Recipe for a Perfect Christmas

I live for the Lifetime holiday movie schedule, and always look forward to the new movies each year. Sadly, this one was not nearly as good as some of the past winners.

Christine whats-her-name, the mother, as always gave a great performance. But the daughter and Alex were both really weak characters, and didn't leave much room for the actors to show off. I thought there were zero sparks between them. It's like we were supposed to think they're a match made in heaven just because they brushed arms a couple times, and both like books on WWII history. I watch these dumb movies because they're supposed to make you feel all warm and goo-ey Christmas-y inside. But this was just bland; Their first kiss didn't have any of the predictable goo-eyness that i expect from these movies... I dunno, it just left me feeling flat. So much so that i fast-forwarded through dullsville parts with my tivo. I never do that. Normally I rewind those scenes. And watch them again the next night. Yes, I'm a giant loser.

I won't watch this again next year. But some of the past made-for-TV holiday movies that I've enjoyed in the past, and I'll watch again this year include Picking Up and Dropping Off, Boyfriend for Christmas, Comfort and Joy....All cheesy and feel good....

PS I'm tired of all these lifetime movies being about women in 'high powered' jobs, and they illustrate this fact by making them hollow, shallow, vicious jerks. Like women making over six-figures can't like Christmas. Arghhh.... At least this one deserves credit for giving her an actual job description (food critic), wherein most of these movies just have these ditzes in tight suits, stressing about some vague work-related issue on a wireless earphone, saying stuff like "I didn't get my masters in marketing at Columbia and rise to the top of the marketing business to not close this deal"....just to show how successful and professional, and not into Christmas this character must be (problematic because first, a masters in marketing is an MBA; second, what the heck is a 'marketing business'?, and third, can we be more vague and touchy feely about women in business? Make them an accountant, for god's sake; at least that's a real job.)

Did HeidiJean really see this movie? A great Christmas movie? Not even close. Dull, bland and completely lacking in imagination and heart. I kept watching this movie wondering who the hell thought that Carly Pope could play the lead in this movie! The woman has no detectable personality and gives a completely lackluster performance. Baransky was great as usual and provided the only modicum of interesting the whole thing. Probably her involvement was the only reason this project was green lighted to begin with. Maybe I'm expecting too much for a Lifetime movie played 15 days from Christmas but I sat through this thing thinking that with a different director and a recasting JJ with an actress that at least could elicit sympathy this could have been quite a cute little movie.

Okay finished watching last night "Recipe for a Perfect Christmas". I love Chirstiana Baranski and her talents were not wasted.

In this film: A newly appointed food critic finds her life turned upside down when her uninhibited mother arrives announced at Christmas. Desperate to offload her, she enlists the help of a young chef, with surprising results. Bobby Cannavale co stars.

The film is very predictable but CB brings such a depth to her role that you will find yourself enjoying the film despite the fact that it is very predictable. CB does makes this film rise above the Average Television-Christmas Movie

The film is available on DVD from Amazon.

Christine Baranski brings liveliness to a Christmas tale about a very different mother and daughter. I liked this movie because it addresses a common baby boomer problem - the flamboyant, youthful mom from the wild '60s and the conservative, unflashy daughter. What the mother considers helping ("Would it kill you to wear a little color?") is seen by her daughter, a restaurant reviewer, as pure meddling. When the daughter is on a deadline and can't work due to her mother -- just as a for instance - exercising as she sings "The Twelve Days of Christmas," she enlists the help of a restaurateur (Bobby Cannevale) who is desperate for her to review his restaurant. In exchange for her eating there and possibly writing a review, he agrees to take her mother out during her visit. Well, things don't go exactly as planned...

Christine Baranski gives a multilayered performance as the mother, who's used to putting on a happy face. Bobby Cannevale is sweet as the restaurateur, and Carly Pope is pretty and intense as the daughter.

Underneath all the comic moments is a poignant story of intimate strangers. It's a good holiday movie with a satisfying ending, in the Christmas spirit.

Even though this is a story about a romance between a Food Critic and a Chef the alternate title for the movie is a better choice to describe the film (and then it's not the best) for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, though the romance is okay and it does add to the heartwarming atmosphere of the film it takes second place to the relationship between Mother (Baranski) and Food Critic daughter (Pope). I really did enjoy the cracked and broken relationship they have formed after the death of the husband and father and neither one knew how to cope with his passing. The only trouble is that it doesn't quite feel right and lacks in believability. Though each of the actresses is great in their portrayals of a happy fun loving Mom and a no-nonsense career-minded daughter; when the reason for their separation is revealed even their characterisations can't sustain the believability.

Secondly, the romance isn't really believable. When the chef asks for a review from the food critic she manipulates him into taking her mother out on dates, so as to keep her out of her hair so she can complete her column before the deadline. He takes Mommy out on a few dates and he likes her. Though the writer and director try to sideline the audience into thinking they could be a couple, they add a couple of scenes that show the Chef's slight (and it is only slight) interest in the daughter. What the story needed were a few more similar scenes where their relationship blossoms and blooms. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen and it makes the story and film feel awkward at times. This could have been a better movie.

This is one to watch if there's nothing else on or your snowed in during a blizzard and have caught up on everything else. Be aware that this is a Romance Movie set around Christmastime and not really a Christmas Movie.