Un Noël en Ecosse

This was an enjoyable watch for a run of the mill Xmas movie set in the Highlands of Scotland (Fort William and Lochaber). The story was easy to follow and entirely predictable with almost no elements of surprise, with pleasant enough characters acting entirely within stereotypes.

The most enjoyable part of the film was spotting the Scottish cliches abundantly thrown around, from dancing in the snow with a piper in the background to the bonnie wee Scots girl with ginger hair as a secondary love interest (albeit more believable than the main relationship).

Scenery, as ever in this area, was stunning and there were plenty of shots of local landmarks to whet the appetite for more.

Like everything else in our currently upside-down society, the best way to review an X-mas film these days is by observing what it is NOT. Saving Christmas Spirit is, first and foremost, not a product of the Great Canadian X-Mas Movie Machine, an sub-industry in Canada which each year strives to produce as many generic X-mas movie knockoffs as humanly possible. It also is not an X-Mas movie that believes in bowling over the viewer with bright colors, bright lights, and glitzy surroundings, all with the intent to substitute looks for quality. Rather, this is a nice, lazy, easygoing, and quite comfortable romp with appealing characters and a story that holds the attention. Ashley Newbrough is the "glue" that keeps the whole thing working. She has a very distinctive way of delivering dialog, almost as if she is talking directly to the audience. And all those Scottish accents ... who can resist? Brings to mind the iconic SNL skit with the punchline "IF IT's NOOO SKOTTISH.... IT'S KKRRRAPPP!" Recommended! ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Nice story but some of the acting was straight out of a 9th grade school play. The actors playing Scots were obviously more seasoned actors and they saved it to a certain extent, but the lead actress needs to know that she doesn't have to smile through dialogue that is supposed to be serious, and the young man playing Finn needs a few more school plays in his resume before acting on screen. Timing was awful all the way through. It was a nice story line that was not well edited or directed. There was a very apparent lack of chemistry between the two leads that maybe good acting on both sides could have fixed but not in this case. Pedestrian at best.

I don't usually watch Christmas movies, but this one was something special. It's a great mix of humor and sentimentality that really gets you in the Christmas spirit. The setting and the visuals are completely stunning. I love the actors especially the two leads. Really enjoyed it! It's set in Scotland and the beautiful old house that looks a little like a castle. I see beautiful Scottish scenery, wonderful production value. There's a fantasy element to the story. It's very charming and mysterious. The two lead characters have amazing chemistry. I believe it they actually used some local non-actors in the cast, which added a nice element of authenticity. I highly recommend this!

Saving Christmas Spirit (2022) -

This was by far the best pond crossing film that I've seen from this genre of Made For TV Christmas Films. I have watched some absolute doozies lately and so I was thankful to see how well this one was put together and that I found an interest in their relationship which had been lacking from many of the films that I have seen from 'Hallmark', 'Lifetime', Etc lately.

In a strange way, because of the archeological element, it did have a slight suggestion of 'Outlander' (2014-) about it, which, if it was deliberate, was a clever move on the producers part.

I also liked the fact that the other stories, running alongside the central romance, didn't interfere, but actually helped the main story along. Nothing detracted from the blossoming connection and a touch of magic will always help. It wasn't over the top or too hard to believe, but cute and an appropriate addition to the story.

There were a couple of dodgy performers involved, but the story was a slight tweak on those that I've seen before and in the proper direction, so that it balanced out against the rougher elements.

I will definitely be checking in to watch this one again.

7.06/10.