Holiday Engagement

I watch many of the seasonal Hallmark movies. Since they are all pretty predictable, good acting is what I need to make me happy. The actor/actresses in this light movie were excellent. Good casting. I am now a fan of Bonnie Somerville, an really good actress. Actually her acting is so real she doesn't seem to be acting. I would try to watch her in other futures movies. So glad Shelley Long played her role. She looked so much better than in Modern Family. The movie needed some script tweaking but I left feeling good, so I will forgive that. Hey, it is a typical Hallmark movie (with very good actors). When I say typical Hallmark movie I mean: very similar plots; different setting; different actors. :-)

7.4 stars.

I've been watching nothing but Hallmark the past 5 weeks and of all the 130+ Christmas movies I've seen, this one is an anomaly. The formula is the same, but with a different feel. I am of the opinion that the whole production, and process, the very essence of this movie is a couple of deviations from the norm. This is refreshing, enjoyable, and original. I really felt the actors, all of them meshed nicely (even the Duff). The leads are both quite adorable, he's very suave, but likable and down-to-earth and the piano and singing scenes were my favorite. She has a very charismatic feel to her, far above the mainstream Hallmark in my opinion.

My ex-wife and I had that same connection, we were both in choirs growing up. I played the guitar, and a bit of piano, she sang like a bird. It's a magical thing what music can do for a relationship. Alas it did not save my marriage, but it helped us stay best friends for many years, and we collaborated with various bands and musical programs even after our divorce. You see, music is a wonderful gift.

This is quite an endearing movie, despite the various issues with the flow, lighting, and sound, which all seemed intermittently off. The script was well written, the chemistry was good, however the romance was a bit awkward, sometimes convincing, sometimes not.

If you are avoiding this movie because you dislike the Duff sisters, fear not. Even though Haley Duff gets top billing, she doesn't get more than about 10 minutes of screen time, for much of which she's in the background, and maybe five lines of dialogue.

This movie is only slightly more improbable than a lot of seasonal romantic comedies. The trope of bringing an imposter as your date to a a family event is not really grounded in reality anyway, so if you're willing to suspend disbelief that far, it's a nice enough diversion for a couple of hours around Thanksgiving.

The cast is reasonably solid, if under-exercised, with some halfway decent comedy chops available (but not accessed) in Shelley Long and Sam McMurray. The two leads are cute and sad by turns, mostly at appropriate moments, and sing well together for one nice scene. Other supporting characters... well, they look their parts and speak their lines but don't expect to find gold in their emotional range.

The script and performances didn't quite gel, leaving plenty of avenues for both comedy and heart under-utilized. Real dramatic situations were barely nodded at in passing while the most potentially humorous moments were signalled more by the characters' laughter than by any similar urge in the audience.

If you combined 'The Family Stone' (where only Sarah Jessica Parker is lacking the necessary depth of character) with 'My Best Friend's Wedding' (where everything is deliberately shallow and the moments of heart stand out better for it), and made a college film class movie, this is about what you'd get.

This was like reading a good G rated romance novel, but not too hokey. I liked how they did not make the characters all super cliché and cookie cutter. It was nice to see Shelly Long again in something, and I was not bored at all. Bonnie Somerville was good. She is one of those actors you keep trying to think what you have seen them in before. I really liked Jordon Bridges as the romance interest, and I did not realize until I was writing this review he is the brother on Rizzoli & Isles, a show that I watch. Wow. Totally did not but that together. They should make him more like the character he played in this movie. I would watch this movie again while wrapping presents to get in the mood for Christmas. I rarely watch a movie twice. Lighthearted and sweet fare.

If you look past the ridiculously stupid concept that only Hollywood could come up with, and past the outrageous-ness of the whole thing, it's not too bad of a movie.

Shelley Long gave a really believable performance as the mother. When an actor is able to make you feel something (even if that feeling is intense irritability and frustration) they've done their job.

The chemistry between Jordan Bridges and Bonnie Somerville is also quite believable. So much so I wish that they were a real couple!

Overall, the plot, though sometimes slow, is very light and fun and even touching in some parts.