Tra le stelle del Natale

Under the Christmas Sky is one of my favorites so far this year. An attractive and really pleasant cast in a story that's a bit of a change from the usual formula. The leads were great together and the cute couple in the secondary romance were adorable. In fact, the casting was one of the best parts of the movie. The best friend was especially well done. Plus a story involving NASA, a planetarium and a bit of Christmas history is a big win for me. A nice change from the Christmas pageant/parade/small town plot.

I am a little puzzled by the negative reviews. Maybe people don't like science being included in Christmas? A shame. If you enjoy science and space exploration this will be fun for you.

Wow, I am surprised to look at the overall rating and other reviews for this movie. But it is still early.

Perhaps it is the science nerd in me that peaked my interest. There was a lot of interesting science, and besides that the scientist, Kat, brings out a lot of the mythology around Christmas.

I also like the fact that we weren't "saving" anyone's job or business. And the mutual project worked on by the leads was not a Christmas pageant or festival, although I suppose you could say it almost was.

The constant banter between Kat and her brother gave it some spice especially in the dialog. These actors had more chemistry than Kennedy and Paevey. His David seemed a little too stiff, but Kat and David's relationship was still enjoyable. Andy and Celeste provide a second romance.

A cute kid almost always helps a Christmas story and I thought her handicap gave some depth to the overall story as she connected with Kat. One of the highlights of the movie was when the two of them visited Kat's NASA office.

Minor BTW - I really would have thought that a exhibit such as theirs would have taken advantage of a meet and greet with someone who actually worked on the NASA project, at least for opening night.

I feel like this movie would've been better as the ones that Hallmark usually does during January (Winterfest I think? Can't recall) because it wasn't SUPER Christmassy. Definitely cute, but not super Christmassy. That said, I liked the chemistry between the leads and thought it also could've been even better if they'd written in some downtime for them to spend together. So like, outside of the project they were working on. But it didn't detract from the love story imo and I found their interactions super endearing.

The real charmer was Andy's character. Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing the actor that played him as a Hallmark lead one day. He's funny, cute and charming! As was the subplot with his romance with the sweet redhead girl.

It was nice getting to see Jess Kennedy in something since she left The Flash. And I'll watch Ryan Paevey in pretty much anything. So, not the best HM I've ever seen, but not too shabby either!

6.8 stars.

This film has everything needed for the makings of a fantastic experience. The actors are great, the plot has a ton of potential, the science, Nasa theme with the planetarium sets and even the part with how she is an astronaut...awesome, at least I thought it would be. It only started off ok, but then...there are so many moving parts with so much at stake, yet it doesn't quite come together to make an entertaining and fun experience for me. There are many failed aspects such as the clumsy dialogue and the awkward timing as if the whole production was pieced together by a bunch conflicted producers, writers and directors.

I love all the actors, oh my goodness what a shame and a waste of talent and great potential. On the upside, the editing and acting is actually polished, I enjoyed the new actors to the scene, many new players to see here so it won't kill you to give this a watch.

The kiss was good, but only lasts 5 seconds in a film that is over 5000 seconds long.

This movie was not a Christmas movie at all. The set may have included some Christmas decorations but it was devoid of any Christmas feel. There were a few winter songs for background music. I barely heard one true Christmas song in the background but unless you are listening for it, you will not notice it. I never felt anything about the characters in the movie. I had expected a typical Hallmark romantic comedy. It did follow the typical formula for Hallmark but the plot was just so shallow. Save your time by NOT watching this movie. Die Hard would have made a better Christmas movie that this piece of tripe.