Un Noël avec toi

I did not know what to expect from this new Lifetime original Christmas movie, as I was not that familiar with the leads on screen. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I enjoyed it. The story itself had some problems (as one of the other reviewers on here has pointed out). The story's premise is based on fantasy (on a fairytale of some kind) as opposed to the real world. The idea that, out of the blue, they would end things right there and then in front of the Christmas tree (at the beginning of the film), is a bit over the top. If they were in love, why did they not just (at least) try to work it out, or even spend more than a few minutes talking about it before walking away from each other for 7 years? The writers should have, at the very least, cut to a scene at an airport (after that opening scene) where they could have had their final goodbyes. At least, that would have made more sense. The weakness of the story aside, the dialogue and lines were decent, especially between the two leads, though there were some sappy exchanges. What made this movie stand out for me was the acting. Overall, it was excellent, I thought. Kyla Pratt's performance as Corinne was strong, though it took me about 15 minutes or so to connect with her. Brooks Darnell (playing Rob) was great. I thought he had a sort of warm and charming vibe to his performance, with a strong presence on screen. It worked well. The chemistry between the two was convincing, the strongest element of the movie, I felt. The supporting cast was also very strong in this one. Nancy Sorel (as Nancy), Paul Essiembre (as Sam), and Sarah Luby (as Tracy, the daughter) all had very good performances. The scenery, props, and sets were charming and festive. I want a piece of that eggnog cake, please. All in all, this a nice new edition to Lifetime's 2020 Christmas movie lineup. Worth a watch this season.

This is pretty much another one of the same old stories that are on night after night leading up to Christmas. Hot shot event planner assigned to very important client. Promotion to partner at stake. She doesn't have any social life. Has to work with her old flame. It didn't have all the trivial Christmas activities like snow ball fights but it did have tree decorating. Instead of baking cookies they played charades. The role of Tracy doesn't play out as you might expect it. The ending is inevitable, but I liked how they got there through the climax. Maybe some viewers saw it coming, but it caught me by surprise.

Another reviewer brings up how odd it was the way Corrine and Rob parted after they made the pact. It made no sense and I can't blame Rob for being confused.

Kyla Pratt and Brooks Darnell do have chemistry. The acting is decent all around. John B. Lowe as usual has a good role in these rom/coms.

The actors do a good job with what they were given here, unfortunately for them, the story has more holes than Swiss cheese. I find it hard to invest in a story about reconnecting with a past love while repeatedly asking myself "well then, why didn't they just....." during the entire movie. The story's premise is so far-fetched in an age of constant communication that it takes away from the performances.

Let's Meet Again On Christmas Eve (2020) -

To start with, their initial separation was a daft thing to do, so I could understand why it wasn't taken totally seriously.

As for the rest of it, I do get annoyed that they always leave things so late. It would be nearly impossible to fix everything up in time for a Christmas wedding. Other than that. It wasn't a bad story and the romance was cute enough. I also liked the slightly magic element that Uncle Bernie brought to the story.

However, although this was one of her better roles, I just can't gel with Kyla Pratt, who played Corinne in this one. Brooks Darnell was fine as Rob, but nothing to get excited about either.

The daughter, Tracy (Sarah Luby) was awful. Not as vile as I thought she would be, but annoying nonetheless and Victor was a d!ckhead too.

I didn't think that Nancy and Sam were as demanding as they should have been either. They made things far too easy for such high profile people who were used to getting everything that they wanted.

There were enough Christmas things throughout, but it really was a stretch to believe that Corinne was able to put together a wedding so easily and on such short notice.

As such it won't be one that I would put highly on my list of ones to watch again, but maybe I will when I'm in my dotage and I've forgotten all about it.

4.5/10.

Lifetime's 2020 Christmas film batch, like all their previous years, was pretty hit and miss which was not unexpected. There were some surprisingly good ones, but also some mediocre at best ones with some just about passing. 'Lets Meet Again on Christmas Eve' didn't sound exceptional but it also sounded like something different from the usual Lifetime plot (they have had quite a number of successful changes of pace before, but a lot of their work is quite samey plot-wise.

Was very on the fence on 'Lets Meet Again on Christmas Eve' when watching it as part of my Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas film quest (have also started watching Hallmark's spring, summer and fall films which has also been a variable experience). The film sounded relatively different and more fantasy-oriented, but could have explored it a lot more and handled it less conventionally. The acting is the best thing about it, but 'Lets Meet Again on Christmas Eve' also has major story problems that hinder things quite badly.

There are definitely things to like here. The best thing about 'Lets Meet Again on Christmas Eve' is the acting. The difference in Kyla Pratt's acting here compared to the previous year's 'No Time for Christmas' is massive in improvement, she was awful in that film whereas she looks more relaxed and expressive here apart from a nervous first 15-20 minutes. Brooks Darnell's performance is more consistent and it is one of great warmth and easy going charm. Their chemistry is very sweet and well-connected and it doesn't feel sketchy or hasty. Nancy Sorel, Paul Essiembre and Sarah Luby are solid support. The characters are well worn cliches and not complex but they engage in personality at least and are not caricatures.

Furthermore, it is visually appealing. Lovely scenery especially (Lifetime often delivered on that) and very attractively, never drably or garishly shot. The music is not as intrusive as it tends to be with Lifetime. The script does flow a lot better later and doesn't get over cheesy or too schmaltzy. It is predictable but also has a good deal of charm and light-heartedness.

However, the story is pretty messy. The pacing isn't great, with it tending to jump around structurally, with it not feeling complete (an editing problem?), and it takes a bit of time to get into. It manages to be not much special and is pretty coventional and formulaic despite sounding different on paper, while there are times where it felt far-fetched. Will agree with those that really didn't buy the way the split happens, far too rushed and far-fetched as well as coming out of nowhere.

Although it has its moments, such as the snappy banter, and Lifetime did worse with the cheese and schmaltz factors, the script is patchy too. It is awkward to begin with and taking it at face value is not always easy, could have done with more consistent spark and character motivations could have been clearer and not been as frequently questionable (too many "whys" going on watching). While the character writing is fine to begin with, connecting with Pratt's character was not immediate with there not being much to her to begin with. The direction is fairly routine and the fantasy-like aspect could have done with more charm and magic and even for a fantasy-like story it strains credibility to the limit.

Concluding, alright and worth a one time watch but nothing all that special. 5/10.