Holiday in Santa Fe

Too much forced dialogue that was not needed. The niece was annoying, too much attention paid to her as she added nothing to the story. Other than that it was watchable.

When is the last time you've been in Santa Fe?... Well, neighbor, it's been too long! This movie has everything it takes for a pleasant evening in front of the screen. Values of family and tradition, a beautiful heroine, Mario Lopez, always an engaging presence, and ...Santa Fe. I may be biased, as this destination brings back so many wonderful memories. Must grant the production is not perfect. Obviously, it was not filmed at the end of December: it gets pretty cold there! The main theme is quite standard and predictable. Yet, isn't that, generally, the case for such kind of movies? The good thing is that the cast seems appropriately chosen and and the yarn unravels smoothly, with plenty of warm and charming moments. In my view, definitely a keeper.

This movie roughly follows the formula where a business executive, Belinda, is sent to close a deal on buying a family owned store. It appears to be the usual "evil corporation" who will ruin everything good about the store. The movie didn't make it seem that important for the Ortegas to sell. There were no huge debts threatening foreclosure, but the case was made that business wasn't sustainable the way things were going. So Belinda meets Tony, played by Mario Lopez and the usual romance story based on this premise takes off.

It didn't seem like these were strangers starting a romance, but Lopez and Emeraude Toubia have chemistry right away. It always seems to me that Lopez is well aware that he is a big deal and that shows implicitly in the story. Yet he is so upbeat and friendly that you can ignore that. Toubia also is very upbeat.

There's a plot thread where Tony's sister Magdelena, played by Aimee Garcia, lacks confidence in her own abilities. She vacillates between fun and energetic vs a sad faced downer. I think this aspect was overplayed a bit by the writers or director.

The climax and ending is drawn out, but predictable.

The film did not them capture the true culture and traditions of Christmas in New Mexico. Not one reference to posole, red or green chile, biscochitos, or farolitos. The lowest point suggesting that tossing hams is traditional in Santa Fe. Give me a break!

True New Mexico food, art, and culture was represented with Mexican traditions, which are not prevalent in New Mexico. The movie only added confusion and assumptions to those outside New Mexico. Obviously, the writers and producers applied stereotypes that caused the audiences not to learn about the true New Mexican culture.

Gia, Mario's daughter steals the show. Nice to see family emphasized. My son-in-law is Salvadorian and has 5 sisters. They took care of him during the Salvadorian civil war. I loved this movie and recommend it to anyone with family. I originally watched it to see Mario Lopez. I'm glad I did.