La romance de Noël

The Christmas Stranger was an excellent storyline. The casting was great. The story was a lot like my life, except I haven't found the right man after my husbands sudden death. I love Christmas just as Julia, can't bake like her though. But, back to the movie, it was great, I wished I could own it on VHS or DVD. I would love that.

Olivia plays a widow with 2 young daughters living high in the mountains and facing the prospect of a bleak xmas having lost her job and with the threat of the bank taking her home through non mortgage payments.

Gregory Harrison plays bank employee who is to deliver the fatal news on xmas eve gets stuck in her house due to a car crash in a snow storm on xmas eve.

Making xmas cakes to try and make some extra money for the holiday season,Olivia and daughters,one of whom is played by real daughter Chloe whose acting at such a young age is quite credible.

Despite his somewhat nasty character Olivia falls for gregory harrison who although already has a fiance and in true disney fashion all ends happily with Olivia getting to keep her house and is given a framed drawing of her two daughters by harrison.

Bleak settings help to give atmosphere to the film and Olivia is maturing as a tv actress with this film being made not long after her successful battle with breast cancer.Not a glamorous role for Olivia but one with real grit and determination. 8 out of 10.

"A Christmas Romance" was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia. That provides one of the pluses of this film, which really needed more - real snow, and lots of it. The filming location is pertinent in my comments because the sense and feel of the screenplay is that this film is set somewhere in the Blue Ridge or Appalachian Mountains. It's never really made clear in the movie.

The other plus for the film is the two young girls, whose characters provide much of what is enjoyable about this film.

Olivia Newton-John does well with her role as Julia Stonecypher. But Gregory Harrison's Brian Harding is hard to take. It may have been written that way, which makes the screenplay itself mostly at fault. While the story has a somewhat different plot for the year-end type of Christmas romance films, it's not a very good or interesting one. Again, the screenplay and the role of Brian Harding are bad. There is no chemistry between the leads, and any blooming romance isn't believable. Indeed, his character is so dull, and poorly acted, that his sudden turn around isn't believable.

The musical background throughout tries to imply comedy, but it turns more on hokeyness. Except for Daisy the ewe birthing its lamb and a couple of good lines in the script, this film doesn't have much of interest. Here are those lines.

Deenie, on her mom lettering the five-year-old Emily Rose go out into a blizzard by herself, "You let her go out there, all by herself?" Julia Stonecypher, "She'll be all right." Deenie, "Sure."

Brian Harding, eating some of Julia's Christmas cake, "What it this flavor in here? I can't get enough of it." Julia, "Bourbon." Brian, "What is it?" Julia, "Bourbon. I use artificial flavor for the Methodists and the Baptists. The Catholics and the Episcopalians like the real thing. That cake is Episcopalian."

My fiancé and I are huge fans of Hallmark-type Christmas flicks, and we're even BIGGER fans of Christmas, in general. It was her turn to choose what film we'd watch, tonight, and she happened to pick this one, with the most misleading title ever. Talk about clickbait being around before the internet became mainstream.

The house this film mostly takes place in is beautiful, even romantic. But every character-accept for the two daughters-are absolutely unlikable, and rude. So there's a romantic atmosphere, but it's all ruined by the despicable adult characters. Our two adult leads have no chemistry AT ALL-even by the end of the film. It has one of the most uncomfortable kissing scenes I've ever seen since Rose kissed Finn in "The Last Jedi".

Out of the two child actors, the eldest daughter is fantastic, in my opinion. There are two different scenes involving her acting capability that actually made my girlfriend and I tear-up. The whole sideplot about her pet lamb being sick was waaaaaaaaay more engaging to us than the "romance" this film claims to have to it.

Don't be fooled, friends; this is not like modern Hallmark-style Christmas films. It's advertised, these days, to be for that niche of viewers, but it will not satisfy them whatsoever.

Cute and typical sweet Christmas movie. To all those who gave poor ratings in this crazy world today we need some of these surgery cute movies!!! Also the older daughter is Chloe Lattanzi, Olivia Newton John's real life daughter!!!