Saying Yes to Christmas

Throughout my whole Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas film completest quest undertaken namely late-2019 onwards, an interesting quest but very mixed one, there was never the mentality of expecting a classic or the film in question to be flawless. Something that was never managed with Hallmark's output. There was always the expectation of seeing a film where one can see at least some effort rather than merely cash-in level. One could see that with most of Lifetime's output but not all.

Effort that was absolutely seen in 'Saying Yes to Christmas'. Did like the premise, it did sound different and it was nice to have a change from seeing Lifetime regulars. 'Saying Yes to Christmas' maybe could have done more with the premise and had more freshness, but of a variable year for Lifetime's Christmas output it is better than most and is worth saying yes to. Is it great? No. Does it have a lot of good things? To this reviewer, it certainly did, more so than not so good.

'Saying Yes to Christmas' does have imperfections. Outside of the magic wish, the story is very predictable and does little fresh with a formula that is pretty old hat. It did feel a little off to begin with, rather slow moving and awkward.

Like a lot of Lifetime films, the ending is too pat and the music could have been toned down and not been as prominent.

However, there is a lot to like. Namely the immensely likeable performances of Erika Prevost and Romaine Waite, with Prevost in particular injecting a lot of charm and spirit. They also sparkle in their chemistry together (sweet, warm and genuine) in by far one of the better and more believable 2021 Lifetime Christmas film chemistries, and their characters are not too perfect or too negative. Which was crucial, as they are together a lot here and how good their chemistry would be would make or break the film (luckily it was one of its best aspects). The supporting cast are solid and while their characters are cliched they don't bore or irritate.

Furthermore, the festive atmosphere is very well done and there are a fair share of sweet though thankfully not sickly scenes. Was not crazy about the script early on, but it did have a nice mix of funny and poignant lines and mostly flowed naturally. The story may be predictable but has a warm heart and charm and doesn't take itself too seriously thanks to some sparkling playfulness with the leads. The film doesn't feel dull. The scenery is typically lovely and shot very nicely.

Nice film all in all. 7/10.

Saying Yes To Christmas (2021) -

I have seen a similar film* with Alicia Witt in the lead role being unable to tell a lie and enjoyed that one too, but I liked the idea of having the option of saying No taken away in this film, because we should all say yes to more things. As a wise man recently said to me "You only die once, but you live everyday" and I am definitely guilty of not making the most of those days, so I could appreciate this film which showed how much happier people can be when they do get involved and sometimes make a difference to the lives of others.

June (Erika Prevost) seemed very young in the lead role, especially to be a book editor, but it worked as a way to get her home for the festive season to try and recruit a visiting author.

Whilst there she reconnected with Romaine Waite in his role of Blake.

He was cute without being too gorgeous and distracting. And by that I mean that he didn't take over the rest of June's journey too much, but was enough to allow the romance to blossom.

They were both actually quite lovely together, because neither actor was trying to outshine the other.

I also enjoyed the inclusion of a different culture's festive celebrations.

June's Chief Editor Boss, Shannon (Sabrina Grdevich), was way over the top but in a good way that made you hate her and her terrible values and the rest of the cast all did their jobs well too.

Ultimately, everything that June goes through causes her to realise the true values in her life and how she wants to move forward in a happier way with a love interest by her side (That's not a spoiler, we all knew it would happen) and I liked the way that the production delivered it all.

7.47/10.

*I'm Not Ready For Christmas (2015).

I feel strangely about this film. On the one hand it was very well made. The actors were great, the characters well written and lovable and the script was quite funny. The premise was also a breath of fresh air.

On the other hand I found the movie to be quite sexist to the point that I could no longer say that it's a good film, however well made it is.

For example: The man never helps the woman in her job while it is expected of the woman to help the man. The man is equally obsessed with his job as the woman yet he constantly criticizes her for it. The man literally forces the woman to only say what he wants her to say, repressing her free will.

These moments and subthemes made the film iimpossible for me to like but I have to admit that it's well made.

Goof: As they stood on the porch in the snow, he put his jacket over her shoulders, then as the camera draws back, there's NO jacket to be seen anywhere!

How did it suddenly disappear?

The premise is like so many others. An assistant editor gets a chance to be full editor if she lands a new writer. Sent back to her home town, she runs into a childhood friend and ends up doing all the usual Christmas things with him. Meanwhile, he's trying to convince his dad to update their business. There is a twist from the usual though and that's the magic wish. Her friend wishes that she "says yes to Christmas" and it comes true. She literally has to say yes to anything Christmas.

Other than that twist, it is totally by formula and totally predictable.

As I often say, when the story is the same old stuff, the movie must succeed in the relationship. Erika Prevost and Romaine Waite have definite chemistry and they get plenty of screen time together. Prevost's resume is somewhat short and I've never seen her before, but she is very appealing both in personality and looks. She's younger than many of the leads on Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movies, so here's to seeing more of her.