Dashing Home for Christmas

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I sometimes do not know what to expect with UPtv originals. This time, they got it right, as it was a cute, fun and entertaining Christmas movie. The plot, of course, was predictable and has been done plenty of times before. That said, the script was strong. The dialogue between the leads worked well; it pulled me in. The acting was very good. Paniz Zade (playing Emily) had a convincing performance. Adrian Spencer (playing Simon) was also very good. They had good chemistry too, each with their distinct and different personalities, which was another appealing element of the movie. Their interaction and dialogue were engaging, and I even had a few small laughs with Diana Cofini's performance as Grace. There was some fun dialogue with her sister. The scenery and sets were not as polished as, e.g. Hallmark films, but it did not take anything away from the story and performances. Overall, this is a nice little edition to UPtv's original Christmas movie lineup/collection. Well worth a watch.

This was an average film, with two likeable actors taking the leads so was an enjoyable hour or so spent.

There were a number of continuity errors in it and as it was as usual with these films, obviously summer, the close set looked quite poor at times.

A nice film and will hopefully lead the actors to bigger budget films, which they deserve.

This is a road trip with one, ridiculous, over the top challenge after another. The leads were supposed to be an "opposites attract" type couple, she was harried and determined to get home for Christmas, and he a goofy but helpful, anchor she had to drag along in order to make it home. I found the male lead to be self righteous, obnoxious and rude, rather than the big hearted, caring, Clark Kent type they were going for. There are some cute and sweet moments, and the acting was good, but for most of the movie, I just wanted to see her smack him!

I loved the romance and humor in this. First of all the two leads were in each others company almost non-stop throughout the movie which led to lots of interaction and realistic relationship building. I loved their chemistry. They had two very distinct and quirky personalities which at the same time were polar opposites from each other. So the journey from indifference to friendship and then love was interesting and full of twists and turns.

I have to say the male lead was certainly not the typical leading man type. Dorky, with glasses, but handsome underneath it all. He over shared with all and sundry and was pretty irritating to his co-star and the viewer as well. But as we and she come to see, it is because of his warm, kind and generous heart. I generally prefer the non-traditional underdog type hero to the too handsome to be real types anyway. If this is not your jam, you probably will not like this.

The "girl", on the other hand was not interested in anything but her own business, and would not get off her phone. She was snotty and entitled, but yet she loved her family and wanted nothing else but to get home to them before her sister had her baby. She was an exotic beauty, as opposed to the hero's looks.

So it was an interesting matchup and romance. Very much out of the typical box. My only doubt is if they can sustain the relationship past the "honeymoon period," they were so different. So in the interest of happy endings, it's probably a good thing it ended when it did.

I think we can all relate to travel delays and frustrations but I wouldn't think to add romance to the mix. Most romances are based in unrealistic scenarios but this one could really happen! I am going to keep my eyes peeled the next time I'm at the car rental line.