I am not sure what to make of the 34 (of 35) 9/10 reviews on here. Don't get me wrong. This was a sweet, fun, and heartfelt Christmas movie, but a 10, it is not. This is my 62nd Christmas movie this season; this was one of the better Christmas films thus far this season but not one of the best. The message of the movie is a noble one, seeking to empower women/girls on the value and importance of inner beauty. However, the plot device used to move forward this message in the narrative is a common stereotype: models, and the fashion industry more broadly, are superficial; they only care about outer beauty. I enjoyed the storyline for the most part, though there were some shortcomings in the script, I thought. For example, in the opening scene, young Belle (played by Livi Birch, she had such a cute performance, by the way) falls in the mud and some of the kids laugh at her; Grammy (played by Sandra Ellis Lafferty) then immediately packs up their bags and they leave. This seemed like a very odd/strange scene to me. First, why didn't she washup before getting in the car? Second, why is Grammy taking orders to leave from a child? Third, she fell in the mud and some kids laughed, so what. My grandmother would have cleaned me up and sent me back out to play. Is this really the lesson Granny wants to teach Belle, to run away from your problems (if you count having some kids laugh at you for falling in the mud as a problem, that is). Given that there is this implicit high regard held for Granny throughout the film, I thought this scene was problematic. Another shortcoming with the script was that the writers had Belle walking around the farm looking for the bracelet, literally, asking farm hands if they had seen it. She lost the bracelet 20 plus years ago! It just seemed unbelievable that she expected to find it laying in the barn, for example. I understand using the bracelet as an excuse to come back, to revisit the past by visiting the farm. But there was no need for the writers to have her walking around looking for it as though it was laying in the grass or mud somewhere. The acting, overall, was pretty good. Jenn Gotzon (playing Belle) had a decent performance. I did have difficulties connecting to her performance early on. That said, her performance did improve; her dialogue/scenes with Josh and Adele were strong. Jim Chandler (playing Josh) had a solid performance, as well. The chemistry between the two was pretty good. They had some nice scenes together (e.g., the one where Belle tells Josh about the letters that were returned). However, the scene where Belle confronts Josh about having the bracelet was rather weak. It seemed forced, as though they were acting, which is never good for an actor. Like Lafferty, Adele Chandler (as Adele) had a cute performance. The scenery, props, and sets were well-polished and festive. The movie picks up about an hour in with some fun Christmas competitions at Santaland (putting a Santa hat on a piglet was my favorite). The music during this stretch of the movie was excellent. Wow. John Schneider can sing. Well done. The musical performances here, overall, were great. They put me in the Christmas spirit. I also enjoyed the short kissing booth scenes with Corbin Bernsen as Gran'Poppy; I thought they could have developed these a bit more. Overall, this is a sweet, fun, and heartfelt Christmas movie. Well worth the watch if you are looking for a Christmas movie the whole family can enjoy this season.
