The Angel Tree

Nobody should watch Hallmark films with massively high expectations, their Christmas output particularly. If a Hallmark fan or wanting to see as many Christmas films as possible, expectations would understandably be higher. They are very formulaic with most of them being more of the same narratively and structurally, apart from sporadic attempts at changes of pace. There are a fair share of them though that are surprisingly above average and even good amidst the many average and less ones.

The 2020 output from Hallmark did vary in quality but was not near as bad or wildly uneven as it could have been (there have been worse years). None of the films from the batch were really terrible, and a small handful of them were actually very good. While not one of the best 2020 Hallmark Christmas films, 'The Angel Tree' is still worth watching, has a lot going for it and a good representation of why Jill Wagner is so popular with Hallmark.

Did find the film a little bit of a slow starter. The ending is once again on the pat side.

Also that the lead character's naivety was not buyable, neither was the reactions to what she does and what she intends to do.

However, a lot is good. It is visually pleasing and has a professional look. The appropriately festive locations especially. Enough of the soundtrack is nostalgic and pleasant enough. The direction is accomodating while not going through the motions. Wagner and Lucas Bryant don't overplay, any mannerisms not overdone, and neither do they hold back too much. Wagner especially is very good and the main reason to see the film. Their likeability shines through and their chemistry charms, personally actually thought it was there.

Moreover, the dialogue is tighter and less stilted than a lot of Hallmark Christmas films and the cheese and sentiment isn't as much. The story is heart warmingly charming and with the right amount of light heart, told simply but not too much so and not as overly predictable as it can be with Hallmark. The good intentions are sincere and are not laid on too thick. The characters may be well worn cliches, but they came over to me as likeable enough and any negative character traits didn't come over as over the top like can be the case in Hallmark Christmas films. Actually cared for these characters, not the case with a lot of recently seen Christmas films.

Nice film overall, don't expect anything award worthy though. 7/10.

I hate this premise. Reporter is sent to town to do an expose on something or someone and either a promotion or even a job depends on it. In this case, as is often true, the hit piece is aimed at a selfless and generous enterprise. Often there is a betrayal involved. This is not intended to necessarily describe this movie, but it is the pattern most movies with this premise follow. In this movie, the reporter is Jill Wagner whom I can't imagine having a ruthless bone in her body.

This movie has some nice banter. There's some funny moments even beyond the dialogue.

Wagner and Lucas Bryant have instant chemistry. Cassidy Nugent also does a great job as Cassie, Rebecca's daughter.

There's a sub-plot based on what has usually been a surefire heart warmer. This device is becoming very common and predictable to the point where I fear the impact is becoming diluted. I won't say what it is, but you should probably recognize it when you see it. I did like the way it was handled and it still got a tear or two.

Rebecca's backstory develops into an interesting theme. I love the lesson about Christmas magic. Again, I don't want to spoil it and it's well explained by Rebecca.

In the end, it wasn't as predictable as I expected. As I already said, there are a lot of sentimental moments even if some of them are predictable. You might even call it sappy, but I like sappy.

The story is nice and the actors are very good (certainly quite different than others in this type of movie, who can range from overacting to not believable). Bottom line is that this movie ends up being better than other holiday ones.

7/10 - touching story of community is one of Hallmark's better 2020 offerings

This is the typical Hallmark Christmas movie script about a small town community where everybody is doing something good for someone or for others -- which doesn't really happen -- but it's why we watch. Jill Wagner is great in this movie and it's one of the best titles to watch of 2020.