mavred

This is a straight up chick flick. Meaning its cast is nearly all women, the story is mostly about the woman, the women dominate the screen time and the men are just props. There isn't much here for a regular guy even if he likes these types of movies.

Given that, it's not a bad movie just not for everyone. The story is fine, the main character goes on a journey and changes the course of her life and there aren't a ton of really bad holes in the writing.

However, the local barista gets as much screen time as the "leading man". That guy is physically perfect (except for his ears) but is an emotional flower and is as delicate as a daisy. The father figure is just your typical father prop and offers nothing to the movie. The best friend has two kids but apparently no husband.

I'm not ripping on the movie but if you're a regular dude I would let your wife watch this one on her own.

I've mostly stopped watching Hallmark movies because they've become so bad. However I still watch the ratings because every once in awhile a good one surfaces. This movie is one of the good ones.

I won't detail out the movie plot but this is a story about a man and his father. Both actors portray their characters very well and they shine in scenes together. I know Hallmark makes "romance" movies but the relationship and scenes with the two men steal the show.

Yes, there is a love story in this movie but it takes a back seat to the plot which is very refreshing.

No, this isn't your typical "prince/royal" movie so if you're tired of those types of plots don't worry as this breaks the mold. It's not a novel plot (I'm pretty sure John Goodman was in a movie with a similar plot decades ago) but it's a well told story that keeps you interested and the number of cliche Hallmark moments to a minimum.

Definitely worth a watch!

One of the more promising story concepts and one of the bigger disappointing scripts.

First off I wish they would stop casting overly cheerful one dimensional fathers for these movies. They are annoying to watch. A little more masculinity added to the roles of the men would be helpful as well.

I didn't really like the idea of a drag show as a Christmas tradition. That just seemed to be shoved in there for DEI.

I did like the overall concept and some elements of the writing were really good. For example a nice touch was the father introducing the girl to his son. This shows someone put some effort into the writing. I also like the meeting and relationship development of the main couple. I thought they had a good overall story.

However there were some scenes that left me wondering how the script could be so good in some areas but so bad in others. For example the main male lead is going through a life crisis but the story telling muddles up why he is going through it. They offer a lot of explanations and some of them seem to contradict themselves. This could have been cleaned up.

Another incongruity is the mother. She starts off as a street vendor trying to cash in on her famous son. She takes advantage of his fame to drive more business to her street stall. Then in the next scene, and for the rest of the movie, she is a posh English matriarch that is mature and wise. There was no consistency for the character and her switch from one person to the other made no sense at all.

There is a falling out with the main couple (surprise). However the reason for it is stupid and doesn't feel real at all. The story didn't need her to throw a fit and react poorly to the news he gives her. She could have handled it like a normal person and the movie would have been better for it.

There are a lot of examples of where the script just trips over its own feet and this is a shame because this could have been a really good movie.