Un Natale in famiglia

2020 was very variable to unimpressive when it came to Lifetime's Christmas films, and there was definitely the sense that the films were made in a rush with not a lot of preparation time. Yet enough of them were far from amateur-hour efforts and were still watchable all things considered. Lifetime just have done a lot better in previous years, although their festive output is very hit and miss it should not be dismissed outright as enough have left me pleasantly surprised.

'Lonestar Christmas' sad to say was not one of the 2020 Lifetime Christmas films that left me pleasantly surprised. It is not one of their all time worst but of their 2020 Christmas output it is down there with the worst in my view. Good things can be seen here, but they are too far and between in a film that had a lot of major issues. Instead of the potentially above average it could have been, it ended up being one of the mediocrities of the 2020 Lifetime Christmas films.

There are a few good things. The best thing about 'Lonestar Christmas' by far is Marco Grazzini, just loved his gentle warmth and charm. BJ Harrison is another saving grace, making much of little.

Furthermore, 'Lonestar Christmas' also looks pretty decent all things considered and has some professionalism at least in its look. Especially the scenery. The music didn't sound too intrusive.

However, there is a good deal wrong. Stephanie Bennett is an incredibly bland female lead and a very awkward presence. She has very little spark or chemistry with Grazzini, it's very disconnected and the relationship itself is underused and underwritten. Brent Stait is also very mechanical, particularly in his scenes with Bennett. The father and daughter subplot is quite painful and is one of the worst written and acted subplots of the 2020 Lifetime Christmas films, and unfortunately there is too much of it. The first half is pretty hard to sit through and while the second half is a little better it never rises above average.

Did feel on the whole that the story was very dull and thin, as well as excessively predictable and lacking in charm or warmth (Grazzini's performance is the only thing where either are obvious). The direction is very routine. Furthermore, the script on the most part is too verbose and the flow is very stilted, had a feeling of it being written in haste and that it had not been proof read. The conflict completely lacks tension and it didn't actually feel like there was much at stake with the indifferent and too hasty way it's written in. A lot of ingredients in the story that are done very little with.

Mediocre overall. 4/10.

How do you get your ratings? One 8, two 5s, and eight below 5s gives it an overall rating of 5.9? Not believable due to the low ratings.

Like some of the other reviewers on here, I struggled to get thru this Lifetime Christmas movie, especially the first 30 minutes or so. The story centers around Erin (played by Stephanie Bennett), a widowed mother of two daughters, who (thru some encouragement from a friend/family) decides to spend Christmas with her estranged father on his Texas ranch. In addition to working thru her troubles and issues with her father, Erin meets Mateo (our other protagonist in this story, played by Marco Grazzini), a local Mexican restaurant owner. Are forgiveness and love on the cards for Erin this Christmas? The premise of the story is a warm and heartfelt one. Unfortunately, the script is rather weak at times. The sub-plot set around Erin and her father (played by Brent Stait) is the weak link in this story. The script/dialogue here is not very convincing, and the writers don't spend enough time setting up the difficulties between the two for the viewer. As a result, this sub-plot is quite dull and difficult to believe overall. Granted, it is challenging to do everything in a TV movie of only 85 minutes. What makes this sub-plot even more problematic is the quality of the acting (which I discuss below). That said, the story does start to improve about 40 minutes into the film, beginning with the scene immediately after the fruitcake at Erin's parents' place (the one where the two have dialogue in front of the house). In the second half of the film, the dialogue between the two, Erin and Mateo, and the development of their relationship is what keeps this movie afloat, I felt. More specifically, it was the performance of Grazzini (as Mateo) that shines thru in this movie. He had a strong performance, I thought. He had a warm and gentle vibe to his performance, which made for good chemistry. The chemistry between him and Bennett (as Erin) was pretty good, quite believable, I felt. The strongest scenes in the film were the dialogue and exchanges between the two and the ones with the kids as well. However, Bennett had a mixed performance, as her dialogue with her father was often awkward and not very convincing on screen, unfortunately. Stait too was quite weak/awkward in these scenes. They should have given more lines to BJ Harrison; she was quite good. Finally, the movie does provide some holiday cheer and Christmas spirit in the latter half of the film. The music is also quite good, with some nice country (or country like) music. All in all, it is not a very good Christmas movie. However, if you can get thru the first 40 minutes or so, the second half is decent.

I dont know much about Texas so I will take the Texan's words on it that this is not representing Texas correctly. I really think thats why this got such a bad score. I personally didnt find the first half bad. The acting is fine for a made for tv movie. It's not the best of this years christmas films but not awful or the worst. Its really upbeat and cutesy so if you dont mind that then this is worth a watch. Maybe rename this " Deck the halls with boughs of tamales" lol

Christmas Forgiveness/Lonestar Christmas (2020)-

It's a very simple story and that's not a bad thing. It's done well although there are a few too many "Y'all's" and "Howdy's" trying too hard to let you know that they're cowboys and therefore they all sound a bit forced.

Marco Grazzini has got such an easy smile that shines from his eyes and a lovely face to back it up, which makes him easy to watch, but he just seems a bit out of place. With that said, I've never been to the lone-star state to know who belongs there. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't like me.

I have my own daddy issues, so I can connect with the character of Erin, I've always felt that my Dad was absent even before he died and I'd like to be able to talk to him now for some closure. At least she can still confront hers about the way she feels and she should definitely appreciate that, however, she is an arsey cow who enjoys wallowing in her misery.

She doesn't actually have an issue, it's all on her. She's the one that can't move on and is holding herself and, as a result, her kids back, where the Dad is keen to build bridges and do whatever he can, so I didn't like her or think her good enough for Marco's character Mateo.

I didn't need the singing and the young girls are not brilliant actors either.

Basically she's got issues and he's cute. And at least it's a slightly different tale and not badly produced.

6.30ish/10.