Northpole: Open for Christmas

Incredible piece of shoe-horning of the the story into a budget. Storyline necessitates the "saving" of an old guest house as a metaphor for "saving" the spirit of Christmas in Loughlin's character. Truth is, the tightwads in the Production company got hold of a cheap hire on a set and that drove the script. Good and energetic performances from the Butler and the visiting Elf-Girl. Unfortunately the lead actor, Loughlin is vanilla nothingness, just a brown paper bag of a performance and as a viewer I could care less if she saves the Hotel (and herself) or not. The Love interest is just a plank of wood with a neat jawline - the Ivy was more animated. Some young actors needed this film to get a step up in their career but unfortunately, they were in the control of a cheap Prodution firm who were determined to do no favors for anyone. Too bland. Too thin. No investment emotionally, commercially, artistically or creatively in this project - and it showed. I really had no idea who Lori Loughlin is but half-recognised her face...some Googling shows that she's been charged with Fraud by the USA High Court in 2019. I suppose she really didn't know anything about honesty and spirituality in real life- so why would we expect her to act out those concepts with any skill ?

Lori Loughlin finds a sense of place, falls in love with handyman Dermot Mulroney and, oh yeah, saves her aunt's country hotel and Christmas while she's at it, in the second of Hallmark's annual "Northpole" series.

"Open for Christmas" grafts a standard Hallmark romantic comedy onto NORTHPOLE's elaborate magical thesis in a workmanlike fashion. However, there is little in the way of dramatic tension to make this worth watching. Ms. Loughlin inherits her aunt's hotel; it has no guests and no source of income. Even so, there is little sense of financial urgency about the outcome once Donovan Scott as Santa tells Ms.Louglin he is depending on her, despite the occasional histrionics.

The performances are fine. I won't claim that Donovan Scott has cornered the market on Santa, but he has performed the role once or twice a year for more than a decade. Pierre Jodoin's cinematography is excellent; he manages to capture that grey afternoon snowfall light that shows up around Christmas. Yet the script itself never manages to make the viewer think that the inevitable romcom happy ending is ever in doubt.

Watching these 2 fifty-somethings sleepwalk through the twilight of their career gives this movie a special place in the film school case studies of corporate, group think, cookie cutter productions. How do you fill 90 minutes with dialog without really saying anything? "Northpole: Open for Christmas" is your answer. My XMas advice? Get to bed early...

This is a lighthearted story about Santa and elves and a nostalgic inn. There isn't a lot of plot and what story there is rambles and gets convoluted. But for those who are willing to forget reality and just ride along, it is enjoyable.

I've watched a few movies where Santa and/or the elves get a little too silly and childish in an effort to draw out humor. This movie uses a lighter touch with the mythical characters. There is still plenty of fantasy and fun.

Lori Loughlin and Dermot Mulroney are both over 50 at the time of the movie, but you sure don't notice that, at least with Loughlin. They work together well enough, but it's not their relationship that's magical.

For me, the real star of the show is Bailee Madison, as Clementine the elf. This young actress impresses me every time she does a Hallmark movie and this movie is no exception. Here, although she is only 16 at the time, she is starting to come into a role that isn't necessarily for a teenage actress. She interjects energy and optimism and a little wonder.

I love the chemistry between Lori Loughlin and Dermot Mulroney. I wish Hallmark paid better attention to pairing up couples in their movies because the more recent ones lack great chemistry. Though this is a family Christmas movie, it makes it more interesting when the actors "gel".