Christmas in Vienna

Christmas has always been my favourite time of year and it is always wonderful to see Vienna on screen, with it being such a beautiful place and often served well on camera. Hallmark is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to their Christmas output and their films overall and 2020 was definitely a variable year for them. 'Christmas in Vienna's' premise is one that could have gone either way, which tends to be the case with Hallmark Christmas films with similar plot lines.

While certainly not hating it, 'Christmas in Vienna' generally left me unimpressed. A case of the location stealing the show and making a huge positive impression, but also with too much that doesn't come off too well. 'Christmas in Vienna' is not one of the best 2020 Hallmark Christmas films ('Five Star Christmas', 'A Cranberry Christmas', 'Christmas with the Darlings'), but while there was worse from this year (i.e. 'The Christmas Ring') from a male lead and chemistry point of view 'Christmas in Vienna' is one of the weakest of the batch.

Am going to start with the good. First and foremost, the production values. 'Christmas in Vienna's' biggest star is Vienna (and it is the actual location this time) itself, which is nothing short of stunning. The camera clearly loves the locations too, because it is just as beautiful to watch without being too indulgent. The music is nostalgic and there is a sense of time and place, with an authentic Christmassy-feel and not being over-melancholic. It doesn't make the mistake of most Hallmark Christmas films in being too constant or too loud. There is some nice sympathetic direction going on here and there.

Sarah Drew does a good, charming job in the female lead role and while the character isn't complex she also isn't too perfect or has negative character traits exaggerated. The supporting cast fare decently too. Some moments of amusing and sweet dialogue and warmth and charm isn't completely absent.

Drew however deserved a much better leading man. Brennan Elliott comes over as very wooden and clinical here, there is no warmth to his performance and the personality isn't there. His character is also very one-dimensional, dull and hard to warm to because of his cold personality. His chemistry with Drew is lukewarm at best and mostly barely existent, didn't get the sense that they were in love and they weren't even that believable as friends. The relationship itself is not focused upon enough and is underwritten.

Furthermore, most of the dialogue is very vapid and can be too cheesy, silly and saccharine. The corn and sugar became too hard to take. The story is pretty much the same recycled plot elements seen in most Hallmark Christmas films with the only difference being the setting, while also being very thin and lacking in energy. 'Christmas in Vienna' works well as a travelogue and a love letter to Vienna but as a coherent and involving story it is a failure. Other parts of the direction are routine and character changes and motivations can happen out of the blue and too quickly, especially in the final quarter.

In conclusion, didn't quite click with me but see it for Vienna. 5/10.

She is a concert violinist, invited to Vienna to perform for a Christmas event. He is a widower with three youngsters, he represents US interests and is assigned to Vienna. A circumstance has her get involved with the children, she gets attracted to the dad, he is reluctant but it wouldn't be a Hallmark movie if he didn't have a turn for the better.

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library. A very nicely enjoyable movie with a musical theme.

I will never understand why Hallmark insists on casting Brennan Elliott as a leading man. He never connects with his leading ladies. He just always seems aloof. His best performance was as the villain in Kiss at Pine Lake, where his insincerity fits his character. Sarah Drew was wonderful carrying the movie. The rest of the cast was also very enjoyable. And the film captured the beauty of Vienna at Christmas time. Christmas in Europe is so much better than here in the States.

I suggest that when Hallmark produces these holiday romance movies, the first order of business should be to cast two leads with demonstrable chemistry on film. Unfortunately, this film lacks adequate chemistry to make it memorable.

On the other hand, the performances of the two stars are adequate, If you overlook a poor imitation of violin finger work. And the child actors are actually great in their roles.

But the architectural wonders of Vienna cannot fix this story about two people who meet while at career crossroads. In the end, this is a romance and its most important element is the magical feeling of true love found.

This is another of what I call a 'classic Hallmark movie': beautiful scenery, dress, props and sets; a warm story and a solid script; good acting; and plenty of Christmas spirit and festive cheer. I enjoyed this film. The setting in Vienna was beautiful. I first fell in love with Vienna while watching Before Sunrise (starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy), an excellent romance film by the way, and have been there several times since. It is a beautiful city. However, I am not sure I agree with Jess (played by Sarah Drew) when she says in the film, 'Philadelphia is the Vienna of the US'. It is a bit of a stretch with the comparison here. The story, overall, was pleasant to watch. I found myself engaged thru-out, which is a good sign (I did not, e.g., grab for my iPad during the movie). The dialogue on occasions was fun and cute. For example, Jess had lines such as 'tinsellitis', 'American Mary Poppins', 'how do you take your coffee? A tad too seriously', all of which made me laugh a little. The acting was very good. Sarah Drew had a strong performance. Brennan Elliott was pretty good too. My only critique here was regarding the chemistry between the two. I thought Sarah did well, but she could have been helped a bit more by Brennan. At times, he lacked that chemistry; it felt more like he was becoming friends than falling in love. The supporting cast performed well; Hallmark usually does a good job casting such roles. Overall, it is an enjoyable Christmas movie that provides some holiday warmth, spirit, and festive cheer. Fans of Hallmark will no doubt enjoy.