The Borrowed Christmas

I love Christmas movies, even the shamelessly insipid ones. I can forgive the over-emoted, always-good-hearted, low-stakes movies because they are fun, guilty pleasures.

This movie is none f those things. It's a church play that didn't get beyond the rehearsal stage. Obviously flubbed lines, or awkward pauses while the actors try to remember their lines, and completely unbelievable emotions. Truly, it felt like a run thru the got accidentally recorded.

There is nothing redeeming here. It's not even worth a "so good it's bad" watch.

A man steps into a shop to rent himself a Christmas celebration. Since he pays well, we're instantly involved and excited to see if the shop owner will pull this off.

The limited location concept works fine, but it doesn't go unnoticed that the supporting cast is flared with first-timer mannerism. The two main characters played by Sherry Morris and Jeff Rose are very solid, I just wish their chemistry would be tested full out.

During the movie's first half, the story refuses to jingle, due to flawed storytelling. However, once the ornaments are up and daddy's home, we're in for a fulfilling and memorable Christmas sleep-over.

Maybe in the hands of a better producer/director, writer and better players A Borrowed Christmas might have gone as high as some of the more maudlin items from the Hallmark Channel. But this film didn't have the benefit of those talents.

The protagonist Jeff Rose a successful businessman gets a nostalgic yearning for an old fashioned family style Christmas. Only problem is that he's got no family anywhere in reasonable distance. What does he do but goes to a place where he has a mortgage and the local Cratchit like woman Sherry Morriss creates a family Christmas from central casting. Everything but Marley's spirit.

A maudlin idea not helped by a bunch of amateurish players who wouldn't make the cut in my favorite high school theatrical troupe, The Hanover Footlighters. Even church audiences are going to strain with this one.

I am in a sappy mood these days. I have been watching the lowest of the low budget films. Stumbling upon this film I decided to go ahead and watch because I like the name. Even though the actors seem to be young in the movie business I found them refreshing sounding like normal people in any normal given day.

Story goes how middle-aged man who has no family decides to go to a rental store and rent a Christmas, the works. He seems Enchanted by the store owner and she with him. So she agrees to supply him all the necessary items to make a Norman Rockwell type Christmas for him.

She can't rent the actors for the time needed so she and her employee along with some orphaned children decide to play the parts of the man's family. Voila! A Borrowed Christmas.

Even though this film seems a little sappy I really hope people enjoy it. I've actually watched it twice because I enjoyed it so much the first time

Let me count the ways. No, there are too many. Let me sum up. Interesting premise, but awful script, acting, character development, production quality, scenery (I think the entire movie is shot on a two-room set), camera work--did I leave out anything? Oh yeah, bonus of religious drivel on top.