Take Me Back for Christmas

I have watched a million Hallmark movies and this one is really a step above the rest, almost completely due to the acting job of Vanessa Lengies who was brilliant in this movie. Since you know that the main characters are already in love from the beginning of the movie, you wonder how they are going to make a been-done-many-times-before Hallmark plot feel fresh. But Vanessa does it! Really, really worth watching. Corey Sevier always does a decent job, but Vanessa steals the show, perfectly nailing every emotion in every scene and making the fantasy plot seem absolutely plausible. I also loved that there were some other plot lines going on, especially the mother-daughter one; Paula Boudreau was AMAZING in the role as the mother, by the way. I will be keeping this movie on DVR and watching again!

It's flawed (like most Hallmark movies) but it has a big beating heart at its center that makes it one of Hallmark's better Christmas movies.

I'm an unapologetic fan of time travel/alternate reality movies. It's a trope that has worked ever since "A Christmas Carol" and "It's a Wonderful Life". Hallmark has made a bunch of really good "What if?" movies. Some of my recent favorites include "Next Stop Christmas", "Love Strikes Twice", and "Ghosts of Christmas Always". Some of my older favorites include "Family For Christmas" which starred Hallmark Queen Lacey Chabert, "A Dream of Christmas" with Hallmark King Andrew Walker, and "Just in Time For Christmas" which starred Eloise Mumford, one of my Hallmark favorites.

This alternate reality movie reunites Vanessa Lengies and Corey Sevier, who were last paired together in "Heart of the Holidays". That movie, and this movie, was directed by Corey Sevier and written by his wife Kate Pragnell.

This fits in nicely with those other Hallmark movies despite a bit of a rocky start and, as is the case with many Hallmark movies, a complete disregard for the financial realities of starting and running a business. But Hallmark movies often succeed or fail based on the quality and chemistry of the stars, and Vanessa Lengies and Corey Sevier are both excellent and have great chemistry together. Lengies is especially effective at making her character adorably clumsy and flustered, and then believably emotional. I'd like to see more of her.

Unfortunately, the movie begins inauspiciously with an either/or discussion between Renee and Aaron. Note to homeowners who are stretched thin financially and feel like selling their treasured family home is the only option if they want to move: refinance the home and then rent it out. You'll be able to keep an appreciating asset, pay the mortgage with the rent, and free up the cash you need to start somewhere else. You can always sell later if you really have to sell.

The next scene features Renee working at what appears to be a small seasonal Christmas store that sits all by itself in the middle of nowhere. Usually, the unprofitable small store in a small Hallmark town is at least in a quaint town center area, but not here. And yet Renee's career goal is to one day becoming the manager of that small seasonal out of the way store. Could her career goals be any lower at that point? And then she's shown to have the spine of a jellyfish when she fails to mention to her manager that a gift basket she gave to her co-worker was not an unauthorized purchase. That was cringey, as was her initial fish out of water transition to her alternate life. And her idea for saving the Big Company in her alternate life? Let's just say it was impractical and unlikely to have the long term impact her Big Company needed.

But the rest of the movie had me hooked. And Renee's mother? Ugh, that was, for me, the most emotionally powerful part of the movie. That had me crying and was a big reason why I recommend this movie. Take Me Back To Christmas is a winner because it captures that quintessential ingredient that's in the best Hallmark movies- it has its heart in the right place and reminds viewers what really matters in life. I love lines like this:

"At a certain point in life, when you've met your person, home becomes less of a place and more of a feeling. It's wherever they are."

Also, I don't often notice the background music in Hallmark movies, but the music playing during the end of the alternate life segment was a perfect fit for the moment.

I loved the ending. It was just bursting with joy, love and gratitude and made me forget my relatively minor complaints. That feeling is why I keep watching Hallmark movies.

Forget the worn out storyline. Of course it is just that. Take it as the Hallmark movie that it is and appreciate the talented cast. I say well done to all of them. Corey Sevier's role was meant to be less than the female leads'. That's the chosen storyline. But I didn't find that there was any less chemistry between them than you'd expect. It was cute, sometimes funny and, yes, a little silly/ unrealistic at times. It is a fantasy Christmas movie. And a made for tv romcom.

Nice scenery, great costuming and lovely relationship between mother and daughter. I wasn't really familiar with Vanessa Lengies (female lead) but she carried the show and was the spark that brought all the characters to life. A lot of depth in her performance. I liked her even when the script put her in a few silly/uncomfortable situations. And Corey Sevier never disappoints, always handles his roles well.

I'd definitely watch this again.

This is one of those "my life sucks and I wish it was different and then instantly I wake up and it is!" movies, which could have felt stale or derivative...but somehow feels fresh and that is in large part thanks to it's lead played by Vanessa Lengies. She was fantastic! At first I thought her reactions to waking up in her new life were campy and over the top...but I am not so sure I wouldn't freak out if I woke up a ceo in New York, with my deceased mom alive, having a chic haircut, amazingly stylish wardrobe and apartment...in fact I just might have passed out seeing the closet alone! I have total wardrobe envy still!

Renee has a rough day in her real life and wakes up in her dream life...only it's not as she and her husband aren't together. Can she figure it all out before it is too late?

I really liked that there were no real villains in this film, I loved that they picked an actress who could really have been her mom (Paula Boudreau) and I appreciated that from beginning to end she loved her husband Aaron (Corey Sevier). But what really makes this film is Vanessa Lengies as Renée. The adorable elf Cici, played by Kimberly-Ann Thuong, was a nice touch and added to the holiday theme. The sets and wardrobe were amazing and deserve a note, as does just the right touch of holiday decorations...even in her corporate office there is a tasteful blue, white, and silver Christmas tree. I love the fun that she had with her opportunity in this new life. I also really appreciate her idea to save her company and what she does with her last moments with her mom. The end is precious. I wouldn't change a thing.

This was a totally delightful entry in the Hallmark Holiday vault and I highly recommend it to my fellow romantics and independent women out there.

I must confess I approached this new Hallmark production with caution. Did we really need one more spin on the plot of a dissatisfied person allowed to live an alternate life? What's more, I was not much impressed with a previous couple of movies starring Vanessa Lengies. Yet, this is a fresher look that somewhat departs from the old ones. The heroine, Renee, is not a Scrooge-like individual who needs to mend her ways and, actually, does not even try to dwell in her new successful life. From start, her only concern is to win back the love of her real life husband, Aaron, firmly asserting the fact that her basic priorities have been sound all along. This, I have found endearing .Also, I have developed a greater appreciation for Lengies, who, I believe, shines in her role.

At a close scrutiny, many details of the movie do not make much sense. Yet, should anyone expect sheer rationality in a fable where a person is granted by a Christmas Elf to experience an alternate life?

Let's take this movie for what it is: a tale, with a little Christmas magic, in which an intrinsically wholesome and loving woman learns to let go of her inner fears, to embrace her true life priorities, and how to better express her love for her dear one. Seen in this light, the film is a success, conducted with measure and gentle tones, that offers some moving moments and leaves you with a little Christmas spirit. You may probably agree with me that it takes Hallmark a step forward and proves that somebody there has not lost the heart.