Christmas in the Heartland

This was a sweet movie and I enjoyed it. The ending was a little unrealistic, but cute. It put a smile on my face. 😊

This is called The Christmas Trap (no doubt a lazy reference to The Parent Trap) so I thought I knew the level of cheese I was in for.

I was wrong

The plot holes are canyonesque in size and the multiple revelations made to the audience and onscreen characters in the final scene are just too much.

So why have I given it an above average score?

The first 80% is exactly what I expected and satisfied my cheese quota, and the final denouement was just insane and made me laugh so hard I cried, so I had to give it extra stars for that.

This movie was insane! I can get down with a cheesy Christmas movie. I'm cool with the predictable ending and forced acting but this was on a whole other level. These two girls completely deceive their families and everyone is totally cool with it. They almost seem happy about it. At least have someone be a little upset. The storyline was just ridiculous and not even slightly believable. The ending was weird and the characters were uncomfortable to watch. I don't know who's idea it was to put a song at the end but it was not a good one. At least make sure the actors know the words that they are lip syncing. There were a couple of funny bloopers at the end. I'd say that was the best part.

The first 95% of the film was cute and decently acted. Then the climactic fight scene happened. It was horrendous. Excruciating. In terms of quality, I feel like I read "Fifty Shades of Grey" again. That's not a compliment. It was cheap and came off as contrived by a high schooler.

Like seriously, who signed off on this scene? It actually kind of pisses me off, that such amazing actors would be budgeted and then there is a speedy stumble through such a crucial scene. It was a huge disappointment that comes across as a wasteful antithesis of the holiday spirit.

Prior to the fight scene, I would have given it a 6 out of 10. The scene itself was a 1 out of 10 (as in I'd readily go out and purchase the movie "Glitter", than watch this scene again).

Clearly there is a great divide between people regarding this film. I was torn by the reviews, which I looked at before I watched, but gave it a shot because of Shelley Long and Christopher Rich.

Glad I didn't discount it...I really, really liked it. The plotline is incredibly farfetched, but the story is sweet and full of twists and pleasant surprises. Set in Oklahoma with a southern/country feel...the "yee-haw"s were a bit much but I found the settings reminded me very much of home in the south-central states.

All you can do is decide if it's worth your time to give it a shot. As for myself, I will watch it again next Christmas.