A Christmas Break

The movie was average but shockingly good performance from Stefan Brogren. That guy should be in more movies! I know he is from Degrassi fame but I had to IMDB the movie to figure that out.

A Christmas Break was okay but way too predictable, an element that ruined the few good qualities of the movie. Sure, this is a TV movie and one should not really set the bar too high, but this one chose to deal with too many plotlines and left them a bit halfbaked in the end. Good performances though.

I thought this was a fairly good Lifetime original Christmas movie. I have seen now several TV movies where the story revolves around a 'Hollywood star' heading to a small town to direct a local school play, initially for PR purposes. This one falls somewhere near the top of that list. The story is decent, the acting is good, and it does provide a bit of Christmas cheer/spirit. There are a couple of cute and fun scenes too (e.g., Addison's calls to Dylan's manager and the school play). The acting was strong. Cindy Sampson (playing Addison, the principal) had a good performance, a believable one. Steve Byers also did well. His scenes where he was directing the children, more specifically, giving direction to Liam (played by Aidan Vissers) was well done. The chemistry between the two was decent. However, the writers could have done a better job of setting this up. We do not learn anything about their relationship in the past, which would have helped in this regard, for example. About an hour into the film, there is a scene where Addison and Judy (played by Samora Smallwood) are chatting (while drinking a glass of wine) about Dylan. Addison tells Judy that he would give up the part (the acting gig he was recently offered in Bulgaria) if she wanted him to. The idea that he would tell her this seemed rushed, seemed strange, as to that point, it felt like the relationship had not developed enough in the story, on-screen. The supporting cast was great; both Smallwood (as Judy) and Dylan's manager (I can't find his name/credit on the IMDB listing for the film yet) had very good performances, I thought. Overall, it is a decent Christmas movie. Worth a watch, especially if you are a fan of Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movies.

It was nice to see what Cindy Sampson could do with a competent director. She struggled in the only other vehicle I've seen her in, A Christmas Crush. Her male lead was very appealing though miscast as a Hollywood Lothario.

I enjoyed the script which had misunderstandings cleared up with adult conversation in a timely manner and wise decisions made regarding career moves.

Expectations were a bit mixed to not being overly excited. Love Christmas and many Christmas films and Lifetime have done their fair share of above average and more Christmas efforts. They also had some big duds, and the premise was another one that could have been executed very charming or disastrously. The previous film seen starring Cindy Sampson, which was seen close to this, was 'A Christmas Crush', which was a major misfire as was Sampson's performance.

'A Christmas Break' was a pleasant surprise and better than expected. 2020 was another mixed year for Lifetime, but a lot better than the previous year's Christmas output, and 'A Christmas Break' is in the better category. It is a significantly better film than 'A Christmas Crush' in every single way and Sampson's performance is leagues better here. Is it a great film? No. Is it worth watching? Absolutely yes, and one of the recently seen Christmas films that surprised me a lot.

Sure, the plot is nothing special formula-wise and in terms of how it maps out. It's another film that is a bit of a slow starter, where it takes time to set up and the dialogue is on the awkward side.

Did think that some of the conflict was a bit forced and that the ending was too neatly resolved.

Having said all of this, 'A Christmas Break' succeeds in many areas. Visually, the film is professional looking rather than looking on the cheap, the scenery is lovely. The music is not used too much and has an appropriate sound. The direction shows somebody at ease with the genre and while there is nothing innovative it's not routine or dull either. Sampson is, as said, leagues better than in 'A Christmas Crush', much more comfortable and has a lot more charm and personality. Steve Byers is a likeable partner to her and while their chemistry is warm and genuine he's a real charmer in his chemistry with Adrian Vissers.

The characters were ones worth rooting for, they may not be complex but they at least have personality and the personalities are interesting and appealing. No overblown character flaws. Furthermore, a great job is done with the Christmas atmosphere, where it does feel like Christmas and in an affectionate way. Some lovely Christmas touches and there are some very sweet, but not sickly, scenes. Was not crazy about the script early on, but it did have a nice mix of funny and poignant lines. The story may be thin but has a warm heart and charm and doesn't take itself too seriously.

In conclusion, a pleasant surprise. 7/10.