...but it's down there. It follows the usual formula: guy/girl meets girl/guy, one of them has an attachment to someone else who won't let the other one go, overbearing relative/friend, relative/friend encourages the girl/guy to go after their true love, there's a big misunderstanding and guy/girl storms off from girl/guy, then they finally come together and get engaged after a ridiculously short amount of time. That's ok, but it's how that whole thing is done that matters. In this case, it was a dud. The father/grandfather is far too overbearing and neither his daughter or his ex-son-in-law will stand up to him. The guy (ex-son-in-law who meets firefighter woman) not only lets his father-in-law walk all over him, but also his ex. The Evil Ex uses the kid as a lever to get him to do what she wants. Will he ever push back? Meanwhile, the kid suffers from Mom's manipulations and Grandpa's drill sergeant like orders, and seeks out the only person who can care about her without paying a consequence: the firefighter woman. Will the ex and the grandpa find their hearts and everyone live happily ever after? Gee, I really don't know!
There are some serious problems:
- That's not the standard protocol for how firefighters go in to rescue people.
- It's ridiculous to think that that's how chimneys are constructed, especially in luxury houses.
- The product placement of the engagement ring, being sure to highlight and linger on the open ring box so the camera can center on the brand name several times, is tacky, tacky, tacky and cheapens the movie.
Unless you HAVE to watch every Christmas romance movie, give this one a pass and go watch Killer Klowns From Outer Space. The acting is better and at least you can get some real laughs.
