The Holiday Fix Up

Greetings, salutations, and a seasonal welcome to all you movie aficionados. Here are my considerations and recommendation for The Christmas Fix-Up.

Story: 1.25/2 - Direction and Pace: 2.25/4 - Performances: 1.25/2 - Enjoyment: 1.25/2

Total 6.00/10

This Christmas Romance is in the Girl Re-meets Boy vein. After being a couple, they part ways because life became bumpy; and because they'd lost the ability to talk and string a competent sentence together. Now, years later, the couple's paths cross once again. Of course, they do, as Noddy Holder screams, "It's Christmas". Sam is an architectural designer asked by an old friend to help rebuild a part of his lodge damaged in a storm. She tells him she's happy to help, but she'll require a contractor. Luckily, one has stepped forward. Coop, the old flame, who'd previously left her love lights dangling years before. Maybe this year, they can rectify their problems, and he can finally get those lights suitably hung.

We know the outcome of this story from the get-go, so how's the journey to the forgone conclusion? Overall, the writer does a great job of keeping their re-blossoming romance entertaining and light-hearted - There's no need for any hankies in this piccy. She develops them into robust and credible individuals, though a tad more depth wouldn't have gone amiss. Her dialogue is believable and works well to keep everything light and build the heart-warming atmosphere to the finale, where it's most prominent. The scenarios her characters find themselves in are also realistic, though I would've liked Sam to use her camera in Landscape mode when shooting her media footage. She's supposedly a professional, and portrait videos are so amateur. The director should've also spotted this fubar.

The director could've done a little better with his cinematography. He has some nicely composed shots, but there aren't many: The finale cried out for more. It would've added more potency to the film. For me, the filming style was your average pedestrian run-of-the-mill TV fayre and could've done with some zinging up to give it a more festive feel.

The cast is superb. Ryan McPartlin, who I first saw in Chuck as Mr Perfect, was perfect for the role of Coop. Though he's undoubtedly handsome, he brings a Joe Averageness to the role, which makes him easier to relate to. And Jana Kramer was the ideal choice to star opposite him as Sam. These two work well together. When they first meet and realise they're going to be working together, you can feel the prickly relationship. Coop is hesitant, whilst Sam is a tad belligerent. But as they progress, their relationship softens.

All-in-all, Christmas Fix-Up is an entertaining movie to cuddle up with your beloved and a tipple of your choice on a wet afternoon or cold evening. I may even revisit the ravaged lodge sometime, as the film made me smile, and that is always a good thing.

Please check out my HO! HO! HO! Christmas Belles list to see where I ranked the movie.

Take Care, Stay Well, And Best Wishes For A Merry Christmas.

I watched this with my sisters while playing Countdown to Christmas Bingo, and it was so much fun! We couldn't believe they kissed three times! Of course, they were not appropriately dressed for December in "New England", but whatever. Also, I'm sure I heard the Maestro song from The Holiday! (Although, at times we noticed that the music was, in fact, too loud to be able to hear the dialogue.)

Jana Kramer is one of my favorite Christmas movie stars. If I weren't such a fan of hers this would be lucky to get more than 1 star. Her character, Sam, and Ryan McPartlin's Coop spar, no fight, for almost exactly half the movie. And then suddenly, there's a cease fire and the animosity disappears. But even then, I just didn't feel it even when "that moment" occurs. It didn't feel real. The acting in general was less than I'd expect from these actors.

Sam and Coop get thrown together to repair the inn and "save Harbor fest". There's one formula moment after another including she-falls-and-he-catches-her, the preliminary almost-kiss, a snowball fight, the recently passed mentor, the nostalgia moments, the mysterious but cliche of why-we-really-broke-up, and Coop putting his arms around her to help her do something. There is too much use of musical montage. There are scenes of the two just building or decorating together. The story is completely cliche and the rest is filler. Throw in an unnecessary shot of Kramer's chest in a negligee and later a closeup of another woman in a T-shirt.

Even the attempts at sentimentality at the end feel forced.

The whole movie feels like it was written in a couple hours and filmed in a day.

Jana is a HGTV type star who is being pushed aside by an up and comer whose social media presence is better. She is out of work until the new year and is at loose ends until She is asked by Jack to renovate and rebuild his Inn which was demolished by a tree. He asks her ex, Coop, to work with her to restore the building and save Harbor Fest.

I liked the chemistry between Ryan McPartin and Jana Kramer. The conflict in their two styles pushed this a long. Jana, used to taking short cuts and and getting the job done as fast as possible for television and not always using the best materials versus Ryan, who was all in for a quality product. His career was based on reclaiming wood and reusing it. He was all about the craft. He wins her over to his way of thinking.

She films the renovation project for social media, and people love the more personal input and especially like Coop and her together. They seem like a good team. Why did Coop dump her to begin with? When the truth comes out Jana gets even angrier with Coop and I can't say I blame her. Eventually Jana's popularity wins over her bosses and offer her a big opportunity. Coop thinks she was just helping with the renovation to boost her career. Yikes.

Will they ever get this mess straightened out? Not sure I liked the resolution but they seemed happy with it.

These Hallmark/Lifetime/Whatever films are all fairly similar, and their success of lack of success, whichever the case may be, depends heavily on the lead actors and also the supporting cast.

For that reason, 'The Holiday Fix Up' is a success because Jana Kramer (Sam) and Ryan McPartlin (Coop) have good chemistry and play off each other well, not to mention both being very good looking. You throw in a likeable bunch of supporting characters like have been assembled in this movie, and it's a recipe for success.

TV star Sam returns to her hometown to renovate her uncle's old inn, which has been damaged by a tree in a storm, and is forced to work with Coop, her ex-boyfriend. Their relationship progresses from animosity to a desire to work together as friends and then, of course, something more.

(Through it all, no matter the weather, Coop doesn't seem to wear much more than a light jacket, even when everyone around him is bundled up against the cold. What a superman!)

Typical Christmas fare, but done well. I thought this was a lot of fun. Maybe Hallmark's best 2021 release.