Un fiancé pour Noël

Occasionally at Christmastime I allow myself to settle down on the sofa and watch a really cheesy feel-good movie. One that I'd normally never have chosen to see, and maybe challenge it to put me in the proper Holiday spirit. So when "A Boyfriend For Christmas" came on the Hallmark Network, I thought I'd give it a viewing, mainly because it looked bright and cheery -- with attractive lead actors and Santa Claus to boot!

Now this is the type of movie that would be pointless to berate, or to discuss all its plot holes, inconsistencies and shortcomings. I mean, it has the real Santa Claus as one of the main characters, and a snow-globe as an important plot device. Here's a Christmas movie not afraid to name the main character "Holly!" I expected the movie to be predictable and follow the formula for breezy romantic comedy, but it still does fall short in some respects, even for a movie aiming this low.

Here the characters here are simply powered by the force of the plot, and they really have no internal motivation, except to push the story in the direction it needs to go. For instance, Holly's mother is almost maniacally obsessed with her annual New Year's Eve Party, with no real reason other that to provide a setting for a conflict later on. Holly's nephews are around, just to provide a messy situation at the right point that leads two characters to a reconciliation. The former boyfriend's motives are murky at best, and there's a perplexing kiss between him and Holly, which is inexplicable, except that it helps propel the rickety plot.

And I'd have to add that there is a totally out-of-place and unintentionally hilarious interlude with Holly figure skating at the local outdoor ice rink. The professional skater hired to double for the actress has a totally different body shape and coloring. This amateurish scene, which go on far too long, was obviously added to pad this TV G-rated movie, and "freezes" the momentum of the story. It's even more phony than the chipped ice the set dressers dumped on the ground and shrubbery to simulate winter weather.

If there's anything here is to strongly recommend, it's the charm and appeal of Patrick Muldoon, as the boyfriend supplied by Santa Claus. He's handsome and winning, sometimes goofy and boyish and at other times appropriately serious, sensitive or masculine. In the hands of a lesser talent, this could have been a stale, tedious and vapid affair. But Patrick adds his easy charm and a talent that enables this small movie to reach a level of affectionate likability. And certainly any woman watching this would love to take him home for Christmas.

I know this movie isn't very old. But it has become one of my daughter's and my favorite traditions. We both love the romance of it all. We can't wait for it to be on every Christmas season. The acting is better than most in a "made for TV" movies. We have already set our DVR to make sure we catch this years showing. We recommend it to all our friends and family. It is enjoyable for all ages. My daughter got hooked on this movie when she was about ten years old. And it is still enjoyable to us over 30 romantics, as well.

It is a feel good movie with a happy ending. What more can you ask for at holiday time?

I've never found myself much of a fan of Hallmark productions. They call their works original but are more and more just spins/homages to classic movies. Nonetheless, while this movie followed the lines of the average Holiday Romance movie, it was quite good. Kelli Williams was beautiful and mostly believable as her part. The whole story was, while nothing ground breaking, still a wonderful movie that I actually sat through and thoroughly enjoyed. Surprisingly enough, Kelli's young double, another Kelli, was believable as well to be her younger self. All in all, a movie I plan to consider buying on DVD, especially if it has some interesting outtakes and actor interviews.

I watched this movie on Hallmark last night. There wasn't much Christmas-oriented entertainment in spite of being Christmas Eve. It was OK, even if I didn't really believe it. The movie is another one about nice people with money who have personal problems, which is what fills up most of the Hallmark Channel. It could have been called Chistmas Chick Flick, as that's all it was. On that level, it was good enough. Kelli Williams is pretty as a cynical social worker who needs some Holiday Cheer and 1990's heartthrob Patrick Muldoon is likable and competent as the boyfriend she gets for Christmas from a tree lot owner who might be Santa Claus. Some familiar names are included in the supporting cast and they help make it easy to take. One complaint mentioned by another reviewer is that in spite of the winter season, the plants and trees were in full bloom, which didn't help credibility. It looked like it was filmed in the Spring. It won't matter much if you keep your expectations from getting too high.

This movie possessed many intriguing smaller conflicts that were eventually resolved in a happy manner. The whole thematic idea of bringing back Christmas into Holly's life was a direct message to the viewing audience that we should never " give up hope " and to those friends out there that need just that little nudge to step into someone else's life can make one's life turn-a-round.

The plot was superb, casting couldn't have been better. Production was excellent. I could go on for hours but trust that I will urge all of my friends to watch for it next year. This film speaks to the masses in so many ways, values, and how we all should act everyday. I believe I watched the majority of the December offerings. This movie was the chestnut of them all.