A Dickens of a Holiday!

I love Kristoffer Polaha, but Brooke D'Orsay hasn't been my favorite Hallmark actress. This story gives them both a chance to shine. While it contains elements of your typical Hallmark plot - career crises, actor wanting to stretch, sibling issues, secret crushes, and a show to save - it still seems refreshing. Well done, Hallmark. Find another great story for Brooke.

I like the leads in this movie.

Kris Polaha always seems to be enjoying himself. Here he has a chance to go way over the top, but he doesn't lose his way in the process.

Brooke D'Orsay is always gorgeous and sweet, and she displays some fine acting here.

The chemistry, while not perfect, is certainly adequate, and they play off each other nicely.

Good supporting cast, although I thought the long-simmering feud was resolved a little too easily.

All in all one of the more enjoyable movies this year.

I was hesitant to watch this after reading a few of the less than positive reviews. Glad I watched this. It was wonderful. No overdone tropes, just a genuine story of two people and a transformation of a mediocre action hero into a quality dramatic actor. Kristopher Polaha was amazing! They both were exceptional. I like them both individually; here they were great together. I will add this to my DVD collection. And yes, they had great chemistry! Kristopher posted about it on his Facebook page. He enjoyed working with Brooke a lot. You can tell they had fun with this! Bravo!

Although the story here is sort of typical for this type of movie, the acting from both leads is the real story. I've always liked both actors but Kristoffer Polaha shows some acting chops in this movie, I didn't realize he had. There was a simple scene, where he literally drew a tear. His part was very very well done.

Brooke D'Orsay does a great job with her part as well. Her character is sweet, caring and very good at her job, despite having some problems of her own. In spite of what some others have thought, I found their chemistry to be strong.

This one is WELL worth watching!

While the basic story is common, it doesn't feel that way. Cassie is basically unemployed. Jake is looking for a promotion (a part in a new film). She turned him down for the prom in high school. Now he's an action movie icon. And they have to work together to save the festival. This particular story uses a less common premise that what they are working on is a performance of The Christmas Carol where she's the director and he's Scrooge. Certain subthemes add a little spice. Of course, there is going to be a romance kindled.

But what makes this movie a little better than average is the lead actors. Brooke D'Orsay and Kristoffer Polaha have great chemistry. I have rarely, if ever, seen either one of them not have great chemistry with their counterparts. Polaha does the movie action hero thing well and that persona doesn't disappear instantly, which is the mistake some movies make. D'Orsay's Cassie nurtures his hidden dramatic abilities as he gradually goes from an action oriented actor, delivering his lines with too much force, to one who feels the dramatic elements of his new part. And not to be shortchanged, Cassie blossoms under Jake's praise and encouragement.

Don't get me wrong. There are no outstanding highs or lows or surprises. The conflict and ending are predictable. The tension is relatively mild focusing on the outcome of the performance and Jake's career. The closest things to bad guys are the demanding mayor and neglectful agent. Neither is mean about it. But the actors make it enjoyable. It's not one of my top ten, but it was worth watching.