Although we've liked the leads in other movies ... David Alpay in The Mistletoe Inn and Erin Cahill in A Timeless Christmas (among others) ... I found this movie falling a little flat.
David Alpay's performance here is exactly the same as in The Mistletoe Inn, which is sort of an issue with "Hallmark casts". They just don't get a lot of character definition out of many of their actors and actresses).
This is another of the disgruntled former lovers coming back together stories, this time assisted by Santa's magic sleigh that keeps moving around to put them in the same place.
These stories work best when they give the viewer a compelling reason to root for the romance. This story doesn't. We've just supposed to root for the romance, because that's the two people presented, not because the story makes it clear they're a real match to overcome the antithetical romance elements, which last a remarkably short time. One blah apology seems to heal the separation wound.
There is some slopping editing. While painting the sleigh, David has painted a small area, then the area widens, then it's back to the small area again, with some paint having disappeared. Plus, the paint seems to dry just a little too fast. If you've painted, you know how long it stays tacky, especially in cool weather. The two stop painting and lean on the sleigh. Nope.
Today marks our third viewing, and I think because I failed to remind us, by reviewing the movie before, just how drab and unconvincing it really is. Writers should not merely assume the viewer shares their goal, they should sell the story and the relationship, and that simply doesn't happen here.
