A Furry Little Christmas

So much going wrong for it to be enjoyable - and I have no issue with low-budget movies.

• the music was so loud you couldn't hear most of the dialogue
• there were bizarre editing choices during conversations (the scene where they meet the grandfather made me feel unwell)
• there's a "small town" setting with the largest, most garish cabins I've seen and people pretending they're "rural"
• the male lead kept squinting like he was either high on set or told to do his best Zoolander impression
• the plot a) tells instead of shows and b) has the female lead to succumb to the pressure of her father and new boyfriend

We enjoy wholesome, cheesy movies, but this was actually just bad in too many ways to excuse.

I must admit, this one was a pleasant surprise. I'll start by stating that the budget for this movie was not very high. So, do not expect a Hallmark production. That said, the plain and simple nature of the film was rather refreshing and placed much of the focus on the dialogue and interaction between the actors. All in all, it is a lovely little Christmas movie. The storyline revolves around Scarlet (played by Kristi McKamie), an NYC veterinarian who heads home to Vermont for Christmas with her son Milo (played by Pono Say) to visit her father (played by Michael Swan). While home, she meets Josh (played by Jonathan Stoddard), a doctor who relocated to Vermont to get away from the city. She also begins to reconnect with her roots, helping her father with his practice doing house calls on the Vermont countryside. At the heart of the script, are the dialogue and interactions between Scarlet and her father, Scarlet and Josh, and Milo and his grandfather. In all three cases, the writer doe a pretty good job creating a warm and authentic story. My only real critique regarding the script was that the relationship between Scarlet and Josh developed too quickly, climaxing in the roller skating scene, which seemed forced as a result. The acting was strong. Both McKamie and Stoddard are new faces on screen for me. Both had convincing performances, with some nice scenes together. Some good chemistry too. Swan (as Mitch, the father) too had a strong performance. I especially liked the back and forth between him and Scarlet, and him and his grandson Milo. At times, these were cute and heartfelt. Though not a Hallmark production, the movie does a pretty good job of getting you into the Christmas spirit via some fun and festive scenes. Overall, this is a charming Christmas movie. Well worth a watch if you are looking for something plain and simple.

Love Christmas with all my heart. Love the fun and nostalgia it brings, and cherish all the time spent with family and friends every year. Decided in 2019 to see some newly released (at that time) Christmas films to broaden my Christmas film horizons (namely those from Hallmark and Lifetime), this turned into a quest that is still ongoing. Feelings have been extremely mixed doing this and even when trying to take them for what they're meant to be some have been lacking (though there have been some surprisingly good ones too).

2021 really did vary when it came to the 2021 Christmas films seen over the past two or so years. 'Furry Little Christmas' actually surprisingly fared reasonably well and is generally better than most of them. It is a long way from being one of the worst 2021 Christmas films, and on the whole is one of the most inoffensive films in the batch. It isn't a perfect film or a great one, but it was charming and pleasant enough and had a lot that was good. So yes very watchable.

'Furry Little Christmas' could have been better. The music was in need of a toning down, some of it was overbearing, to the extent that the dialogue clarity was compromised on occasions, and could have been used less. The central relationship does agreed develop too quickly, and also agree about the roller skating scene being forced and under-populated.

While most of the acting was fine and the supporting cast good, Amie Dasher came over as over eager and shrill. The last act could have done with more tension and less predictability and the ending is a little too on the neat side.

Kristi McCamie and Jonathan Stoddard was very likeable leads and give their roles a lot of charm, it was very easy too to warm to McKamie's character who felt very real and relate to her situation. Despite the development of the relationship being rushed, the chemistry between McKatie and Stoddard is sweet and genuine with no signs of stiffness. Of the solid supporting cast, Michael Swan's warm sincere performance stands out. Loved the father-daughter and grandson-grandfather chemistries, one that were very honest and relatable. The characters are interesting and don't bore or irritate.

Moreover, the production values are attractive throughout, especially the scenery and decor, and the music while intrusive at times is pleasant and has festive nostalgia. The script is amusingly light hearted, with some genuinely funny comedic moments and set pieces. The story is a typical one and is far from perfect, but it has a warm heart and charm, is sweet without being sugary and has a light hearted-ness without it coming over as a joke parody.

Overall, well above average and worth a one time watch at least. 6/10.

I'm not going to put a rating on this review; it wouldn't be fair because I fast forwarded through a lot of it. The roller skating scene was symbolic of what was missing. People. Reminds me of some of the Christmas movies of the 2020 Christmas season. Walking empty sidewalks in the downtown shopping center. The plop was traditional, but it takes place in a ghost town. Sorta like a stage play based on four people, but without any supporting townspeople. Like "High Noon" with Gary Cooper. Oops, I just dated myself. Maybe the mistake was to attempt to appear normal, but without backdrop people.

The story is another one where a woman who is a veterinarian with a kid goes home to Vermont for the first time in years. She meets a doctor. They hang out. The story is pretty average with no great highs or lows or surprises. The only tension is how far away she lives.

There are some cute animals.

I wasn't impressed, but there was nothing really wrong with it.