12 Presentes de Natal

Your typical hallmark-y Christmas movie. Story is nothing, acting is worse, and everyone is wearing red and green throughout the movie. I haven't finished yet, but I'm mid-ice skating scene, so I'm expecting the two love birds to fall onto each other and share a kiss any moment now.

Other than that, there is absolutely no humour in this. The only funny moments were not intentional. The two of them eating cupcakes with knife and fork, very casually, not part of any joke. Botox mom calling her son with her glasses all crooked. And the most funny of all is the family painting. That really made me laugh. If you know, you know.

On a more serious note, what is up with that manipulative sister, guilt tripping the main character into baby sitting all the time?!

This is a really by-the-books romantic Christmas comedy, right down to an 80s dressing montage, I kid you not.

But what makes it stand out is how sweet and cute the main characters are.

There's no cringe pandering or mean spirited antagonism as in most rom coms, this one is just very nice and uplifting. Highly recommended. Trust me, you need this.

A fine film to watch around the holidays, with two strong leads. But something bothered me. I mean, really bothered me. I'm not hating on Donna Mills, but she played the main character's mother. The young man is in his late twenties, no older. Donna Mills is made up/lit/diffused/whatever to look thirty years old. The woman in seventy-five. Women that age should not look thirty! She looked more like the character's sister than his mother. That distracted me so much, that's pretty much all I have to say in this review. Good film. Good lead actors. But, damn. Don't make a seventy five year old woman look thirty. It took me right out of the movie.

12 Gifts of Christmas is enjoyable. It's definitely one of the better Hallmark movies. The Christmas magic is there and the chemistry is nice between Katrina Law and Aaron O' Connell. I adored all the Christmas decorations and the paintings Anna made. This movie is pretty good, just not the best.

Based on the other reviews I wasn't expecting too much from this movie, but it turned out to be one of the best I have seen. Light and breezy dialogue, and a plot that kept moving with likeable characters, are among its strengths. But it also dealt with questions of goals and life direction so it wasn't all fluff, either. All in all a charming, engaging movie with enough plot surprises to keep you interested and entertained.