Sister Swap: Christmas in the City

This one fell flat primarily because I already knew the plot from watching the companion movie a week ago. There were a few elements added that we were not aware of and some more details, but they were not enough to save this for me. The other reason was because I am just so tired of Ashley Williams. She was like a manic-depressive without the depressive. I really wanted the depressive. A few times she stopped smiling and bouncing off the walls but the respite didn't last long enough.

So, so dull.

Turns out this is part of a series that also includes 'Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday', which I somehow missed when doing my quick research (checking for sequels etc.) before selecting a movie. Apparently, though, it's a split perspective type of thing, in that this tells one sister's perspective and that other one shows the other sister's story. Intriguing, something that 'Sister Swap: Christmas in the City' is not.

I found the story and its characters to be too nice, to the point it becomes overbearing. And I say that as someone who is used to the cheesiness and all that stuff from these sorta flicks, but even for me this felt too much. Ashley Williams' Meg is particularly jarring.

My only plus point for this 2021 release is the bits of the plot involving David L. King's Frank and Rhonda Morman's Nina. That actually held some weight to it to be fair, unfortunately it does wrap up in the typical Hallmark fashion (as expected) but even so I appreciated a less sugary, if too minimally shown, piece of storytelling.

Snow doesn't look as real as other Hallmark Channel movies. Potato "snow" not working. Projector is the mainstay of this movie, not the acting. I'd give it a 1 star...but this is a typical (and I mean VERY typical) B rated Hallmark Channel movie with even lower rated actors/actresses.

It might be helpful to read my review of Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday. This movie runs parallel to the other one, with the ending of this one continuing a little farther in time. This movie steals several scenes from the other one, but many of them are shot from a different perspective and may not include the exact same lines.

I love Ashley Williams and she is her typical energetic self in this movie. And quirky. And a little crazy. But so much fun.

While A Hometown Holiday focused on family relationships with the romance almost taking a secondary role, this movie is primarily a romance movie. Willaims and Keith D. Robinson have chemistry, but Williams steals the focus.

Joe starts out as very prim and proper or as Meg says "Victorian". Then suddenly, he's not. Echoes of his stiffness peaks out from time to time, but very quickly his personality changes completely.

The inevitable conflict is inconsistent as well as inconsequential. The movie and actors don't "sell it" due to saying or doing one thing and then the opposite.

I enjoyed this movie due mostly to Williams' energy, despite serious flaws in the story. If you aren't already a fan of Williams, this movie may not appeal to you.

I like the Williams Sisters but I found the Sister Swap movies to be boring. I am not even sure what the storyline was supposed to be. But the most watchable part is the interaction and relationship between the sisters.