#Joyeux Noël

I love Hallmark movies. I watch ALL of them. This is one of the worst movies in their 2022 catalog because of the character of Jen and the actress who plays her. She is one of the most unlikable female leads and sadly one of the worst actresses. Jen does nothing except wallow in self pity and act like her life is terrible. She is so mean to her mother, and to Max, played by the charming Brant Doughtery. I literally liked every character in this movie except Jen and she is so one dimensional. Maybe it was the writing, maybe it was the actress, maybe both. By the end of the movie I cringed at every gesture and vocal inflection she made. I cannot recommend this one.

Usually I can't stand these types of Christmas movies, but this one actually has a decent script and two leads with...chemistry? Gasp. Not only that but they had personalities and showed realistic signs of human quirks. To top it all off, it wasn't a story about a rich person going back to a small town and learning to love to build snowmen or something, it actually had an interesting storyline. Maybe I'm a fan of home decor instagram, but I'm also a fan of the concept that home decor influencers can be full of hot patootie at times.

A+ transaction IMO.

OH and that baby better be a paid actor, because it tried to steal the scene a few times.

6.8 stars.

First, this movie is somewhat entertaining, and dramatic. The musical score is great, the atmosphere is good, the acting is good. There is not much romance, but for me it was enjoyable, mainly because I could connect with the characters. There are a bunch of wounded people in this story. She gets caught up in a small lie that blows up into a whole charade of cover up after cover up. Will she end up sabotaging what remains of her dwindling success?

How many of us relate to this movie? Probably a lot of us. This movie is about family baggage, and the struggles and trials that accompany a dysfunctional relationship with a parent. Our protagonist female has nothing but leftover shadows from her past, and this story is about her personal conflicts to overcome the darkness and come into the light. In spite of her misfortunes as a child, due to problems with her mother, she managed to follow her dream. She is a creator of artistic beauty, and owns a store with her sister which showcases her talents. In contrast are all of the past issues that haunt her and are a barrier to her taking the next steps toward self-fulfillment. Everyone around her sees her potential, but she can't see past her insecurities. Waiting just beyond the horizon is the opportunity of a lifetime, and a chance at great love.

This movie is very effective at displaying a dramatized version of many hurting and injured individuals in the world today, and I hope that narcissistic parents can fathom the destructive impact they have on their children. Emotional abuse creates narcissists, and narcissists proliferate emotional abuse. Listen to Dr. Phil and let us end this tragic cycle.

How about calling it "theater"? So many Christmas movies have a "white lie". But Jen and her cohorts know that this is more deception than a white lie. False pretenses are necessary to enter the contest and their store needs the exposure, so it is OK, right?

Deception aside, this story is good. It has some fresh angles. It has energy, It has suspense. The situation keeps building. There is a twist that is heavily hinted. Clare Bowen and Brant Daugherty have great chemistry and good comedic timing. Karen Kruper slightly overplays the meddling mom, but it works. There are some great lines. I loved the conversation that comes in the bedroom the night after the gingerbread house video.

There is an interesting theme where the real Jen thinks she is the opposite of Jen T. She has real self-esteem issues. The trolls among her online followers really hurt her. She also has a strong aversion to marriage. This movie does an amazing job of developing this character, and this character is real. What is especially interesting is how her personality as Jen T shines a light on who the real Jen is.

The relationship between Jen and Max doesn't get as much screen time as many of these movies, but it makes great use of the time they have. I enjoyed watching this relationship as much as many I can think of.

To portray a character like Jen takes some good acting. Like the character, Bowen may not have been perfect, but she showed us a real person. I don't think Max's character had the layer of depth, but Daugherty was outstanding in this part.

I am amazed that I want to give what is basically a fake marriage movie 10 stars. But also I can't ignore what I said in the first paragraph. Of course, the truth comes out and has consequences, and the audience expected it. So 1 star deduction for real deception because I am a dinosaur who still believes honesty is a virtue and it has become to easy to blur the lines between fake and real.

This movie is very social media based, even the opening credits, which is clever and annoying in equal measures ... but I had to give up when they crept about to not wake the baby, whilst jabbering away at each other in loud voices. Like the internet, there were so many words swirling around, most with no real meaning. I'm sure the movie probably gets better, but there was too much setting the social media feel and not enough connecting with reality for me to get into it. In a way that felt fake, but sadly it happens too much in life - all to often we get so distracted by the digital world and forget what's going on right around us.