If I Only Had Christmas

From make-believe relationships (e.g., Holidate, Midnight at the Magnolia, Happiest Season), princess switches and royals incognito (e.g., The Princess Switch: Switched Again, A Royal Christmas Engagement), to fake five-star bed and breakfast staff (Five Star Christmas), deception and mistaken identity have been a very popular plot device in this year's Christmas movie lineup. Here again, in this film, we see this plot technique in use, though, arguably, having less of an impact than some of the movies listed above. Indeed, this movie fell flat a bit, I thought. Do not get me wrong, the story was pleasant, and the script/dialogue was decent (with some positive underlining messages). The acting was strong too. However, I felt this one lacked that 'something extra' as, for example, The Angel (which had great chemistry between the leads), A Timeless Christmas (which told a different story), Five Star Christmas and The Christmas House (which made me laugh), and The Christmas Waltz (which had some lovely dancing). Thus, I would describe this one as 'good enough'. That said, the acting overall was good. Candace Cameron Bure, a Hallmark regular, had a convincing performance. Her scene at the end, for example, when confronting Glenn about his deception was strong. Warren Christie's portrayal of Glenn was good, believable. The chemistry between the two was OK. Not the best I have seen this season, but certainly not the worst. The supporting cast had a strong performance. I enjoyed watching Brenda Crichlow (as Winona, the CFO) and Robert Markus (as Riley, the art instructor). The scenery, props, and sets were well-polished and festive, classic Hallmark. There was not as much focus on Christmas traditions in this one, which is not necessarily a bad thing (not another gingerbread house scene please). Simply put, this is an ordinary Christmas movie. Worth a watch if you have time to kill or if you are a fan of Candace Cameron Bure's Hallmark movies.

I enjoyed the Wizard of Oz twist; there are only so many incognito princes roaming NYC (although, Hallmark has me convinced there's one on every street corner), so I'm delighted when a new angle is given to boy meets girl.

The cast was engaging, even the minor supporting roles, and the family interactions were warm and believable. The storyline was a bit muddled, and Darcy's reaction to William's reveal was odd. I realize there has to be conflict in a Hallmark movie, but I wish the writers would dig a little deeper than the standard "overheard something incorrectly," "saw something out of context," or "lied to me" weary tropes.

One of the biggest misses was not showcasing Kansas City at Christmas. For years, my family and I have made the trek to KC to see the beautiful Plaza, Crown Center, and other holiday displays. The Plaza is magical at Christmas, and I'd hoped to see it featured on screen. Nevertheless, the movie was a pleasurable one I'm sure I'll rewatch in order to catch all the Wizard of Oz references I missed the first time.

There sure are a lot of mean reviews for this movie. Sounds like some are trying to knock the ubiquitous Candace off of her Hallmark throne. I am not a huge Candace fan, but she's harmless and she has never looked lovelier than in this tribute to The Wizard of Oz. I thought it was very cleverly done with the names, the characters, and the situations. There wasn't much of a plot, but at least it wasn't a stale rehash of the same old Hallmark set-pieces. I watched it to the end with not fast-forwarding, and that's worth at least a 6 or a 7. I'm not sure why she got so mad at "Glen Goodman" (Glenda the Good witch,Ha Ha) at the end, but that's just standard procedure to set up the happy ending.

The leading man in this movie was born in my home town of Belfast but my main reason for watching was the presence of the wonderful Candace Cameron Bure who gave one of her finest performances. It's a feel good movie where the main characters interact so well and you know that everything will work out at the end.

Have liked the two leads,in previous movies. However this one found myself,watching other videos. Was this movie based on a classic/Wizard Of Oz?If so,was a bland twist. Lacked a Christmas feel.. Can't give it a holiday title,put up decorations & think it's good. Hope to see the leads in future projects,that are much better. On the plus- Liked the dog & cinematography was decent.