उपयोगकर्ता समीक्षाएं

This story had good potential. Add one key element to the usual widow with a son breaks in the new boss plot-line. That element is that the son is in a wheelchair, injured in the accident that killed his dad. I also give this movie some small creativity points that Nick didn't come in trying to make Mia's life miserable by changing everything without asking.

I thought the execution was choppy. I expected more from Hayie Duff. At times she was OK, but at other times she seemed clumsy in her role. I got tired of seeing her tilt her head down in her humility pose. And she was clumsy at times with Antonio Cupo. They didn't seem to have chemistry and it sure didn't seem like Mia wanted to give Nick a chance. Most of the courting going on seemed to be Nick courting Scott, not his mom. There just wasn't enough of Mia and Nick connecting.

The company in trouble theme was also executed clumsily. (You don't leave your conference room door open when you are discussing ideas for cost cutting that affects employees.)

On the other hand, there were definitely some good moments especially toward the end. But they seemed like items checked off on someone's list of plot devices. Overall though, I guess there were enough positives that I give this movie a thumbs up, but barely.

While I wouldn't call this one amazing, it's certainly a nice one to watch for the winter season. I've watched A LOT of Hallmark holiday films and this one isn't as cheesy as some of the others airing this time of year. The acting is good to start with, at least by all the main actors. Some of the supporting could use a few more acting classes. Unlike other Hallmarks where the main couple seem to fall in love with a few days to a few weeks, this one has a more logical time-line, which makes the story a little more believable. The only question i have is how quickly the main male lead changes his tune. You'll understand when you watch.

All in all, cute and simple, something to watch while decorating for the holidays or while waiting for the holiday meal to be done cooking.

Hats Off To Christmas (2013) -

Who keeps giving Haylie Duff work, I don't like to be mean and this wasn't her worst film by a long shot, but once again she played her character, Mia, as if everything in her life was so hard and she deserved all the pity in the world.

Antonio Cupo was obviously hot and looked like he had a fantastic bottom, but he was not a nice character at all to start with. His change of heart was a bit hard to believe as well and definitely seemed very convenient, almost as if he was working an angle, but he didn't appear to want Mia.

I didn't think that he would have mellowed so quickly and certainly not from the attention she was giving him, which was quite brusque to say the least. He actually seemed more keen to spend time with her son (Check the registers), but he was also the one to make the efforts towards her, while she didn't show any interest at all, because she was so wrapped up in her own head.

Antonio bore some strong similarities to Brendan Penny, but Mr. P would always win for me and has always delivered his characters with more ease, although Cupo as Nick may have been a victim of the direction or a bad script, as indicated by the complicated way he came across.

The leading pair just weren't right for each other and there was no chemistry between them, except that he got on with the kid, Scotty (Sean Michael Kurt), who was not a good actor. I wasn't convinced that he really had bad legs. I can't stand these actors that don't put in the effort. I'm sure someone would have actually broken them for him.

The film as a whole was incredibly twee and a tad saccharine. There was a lot that was unbelievable as a result of that and I think that the script was a bit too basic and the story a bit too forced. For instance, when Valerie suddenly had a moment that was totally uncharacteristic.

Also, there was no way a business that just sold Santa Hats would survive without an online presence and it wouldn't need such a huge factory and office to supply and run it. There was a lot that was unexplained or just not thought about.

And aren't soapbox cars supposed to be made of old parts and, um I don't know, Soap Boxes? The car that Nick built with Scotty was basically a mahogany chariot with all mod cons and a walnut dashboard.

Needless to say that there were some issues with this film. It was sweet and sort of Christmassy, but without the effort that has been put in to them more recently. Not one that will be going on my list to watch again.

3.75/10.

Widowed Haylie Duff works at a small-town store where all they sell is Christmas-themed paraphernalia, all year round. When it turns out that sales are down for the last couple of years, her boss, whose immense office bespeaks the millions he has made off this venture over the years, parachutes his Wall-Street son, Antonio Cupo, over her. However, when he helps her wheelchair-bound son in a pumpkin-carving competition, things start to turn around in this ridiculously detailed but very watchable Hallmark romantic comedy.

At least part of that is due to some very fine acting on the part of the leads. Neither of their characters wish to be in this situation and they behave in a way that bespeaks their dissatisfaction and professionalism -- pardon me if I think the actors felt this way about the movie and used that for their performances. Given the ridiculous assumptions as well as the obvious and cheap cries for sympathy in the script, this should have been one of the worst of the twelve Hallmark Christmas romcoms this year. Instead, it is surprisingly good.

So im only writing to critique the supposed business model of the supposed single location Christmas store that operates year round. First off, the sell Christmas hats, and very limited other Christmas items. They have a warehouse on top of a back room at the store. They also have a corporate office with a reception desk employee. Now I only have a BS in Business Management, but I know that a 1500 sq ft retail store that sells merchandise for a single holiday, probably doesn't need a warehouse, and it's definitely doesn't need a corporate office with a reception desk. If the average hat costs $20 (and that's very generous), their sales would need to be in the millions, which im not seeing from that tiny store front. And yes, I know, it's a movie. But it's not too hard to do a little research.

Yes, I know it is cheesy and grossly sentimental. The interplay from the widowed single mother (she is getting over her husbands death well, kind of like Scarlett O'Hara) and the put upon disabled child is really over the top.

Yet for reasons I do not fully understand this is one my favorite Hallmark movies. I would recommend this one for all.

BEWARE OF BOGUS REVIEWS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM HONEST ABOUT THESE FILMS

"Hats off to Christmas" fits the cookie cutter mold that Hallmark Christmas Movies seem to follow. This one is a widowed falls in love with the her new boss who just happened to take the job she has been coveting.

Haylie Duff is always great. She shines as always and brings charm to spare in this melodrama that really is a "Movie By Numbers By Hallmark".

In this film her husband died 18 months ago in a car wreck. That same wreck has left her son in a wheelchair but it will be "A Christmas Miracle if he ever walks again".

I wish Hallmark would venture out a little more and do some films that don't follow the "Christmas Mold". They hire talented writers and directors! I just wish that would let them take some chances.

Now this film is not bad but it is predictable.

Balancing themes of fatherhood, kinship, and the true meaning of Christmas in October, Hats off for Christmas is a challenging yet familiar American modern classic. Nick Boward is a New York hedge fund manager who has to go back to small town USA to save his father's Jewish-owned Santa hat shop from bankruptcy. After spending a month looking over invoices, Nick the finance specialist can't figure out why the year round Christmas hat store with one branch and an enormous corporate office is failing. Haylie Duff (Mia) is a newly widowed mother to a wheelchair user as well as a 10 year employee of the Christmas hat store. After being disappointed by not getting an expected promotion, Mia is tasked with teaching Nick how to use a cash register for two months. A doctor informs Mia that her son can learn to walk again if he gets a new dad. Despite a rocky start, Mia and Nick quickly hit things off after Nick takes off his shirt. Will Nick give up his life of endless Porsches, women, and penthouse apartments to carve pumpkins with a dork kid?

Actually really liked the concept and there was some decent potential here in 'Hats Off to Christmas' with its ideas. It is not original by any stretch, then again nobody should watch a Hallmark film expecting originality (which has only been achieved sporadically). Have nothing personal against Hallmark, far from it, and absolutely love Christmas, so there was no negative bias towards the film before watching. Actually wanted to like it.

That 'Hats Off to Christmas' didn't do much with its potential and wasn't the at least decent film that it could have been if it had tried harder actually saddened me somewhat. It is nowhere near Hallmark's worst, there were some really rough ones since 'Hats Off to Christmas'. It is not one of their best either, with some of their output being surprisingly good as long as one doesn't expect a massive amount or award-worthy.

'Hats Off to Christmas' best component is the acting, which was well above average all things considered. Haylie Duff and Antonio Cupo both do a good job in their roles, especially Duff as one of the few businesswoman-type characters in a Hallmark film to not be annoying and have a personality. Their chemistry is sweet and genuine. Jay Brazeau is also strong and Sean Michael Kyer has his heartfelt moments.

Production values are quite nice, especially the scenery, and they don't look cheap or drab. The soundtrack is pleasant and isn't as intrusive as can be the case for Hallmark Christmas films. A few heart-warming moments here and there, really did like the idea of Scotty's subplot and that did have moments of heart.

Sadly, those heart-warming and moving moments are eclipsed by the excessive cheese and over-sentimentality that the writing is full of. A lot of the dialogue is so cheese-ridden that it makes the cheesiest burger bland in comparison, and some of the interplay is really forced. 'Hats Off to Christmas' to me came over as far too sentimental and in a rather manipulative way too, little of it felt natural and Scotty's subplot in general could have been handled with a lot more tact (especially with the football game). The story does absolutely nothing new with story tropes well worn out long ago, so one predicts many actions and many of the outcomes.

It is also very contrived, its portrayal of business and retail is agreed unrealistic, too many of the characters do not feel like real people that behave realistically and have changes of heart that ring true and not spur on the monent-like. Instead there are a lot of over-reaction behaviours here, especially considering the misunderstanding, and too many decisions come too out of nowhere and come over as illogical. Kyer had his moments, but he tended to overact his role and a huge part of me was really disappointing in not being able to relate completely to Scotty's subplot.

Concluding, rather mediocre but not a complete humbug. 4/10

7.1 stars.

I'd like to think there is a lot of potential with 'Hats Off to Christmas', because the characters are all well developed and likable. The dialogue is emotionally inspired and everything seems in place, but something is amiss. I think the setting and maybe even a bit of the cinematography is stale. That was all I could negatively critique in and otherwise endearing and uplifting story.

The leads have good chemistry, the santa replicant also owner/father has just enough screen time to get acquainted. The male lead is very easy to dislike for the first several minutes, his obvious disdain for honest and hard working folk was almost revolting. He comes around and becomes quite charismatic, even if a bit weird, and we forget all about his cynical arrogance. Female lead does a great job, one of her better performances. I've seen Duff do some awkward roles and I think the vitality of her career waned around the time this movie was released. Glad to see she got a chance to show us her good side. I'd watch this again someday, maybe in 5-10 years.

I was a reluctant Hallmark holiday movie watcher until I could see the joy in a repetition...a gazebo...a snowstorm...a miscommunication...tradition...and happy resolution finding the deeper meaning. My favorites are when the couples seem like they really like each other and you can play Hallmark Bingo. It took awhile to get to the Christmas part, I couldn't really play Hallmark Bingo and I wasn't sure if the couple liked each other very much.

Another Hallmark Christmas movie but this one really is sub-par.

Mia is a single mom of a disabled boy (Scotty ) and is also a manager in a small town Christmas hat shop, you know the ones that sell Santa hats for a $1. Do not let that small shop size fool you because behind it all is a big warehouse employing lots of staff and even a bigger management office.

However selling seasonal hats has a downside, things are bad after Christmas and the lack of a web presence does not help. The company is in trouble. Nick has been called in from New York by his father who runs the ailing company to turn it around and he specialises in managing companies in trouble by cutting costs.

Mia has to get Nick up to speed in the business and he takes an interest in her son Scotty helping him with a pumpkin carving contest and later a cart race.

Mia is wary how genuine Nick is after all he has left a swanky lifestyle in New York where he is a business consultant and she fears the worst when she overhears plans to downsize the company and benefits.

The trouble is this is just a predictable badly written schmaltzy story and the actors are just going through the motions. The film looks like it has just come off some of a conveyor belt with no love or effort put into it.

Another 10/10 Haylie duff movie. If you like Christmas, hallmark, lifetime, family fun, sentimental moments, you'll love this movie. Haylie duff plays her role well as a mom and as an employee running the Christmas shop. This movie is very cozy and truly one to keep on year around if you like Christmas movies. I also appreciate that it's clean and you don't have to worry about unnecessary inappropriate scenes and it's very kid friendly. Check this movie out if you like Haylie duff and/or hallmark Christmas movies or just cheesy cute movies in general. The other characters also did a great job in their role.

With the exciting title and the interesting previews, once again my imagination was expecting a really good Hallmark Christmas movie...but once again, I was very, very disappointed. I did not find anything likable about this movie...............Plot as I saw it: "Mia" believed that she was privy to suddenly becoming the manager of the failing business where she worked...but she quickly became disgruntled learning that the owner's competent son was going to manage it instead......."Mia" eventually became familiar with the son and changed her unfavorable attitude towards him. Why?.......... Because she saw personal, selfish gain in having a "relationship" with him.....From then on, she gave nothing more than a profound impression that she only wanted a "relationship" with the guy primarily for him to be a "big brother" and then probably be a father for her son......After all, her employment family health benefits might be discontinued!....With her repeated pouting, she practically demanded him to invest all of his free time in her son.........Every time she thought he was interested in another woman (an old friend) because he spent some time with her,..."Mia" instantly showed her disgruntled jealousy and possessiveness....as if he was not allowed to his life's choice.

No chemistry Haylie Duff she needs to give up acting so awful usually like Anthony Cupo but this is an awful