I'm Not Ready for Christmas

Holly Nolan is an ad person dedicated to her job. She is so dedicated, she puts it before everything and everyone in her life.…..until she misses one too many of her niece's recitals. Mad that her aunt was a no-show, Holly's niece meets a magical Santa conveniently standing outside of the recital hall. She asks Santa for one wish. That wish is that Holly only be able to tell the truth. Santa grants it and that's when the storyline kicks in.

Holly soon discovers that not only can she not tell a lie, she has lost her ability to filter her thoughts. In a normal world, that would be a bad thing. But in the Hallmark world, it opens doors and takes Holly to emotional and interpersonal places she might have never experienced. She tells her co-workers what she really thinks and it opens lines of communication. She tells a guy she'd really like to go out with him and it leads to romance. She tells an important client what she really thinks of his product during a pitch session and it lands her the big account. But does living an honest life ultimately lead to happiness? You'll have to watch the movie to find out.

It's typical Hallmark fare, but Alicia Witt's performance and some thought provoking moments make this movie worth a couple hours of your time.

I'm Not Ready for Christmas is a 2015 romance film directed by Sam Irvin and starring Alicia Witt, George Stults, Brigid Brannagh, and Dan Lauria. Written by Hanz Wasserburger, the film is about driven businesswoman whose life is turned upside down when she discovers she can no longer lie—the result of her niece Anna's wish to Santa Claus. Her career and love life become complicated when her lies begin to catch up with her, forcing her to judge between truth and what is right.

Alicia Witt seems to be the go to actress for the Hallmark Channel when they produce a film that rips off other films. I think they do this because she does make these film enjoyable.

This film is family safe however children & men will be bored. If you like romantic comedies then watch this.

Around Christmas I go through bucket loads of these things. I find them harmless festive fun, easy on the eye and brain, totally disposable.

So I never bother reviewing them.

This one did jump out though. I am mainly writing this review so I can remember what the film is in a years time.

It is basically a TV rip off of "Liar Liar" but without Jim Carrey and about ten million dollars chipped from the budget.

The film follows the same worn path where a busy, self absorbed exec type needs to grasp the spirit of Christmas and reconnect to the loving family she has been neglecting. This is done through the medium of a Christmas wish that prevents her from lying. So no medals for originality here.

I actually think Alicia Witt did a better job than Carrey, she brings warmth and charisma to the role without over-cooking it. The forced truth-telling is handled subtly and professionally - it avoids the crass and obnoxious outbursts that similar films feel necessary.

I liked this, I put down my wrapping and actually watched it. Now I am not suggesting you go out and buy the Blu Ray extended edition or anything - this is still a Xmas made for TV movie. If Christmas TV movies aren't your thing this won't change alter you perspective but if you have a choice between a few titles I would go for this one.

While the concept was cute,(main character not being able to lie) the writers went overboard with "Holly" explaining everything in detail. If the character is going to tell the truth, then tell the truth and move on. Alicia Witt constantly going into longs explanations made the movie, in my opinion, tiresome to watch. Also, the character of Drew (George Stults) was one dimensional with not much meat. It seemed all he did was react with a blank face at Holly's "truthful" comments. This also became boring and tiresome to watch. It seems the writers follow a particular writing pattern but maybe they should change it up a bit.I'm a huge fan of Hallmark and their Christmas movies but "I'm Not Ready for Christmas" was definitely at the bottom of the list. Not one of Hallmark's best Christmas movies.

I used to really enjoy Alicia Witt. She's done great work on really good films, but it seems she is overacting now. It's a little distracting. She's such a doll...but it's really hard to focus on the actual movie.