Christmas Encore

I'll start with the pluses: lead Maggie Lawson, anywhere. She's charming, energetic-even a bit inspiring-here. All around, the acting is a high point and a cut above for this genre.

Unfortunately, that's about where the positive runs out.

Male lead Brennan Elliot is also good, but he comes off as old for Lawson's perky Charlotte, which is emphasized by their more-work-than-spark vibe through most of the movie.

So, it's thin on the vital romance angle.

The worse sin, maybe, for the holiday romance crowd: there's very little hint of Christmas except as a calendar date.

The movie was shot almost entirely in dark interiors, so for all of Charlotte's infectious optimism, there's also a visual heaviness that, combined with the lack of Christmas zing and tepid romance, kind of sank the whole enterprise.

The movie was a bit boring, even for a christmas cheesy one. The couple didn't have chemistry and there were some cringy moments.

I had my doubts when I started watching it, but it turned out to be a sweet romantic movie. Easy to watch. Good acting. With all the clichés, but you know what you are getting.

It's a family movie which is supposed to be romantic and dramatic but unfortunately misses in both aspects. Its plot seems interesting but it also fails to deliver something good, as it is very linear, predictable and thus very unsatisfying. It has such a slow pace that it's easier to fall asleep than pay attention to it, especially as it also doesn't bring anything that might surprise you in any way. Its characters are also not very well developed, not managing to be likeable or to direct any sympathy towards them. To make matters worse, the finale is as predictable as It gets, not to mention the overall sensation that the movie leaves, that everything will be sorted very easily without breaking a sweat.

There aren't many things to mention on the plus side unfortunately, besides the core idea of the plot which was interesting (before actually seeing its implementation) and a couple of actors which are quite ok in their interpretation. It's a shame that they weren't able to do more with this movie, the final result being mediocre at best.

Review Date 7/1/2018

I Have Reviewed OVER 500 Christmas MOVIES. On all Christmas movies BEWARE OF FAKE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. Many reviewers have only have ONE REVIEW. When it's a POSITIVE REVIEW chances are that the reviewer was involved with the production. If its a negative review then they may have a huge grudge against the film for whatever reason. I am fare about these films.

In this film A struggling actress cast in an off-Broadway show contemplates quitting the business and moving home. However, she has second thoughts after discovering a renewed passion for her craft. But when the historic theater where they perform loses its lease and the show is set to fold, she and her castmates need a Christmas miracle.

This film is almost a chore to finish. It has some attractive leads but no great story to make this film worth remembering.