A Christmas Movie Christmas

This was a fascinating idea, to be trapped in a Christmas movie! It pokes fun at all the classic tropes but has it's own good message too. I was so pumped for this one and I was not disappointed at all!!

Two sisters. Eve and Lacy, who are having a miserable Christmas season wind up living in a Christmas movie as all the cliches (mean boss, sweet grandma, handsome small-town guys, a Christmas festival that needs to be saved, romantic problems involving nasty ex-girlfriends) are rolled out to be gently mocked. I loved this cute holiday movie satire, which manages to be quite funny and also avoids being too snarky. Though it originally aired on UpTV, it's harmless enough that it could easily play on the Hallmark Channel. There are some story glitches but the actors, especially the real-life husband-and-wife team of Kimberly and Brant Daugherty, seem to be having fun and make the movie a delight. Brant Daugherty is especially good, walking a tightrope edge, balancing charm, whimsy, and non-threatening small-town masculinity. The sparkle in his eye helps to keep the slightly stalkery aspect of his love for Lacy in check. Some IMDb reviewers downgrade this for its "stupid" plot, but that's the point. The plot is silly and exposes the silliness of the more traditional Christmas romance movies. I had a smile on my face for almost the entire film and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

OK, I'm going to try to be kind. The movie was clean, Christmasy, and had a new plot -something totally missing from most Hallmark Christmas movies which all follow the same formula. 2 sisters, whom are obsessed with Christmas movies (obviously Hallmark ones) get transported Into an actual "Hallmark style" Christmas movie. You find this out in the first few minutes so I don't consider it a spoiler. This plot had so much promise but as much as I liked the characters, the acting was so amateurish. I even began to wonder if it was "camp style" on purpose? Still not sure! This didn't seem like a Hallmark production and I wonder if someone else produced it and Hallmark simply aired it on their movie channel just to have something different to offer. Lastly, if your idea of a balanced meal is cotton candy, cotton candy, and cotton candy, this is the movie for you. If you are expecting decent acting and quality entertainment....well.... I watched it in 20 minute segments. Kind of like pacing yourself when eating at the county fair.

Cool idea, it kinda falls flat by the midway point though.

'A Christmas Movie Christmas' is far from a terrible film, you could watch much worse during the festive period - this is at least different from the usual made-for-TV Xmas formula. It just gets a little boring as it goes on. I'm not exactly sure how they could've done it better, but there is certainly something missing to keep it fresh and entertaining for the full duration of the run time.

The cast give satisfactory if unspectacular performances. Lana McKissack (Eve) is, as you'd expect, the most standout as the lead. I actually watched her YouTube videos when she was doing that about eight years ago, back when YOMYOMF/'Internet Icon' was a thing - what a throwback!

Elsewhere, Kimberly Daugherty is alright as Lacy, starring alongside co-writer/producer and real life husband Brant Daugherty (Paul). I can't say I'll remember this cast, but they are all fine for what this film is to be honest.

There was a lot to like in this movie. It joyfully included every cliché in the hallmark repertoire including the "token adorable child's" surprise reunion with her home for Christmas deployed military parent. I won't list them all because I might forget one. But trust me, nothing was missing. I love the reviews complaining that it was too predictable and had too many clichés. Oblivious much?

Unfortunately it kind of lost it's way towards the end. Not sure why. Maybe it got kind of old, or maybe it started taking itself a little too seriously? Also, even alternate reality themed shows usually try to reground and explain the path forward after the heroine has returned to the real world. But in this one, the dream love interests just showed up again after the girls woke up. I don't know, maybe that was part of the joke?

Kudos to Mr. and Mrs. Daugherty for writing and starring in their own movie. I hope they do it again. Kudos to the Gran Gran actress; I really enjoyed her performance. Did not enjoy the casting of Ryan Merriman, he looked like he had let himself go, a bit. Also did not enjoy Lana Mckissack. Personally, I did not find her appealing. Just my opinion, and why I didn't give this a higher rating. I wish I had known this was filmed in Frankenmuth Michigan when I watched this. We used to visit every year in my childhood.