me.

Despite the fact that at the start I had been concerned by Mr. Campbell's involvement it did turn out to be quite a charming story and production in the end.

It was a mostly well put together piece and I liked the fact that they actually paid out for a decent amount of extras this time.

There was a bit too much of an obsession with Cinnamon though and I was hoping that April's final outfit/costume would have been a little bit nicer. His was definitely lame.

I wouldn't necessarily rush back to watch it again, because there are some absolute Christmas Crackers out there the deserve my time more, like have you seen 'Catch Me If You Claus' (2023) or 'To All A Good Night' (2023), but I wouldn't be annoyed if I did record it again in a few years time forgetting that I'd already seen it.

6.47/10.

We really enjoyed "Magic in Mistletoe!" The script is great, the leads have excellent chemistry, the acting is great. Paul Campbell really creates a character that is sharp tongued and somewhat prickly but also kind, thoughtful, and sincere. I think this would have been caricature instead of a character in many other actors hands. The script really excels with the flirty dialogue between the leads and the communication between the three friends since childhood. It also excels in not creating bogus conflict or understandable conflict bizarrely over reacted to.

I would love to see Lyndie Greenwood and Paul Campbell make more Hallmark movies together. I would love to see more scripts by Skyy Blair. I'll be looking!