All I Want for Christmas

Typical Christmas-romance where self-infatuated girl meets the guy of her dreams during a coffee spill incident. Through the help of an elf, she obtains a mind-reading jewelry device that allows her to become more self-aware in order to find personal and professional fulfillment. The relationship between Elizabeth (Melissa Sagemiller) and Robert (Brad Lowe) feels forced. The remaining cast seem like bit players. I don't know why Tom Arnold was in the movie as his character adds nothing to the story. However, Martin Klebba as Calvin the Elf makes the movie enjoyable and his segments serve as the storyline anchor to keep things moving along.

This movie is a lot like holiday candy. It's satisfying while you watch it, but you will be craving something more substantial soon after it's over. It's worth watching once if nothing better is on TV.

What's not to love about that? This was a fun movie. I thought the acting was solid. Tom Arnold has a minor role. He is stiff and gives off a strange vibe as the boss, but doesn't he always? The lead character is a self centered, rude, and selfish person. Then an elf gives her a broach that allows her to hear what people are thinking. She quickly get's over the shock of negative thoughts/and men thinking she is hot, and moves right on to how to selfishly use it to her own good. Staying right in character. It all plays out as expected, but it is a fun ride. The actress elevates it a above a cheesy holiday movie. Enjoyable 90 minutes.

I love fantasy Christmas rom-coms! And this one had all the right elements. But...

Here we have a self-absorbed biz exec who is forced to learn the true meaning of relationships at Christmas time. And in pops Calvin, Santa's magical elf, to help!

But did she ever really learn anything? Seems like all she got in the end still seemed, well...self-absorbed?

What we need here is a sequel. Force her to take her lessons learned to a deeper level.

Nah, that would make this too much like real life. Where's the fun in that? 😏

These kinds of "uplifting" family-oriented movies sometimes tend to be a bit on the cheesy side, but this one was extremely moldy. Wow.

Bad, woody dialog. Plot holes big enough to drive a semi-truck through. Undeveloped characters. Actors who can't act. Characters who act without motivation. Even for a fantasy movie, the relationships between characters isn't believable.

Tom Arnold, the only recognizable actor in the movie, must have been really hard up for some pocket change. Even his three brief appearances come across as stiff, lacking sincerity, and awkward.

My wife had control of the remote, so I could only hold my nose through the last third of this stinker.

Despite loving Christmas and loving many Christmas films and specials, 'All I Want for Christmas' didn't appeal to me on paper and looked cheesy from the advertising. It just sounded so predictable and unimaginative and Tom Arnold usually does little for me (with a couple of exceptions). Plus reading about the female lead being one of those characters with overblown character flaws filled me with further dread, as that is a peeve of mine when watching something.

'All I Want for Christmas' was not just more or less what was expected (very low expectations despite my love for the holiday, the only reason for watching as well as completest sake and curiosity) but was pretty much worse. Have seen worse films and Christmas films, but this was very bad in almost every area (and this is coming from someone who always tries to find the good in something that is overall bad) and is very close to being towards the bottom.

The soundtrack was quite pleasant.

Other than that, 'All I Want for Christmas' was a waste of time. The acting is mediocre at best and absolutely awful at worst. Faring worst is Melissa Sagemiller, who overacts and comes over as neurotic in a role that is as badly written as people say it is. She has no chemistry with not as bad but bland and too laid back Brad Rowe, really was not feeling the charm or the romance and that he saw any appeal in her suspends some disbelief. Arnold's character was completely pointless, one that the film does absolutely nothing with, and Arnold is a plank of wood in it.

Really disliked the characters, they are not interesting or well developed and almost all of them have deeply unpleasant and over-flawed personalities. 'All I Want for Christmas' has a cheap and rushed look to it, especially the choppy editing. The script is cheesier than the cheesiest of burgers, as sugary as the sourest sweet and there is a mean spirited quality. Plus it never really flows naturally.

Furthermore, the story has nothing imaginative in it. Lots of well worn tropes with very fatigued execution. There is no charm or heart to it either and the pace lacks energy.

In summation, very poor. 2/10.