Max, le chien de Noël

The premise of a romance between a guide dog trainer and the client hasn't been overused yet. There was one not too long ago but it focused more on the dog while this movie is focused on the trainer and client. Trevor is resistant at first, but Peyton spends a lot of time with him and he comes around. And not just to the dog. I was surprised at how much personal time the trainer put in. The viewer learns along with Trevor about this process.

Amber Marshall is appealing as Peyton. Ben Mehl is crabby and put offish at least at first. They have decent chemistry together but quiet instead of sizzling.

Christmas movies always seem to benefit from a cute kid, and Trevor's daughter fills the bill. As is often the case, Ava Weiss as Annie has great chemistry with Marshall.

Last year, director Max McGuire and writer Keith Hemstreet teamed up for the excellent movie "Noel Next Door". This year, they work their magic again with this film, another story featuring a man (Trevor) in crisis, who is assisted by a sympathetic woman (Peyton), an unusual plot theme for a Hallmark Christmas story that was also the main theme of "Noel Next Door". I don't know if the guide dog training aspects here are accurate, but they sure are interesting. But, more importantly, the movie also delves into the emotional aspects that a person suffers after a life altering physical change. The writing is smart and realistic, delivered by two performers who are very engaging. Ben Mehl and Amber Marshall are quite wonderful, playing their roles with intelligence and sincerity. And young Ava Weiss is very good as Trevor's daughter, who refuses to let her father's crisis bring him down. McGuire's direction is top notch and the music by Russ Howard III and Erik Schroder is notably different, but quite good, from the usual Hallmark scores.

Whether it's Christmas or not, this story stands on its own as an interesting and enjoyable study of human interactions and emotions, played with natural charm by a really good cast and written and directed with warmth and skill. Well done all.

8.2 stars.

Few movies elicit so such varied emotions as 'My Christmas Guide'. This is a story about a guide dog trainer named Peyton who falls for a visually impaired university professor named Trevor. She notices that he is having some minor struggles getting around and thinks that he needs a guide dog, but he is reluctant to acquire one. Eventually he agrees to give it a try with a little prodding from his pre-teen daughter Annie.

Peyton is a very kind and somewhat lonely woman, lonely because her current boyfriend is an inconsiderate buffoon. As she is helping Trevor learn how to manage the dog, he cannot ignore the fact that she is a very special kind of woman, both genuine and compassionate. Eventually Trevor and Peyton fall in love, but not without their share of struggles.

The journey to love in this film is a most precious emotional voyage, where we witness father and daughter learning to navigate tumultuous waters full of bullies and naysayers. It's an uphill battle for both, but luckily, they have Peyton and a wonderful guide dog to hold their hands through the struggles. What a beautiful story with a good balance of heart and romance.

I haven't been too impressed with the Hallmark holiday slate this season; not too many of the films really "grabbed" me. While some were pleasing time-passers, there weren't many that I'd be willing to watch again. However, for this film---yep, I'm impressed. I'm going to rate this as one of the five best Hallmark Christmas films for the 2023 season. Good plot, excellent casting, with a really appealing lead in Ben Mehl, who I hadn't seen before. I hope Hallmark uses him again. And another plus---authentic winter location shooting: none of that sad-fake-snow-shot-in-the-middle-of-summer this time around. Recommended.

Ben Mehl as Trevor plays a visually impaired father to Ava Weiss (Annie). They are wonderful together and very believable as father and daughter.

Ava is quite charming in her role and the father daughter bond feels real.

Since Ben Mehl is visually impaired in real life, he's obviously acquainted with many, if not all, of the issues brought up in the movie. The sincerity of the characters helped me really identify with the topic of dealing with a perceived limitation and how people can react negatively or positively.

I wanted to watch a movie with a dog (Max). I soon became so engaged in the movie that really didn't think about Max's part being somewhat on the dow low. He is adorable and seemed well suited to the movie. For this review I did try to find out about Max but couldn't find anything. I was curious if he's really a guide dog.

Amber Marshall (Peyton - guide dog trainer and love interest) is an animal lover in real life and it shows on screen.

Definitely a great family movie that would also be good backdrop for having healthy discussions about issues covered by movie. Especially bullying at school.