Aussie08

Enjoyed the film for many of the reasons already listed here, but I wanted to add that MacFarlane *is* actually a singer. I just looked this up myself, because I thought his acting while singing was ... rough. He doesn't play the guitar as well as the professional who provided the audio, but does his own singing, and the audio was recorded live.

I'm watching this now and it's ... okay at best. It barely tips over the line into "watchable". I applaud Hallmark for widening the pool of actors they constantly recycle, but that's one of only two good points.

The second being Raymond Ablack. I'll get this out of the way, the man is gorgeous with a capital G. To the person who, in another review, said the actor needed a shave ... what does that tell viewers about the actual film? (And in my *opinion*, no, he doesn't.) The actor is very babyfaced, and without the scruff, it would've only made the age gap between the actors would have looked far bigger.

Which is weird because they're actually only four years apart, but Catherine Haena Kim looks much older. Perhaps it was wardrobe and makeup? In the flashbacks the "younger" Lauren looks like a 45 year old woman in a bad wig.

Speaking of awkward, lord is Kim bad in this. Perhaps she's fantastic in other roles, but here every word that comes out of her mouth feels wooden. Whether she's talking to her parents or Nate, she almost always reads as stiff and out of place. I wish they'd made Ryamond Ablack the lead instead. He has a charm and kindness that is the saving grace of this film.

I'll update this if things change by the end of the film, but as it stands, unless you're a fan of Ablack, or are desperate for two Asian leads in Christmas film (which is cool), this one is skippable.

I did not get very far into this movie. I just couldn't get past the character of Gemma. I can put up with a lot of convenient plot, bad acting, and general "cheese" from Hallmark stuff, but bratty children plot devices are my line in the sand. Gemma is, quite possibly, the most annoying adolescent character I've ever come across in a Hallmark film. Not even Mary from The Secret Garden (1987) is this annoying and she's *supposed* be a snot at the beginning. Gemma just shows up out of nowhere, claiming she's Benedict's niece. The next thing you know she's living with him, managing his diet, and telling him how to run *his* business! Now, she might be right about the client not wanting the more traditional ring, but there's a time and a place, and that was neither. This might be a perfectly fine, straight down the middle Hallmark film, but the annoying lead girl irritated me enough to turn it off. I don't understand how this is getting so many 9 and 10 reviews.

4/10 Because I liked the actors who played Benedict and Emilia, and that beautiful, beautiful location.