Coup de foudre pour l'esprit de Noël

Sometimes some of my "pre-season Christmas movie picks" end up being a let down and others (like this movie) end up being a pleasant surprise. I absolutely loved Ghosts of Christmas Always and the movie's new twist on a classic! This was my first time seeing Kim Matula and Ian Harding. They had a lovely chemistry and sparkled in their Hallmark debut-And I will tune in every single time "Carl Winslow" is in a movie (more of him, please!) The "scrooging" ghosts had a fun and fresh dynamic together. This was a heartwarming movie that really checked off all my boxes for a feel good Christmas movie. My family will watch every Christmas season!

I enjoyed watching this film which was not the typical Hallmark romantic formula, with a unique spin on "A Christmas Carol." In fact, they had more than one spin on the Dicken's classic. The four main actors were all engaging. The plot was a little more intricate than the average Hallmark romance, adding a couple layers of mystery. The ending was satisfying, but I wish they had explained a little better the mechanics of how it worked out the way it does. I might have given it a higher rating than eight, if they had explained just a little more. I still recommend it, especially if you enjoy hallmark films.

My wife and I have been watching the Countdown to Christmas movies for years. We love the familiar actors and storylines. The movies rarely get us out of our comfort zones. You know what to expect. And then a movie like this comes along and upsets the Apple cart in a most unexpected and enjoyable way.

Coming up with a unique twist on the Scrooge story is a challenge, and this film was up for it. The cast was great and featured mostly new to Hallmark talent. The chemistry between the leads was palpable. The script was filled with genuinely funny moments and created a believable take on a well known classic. I was bawling the first time I saw it. It brought me to tears the second time I watched it as well. This is the first Hallmark movie I have ever rated a 10.

I, and many other reviewers, frequently mention and sometimes complain about all the overused plot tropes which are retreaded through these Christmas romances.

The writers for Ghosts of Christmas Always struck through them all for a story full of imagination and surprises. This version of A Christmas Carol takes us into their idea of what an operation of "Three Ghost Teams" might be like ... with humor and feeling and warmth.

By the time they worked their charm, I was left with an impression I've seldom had for one of these films ... almost the equal of Fallen Angel with Gary Sinise, and it's been a LONG time since Fallen Angel.

As a writer, I might have picked a slightly different device at the end to resolve the romantic element of the story, but I can't really carp over the one they picked. I'll suspend my couple of doubts and enjoy what we got, a wonderful film.

It's become a yearly tradition to try and watch as many Hallmark holiday movies as we can. For the most part, 30 minutes into each, we can figure out how they'll end but continue to watch because Hallmark gives us that escape from reality and a good feeling. This movie hower, was so very different and had a great twist at the end. It had just about everything you could want in a great rom-com, comedy, romance, heartache, tragedy and a great finale!

The actors were great each with their own little quirks to pull off this fantasy of a story. We may have given this a 10 star rating but, when the movies was over we both had to think and talk about the ending and say, oh yes....that must be what happened. This was the best Hallmark holiday movie we've seen in memory. Highly recommend it. This is one we'd watch again to pick up on things we might have missed or just to enjoy it again.