The Christmas Cottage

As many Hallmark films, "nice" is the fair word for define it. Because it is exactly a cottage with all eexpected ornaments and furniture and story and with a drop of magic. Romance, sentimental life in low fall, an old friend and a sort of boyfriend and a wedding. All in the familiar package. So, just nice. Against the not convincing acting and saved by secondary characters, the cottage being the first.

I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 400 ( C H R I S T M A S ) MOVIES AND SPECIALS.

PLEASE BEWARE OF SOME REVIEWERS THAT ONLY HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE NO AGENDA! I REVIEW MOVIES & SPECIALS AS A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN! I HAVE DISCOVERED MANY GEMS IN MY QUEST TO SEE AS MANY " C H R I S T M A S " MOVIES AS I CAN.

I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 400 ( C H R I S T M A S ) MOVIES AND SPECIALS.

Lacey has already given up on love. Her heart's been broken too many times, and now she concentrates on her career as an interior designer in Raleigh, North Carolina. When BFF Ava Callahan asks Lacey to be her maid of honor, she must take on a few responsibilities, including making sure the Callahan family cottage is perfect for the honeymoon. Legend has it that if newlyweds spend their first night there, everlasting love and happiness follow. Lacey isn't sure she buys into that notion. Still, when she finds herself snowed in there with Charlie, Ava's brother, Lacey has to reconsider if the little house may hold some romantic magic after all.

The film would not be bad had it cast someone else as the male lead. Steve Lund can not make his part come to life. Merritt Patterson however makes the most of what is given to her.

The hidden message however in this film is "Women who are never married will never be happy".

The film does nothing original. The fun thing to with this movie is to see if you can figure what other Hallmark Movies were filmed at the same locations that were used here.

6/10 - pretty average Hallmark holiday movie that didn't really draw me in

Why do the Hallmark women giggle so much like they are in middle school? Story was ok, had all the checks marked off the checklist. Just glad it wasn't the standard Lacey/Danica/Candice women again.

First, to put this in perspective, know that Merritt Patterson is one of my new favorite Hallmark stars. But this movie did not contribute positively to that viewpoint. I thought she was flat and the chemistry with Steve Lund was meager. Certainly, the character she was playing didn't help. But the idea is supposed to be that her character changes due to love. But other than her soul searching and the conclusions she reaches as a result, that change in character was missing in action.

The story was equally flat. There was very little tension other than the rivalry between old and new boyfriend, and Roger was a dud from the start.

Side note as to production values: with Hallmark, I frequently note some questionable make-up moments. In this one there was one that stood out for me. During the reception, Lacey goes from an almost subtle lipstick, to bright red, and back to the more subtle, all without scene change. I don't know for sure if it was makeup or lighting angles, but the result was notable.