Il Natale più dolce

I usually love this kind of formulaic movie and watch them in a knowing but uncritical way, but I found it really hard to get past the director casting himself as the romantic lead opposite a woman 16 years younger. His heavy makeup doesn't help make it less weird, I just kept staring at his eyeliner.

I think if he'd cast someone 15 years older as his opposite it would have been a more convincing romance, and she would have been a more convincing character. We're supposed to believe she's a well-known and experienced pastry chef, so it would have fitted the character well to be a bit older.

Anyway, aside from the leads being casting missteps it's ok, the rest of the cast are fine and I've had a soft spot for Colin Mochrie ever since 'Who's Line is it Anyway?' so it was nice to see him.

It's pretty much what you signed up for in terms of plot. The cranky person is cranky, the little child is cute, the comic relief is comic - the formula does it's job. The drama features particularly low stakes, but it's still friendly and warm and has lots of bells in the music, garland in the decorations, and a scene where people make gingerbread.

And of course there's a cute little snowy town, but I've noticed that all the Hallmark Christmas movies seems to be using the same unconvincing snow special effect this year - I guess they want to get the most out of the plugin they bought for After Effects!

Great cast! I just saw Cory Lee in very different role - A Christmas Masquerade (2022) and I love Yannick Bisson from his years on both Murdock Mysteries and Sue Thomas FBEye. Janet Eastwood is always a joy; I wish she'd have her own romance story for us seniors! Yes, the lead actress could have been a tad older to support her character's level of experience but it still worked. Yannick's acting/directing/writing experience showed throughout the movie and every scene he was included. There was a level of maturity that elevated this plot above the silliness of others Christmas movies. I loved the idea of sharing recipes and longtime friendships. Thoroughly Enjoyed!

I love a good Christmas movie, but get sick of all the festive music, so I enjoyed this as it has very little. There are a couple of good twists to give the plot / emotion depth. There's a great mix of age range and singles/couples are both represented at different stages of life - I like that the older characters feature well as so many of this genre focus on the under 40s. As there are a lot of characters, there's potential for a sequel. It is great to watch Yannick Bisson in another Christmas film again (see Crazy For Christmas) as we enjoy him Sue Thomas FB EYE, Aurora Teagarden and the Murdoch Mysteries we've seen.

Baking All The Way (2022) -

This film wasn't really that bad, but the story had been done far too often before and with less notes made by me about the dodgy elements in it.

For instance, why does Colin Mochrie keep getting work? He was too much again and these "fun" characters have never added anything.

I was also unsure that Yannick Bisson, in the lead role of Kris, should still be playing a romantic lead? He had a really bad hair dye job for a start. He was better than he has been in 'Murdoch Mysteries' (2008-) though.

And the leading lady, Cory Lee, as Julia got a hotel to spend two nights in a town that was only two hours away in order to discuss something with a chef for about five minutes, why wouldn't you just drive their and back in the sane day? The same "Problem" arose again when they were trying to work out how their relationship might last. They were two hours apart? I've driven longer for a quickie one night stand for God's sake!

Also, there was, of course, an annoying child.

Otherwise, it was the typical story of a city girl falling for a small town guy, with obstacles of very little substance getting in the way. They didn't seem very suited and it felt like a lot of hard work to get a gingerbread recipe. How much do recipe book writers get paid anyway? They're always so rich?!

Not on my watch yearly list for definite, but I didn't hate it.

6/10.

It's Christmas time in TV movies so it is not surprising that there is a lot of baking going on. That is certainly true in this movie. A lot of screen time is spent doing it and talking about it. There is another quest for a recipe, this time not a lost one, but a guarded family secret. The lead protagonists make a deal for the recipe that involves Julia help Kris save his store by improving sales mostly through promotions.

At some point the perceptive viewer begins to suspect that there is something hidden to be revealed. This secret is held well into the story. The conflict which is necessary in any decent story seemed artificial in the sense that the leads were very narrow in their perception of alternatives.

The acting is decent as is the dialogue. This isn't the funniest movie of the season, but it is light hearted. I am always glad when the initial meeting of the leads is polite despite the necessary friction.

Cory Lee and Yannick Bisson have good chemistry. If I hadn't read reviews about the age difference, I don't think I would have found it that bad and ultimately it didn't change much for me. A precocious kid almost always helps the story which is the case here.