Un délicieux Noël

TV Guide this week labeled Lacey Chabert the current holiday champ of Christmas leading ladies and she doesn't hurt that reputation in this movie.

This movie is filled with the clichés of plot devices. 1) A contest the protagonist must win to either seed a business or pay debts; 2) The protagonist is invited to a special dinner where she expects a ring but doesn't get it; 3) The lady falls off a ladder into man's arms; 4) Snowball fight (2 in this one); 5) High school sweethearts parted for their careers; 6) A kid with an absent mother that one of the protagonists befriends. And so many more. But wait. The movie laughs with us at some of these. The best example is the aftermath of the failed special dinner - one potential suitor explains to the other why Kylie was mad when she left the dinner.

The story teases us with what we think is predictable, and is to a certain extent, but then slightly twists it. Yes it's Hallmark and yes it is a Hallmark ending, but it is still worth watching.

I loved Jonathan Adams as Ralphie. He added so much humor along with sage advice. I criticized Lara Gilchrist is All of My Heart: Inn Love, but I loved her here, again with Chabert, as Kylie's wise sister. Kylie and Nick are almost comical in their sad behavior and they definitely need wise heads beside them. I wish I could say I thought Lea Coco had great chemistry with Chabert, but to me it was just slightly above average.

As Hallmark holiday romances go, this abides by common storylines. A young woman (Lacey Chabert as Kylie) runs into her ex (Lea Coco as Nick) just as her boyfriend is revealed to be an unromantic, clueless dweeb. They catch up on old times while Nick assists her attempt to win a baking competition.

Lacey Chabert demonstrates why she is a Hallmark favorite, with her cheerful, affable demeanor. The amount of chemistry between the two leads is acceptable, making this a decent film, but not one of the best.

Some reviews for these types of movies come across so harsh. Sure they're predictable but, isn't that what we're looking for when we tune in to Hallmark movies? They give us exactly what we want, a happy ending with two people finding a way to be together. We watch them not because we expect them to appear on the next Oscar ballot, but because we want to escape the world for a bit, drink something warm & smile cause it worked out exactly how we wanted in the end, which is a nice change from reality.

There were quite a few reasons for wanting to see 'The Sweetest Christmas'. The title was a little corny but also somewhat appetising. The idea for the story was hardly innovative but sounded cute enough. Lacey Chabert is always a likeable watch, like her voice work too, and generally one of the better prolific Hallmark leads, whether their festive efforts or in general. Have been on another one of my completest quests since November/December, and this was part of it.

If there was one word to sum up 'The Sweetest Christmas' it would be okay. It is not a bad film, it is at least palatable, and there are things that come off well. At the same time it is not one of Hallmark's better Christmas efforts and a bit of a missed opportunity, too many of its components being average at best. Will say though that 'The Sweetest Christmas' is not one of the worst either, there are worse written, acted and looking and ones that bored, annoyed and insulted the intelligence more.

Visually, 'The Sweetest Christmas' looks quite good with it being shot and lit well and while standard the settings were appealing at least. The music is a pleasant listen with some nostalgic song choices, and didn't sound over-scored or gimmicky.

Chabert is her usual likeable and charming self and carries the film with ease. Jonathan Adams is amusing and quite delightful in his role, his comic timing bringing some welcome levity, and the cast in general look comfortable and nobody is below average. The chemistry always came over as natural.

However, the story doesn't have enough to it. Actually don't mind awfully that it was very formulaic, what bothered me was that there was very unimaginatively executed, was really not much of one at all, had some fairly contrived situations and the film gets so sweet (too much so) in places it was almost sickly. The script is similarly thin and quite routine, it has some shining moments with Adams but it tended to have an awkward flow and was excessively cheesy and schmaltzy.

Pacing can be a problem, with the story being too little a lot of the film crawls along and feels over-stretched. The direction is only functional at best and can be on the leaden side of things and while the characters are inoffensive enough there is no real depth to them.

Summing up, okay but a middling/middle-tier festive Hallmark effort. 5/10

This is a typical, cute baking storyline. The male lead is kind of forgettable, but Lacey shines and Johnathan (Ralphie) is a hoot! I love him on Last Man Standing. Anyways, I'll watch this movie if it's on but probably won't go out of my way to watch it on purpose.