Film historians of the future will no doubt teach seminars on the impact of the Canadian film factory (heavily taxpayer subsidized) on the content circulating through north America from approximately 1985 onwards.
Hollywood bluebloods hate the Canuck film machine because it takes food off the table. But, based on a lower dollar, the Canadians have found multiple "niches" where year after year they can slip almost-generic content into the maw, each one virtually into profit the moment the film leaves the camera because of the lower costs.
Some 90% of the movies that flood the airways around X-mas, in particular, are of this origin and most Americans don't have a clue.
This film is unusual for two reasons. Behind the camera is David Perlmutter who has been a Canuck film producer since the 80s and is by no definition a Johnny Come Lately.
And in front of the camera we have Shenae Grimes-Beech, an actress possessed of enough charisma for two leading ladies. She carries this film on her back and in the many areas where the script fails, or the casting of the extras (all too-familiar Canadian faces) fails, or the set design fails (the "toy factory" looks like an empty warehouse with a cheap sign installed at very the last minute) she simply cracks a smile and the audience decides to stick with the film for a few moments longer.
Finally and for the benefit of newbies to these sorts of films, a "6" rating is veritably an Oscar nod for such a film. I have seen worse.
