A Kiss Before Christmas

In recent years, Hallmark has curtailed the frequency of their Hall of Fame movies. 'A Kiss Before Christmas', although not billed as such, is in the same vein: digging a little deeper into the subject matter, taking a more serious, mature, thoughtful approach. In 'Christmas Carol' fashion, it's James Denton's turn to see what his life might be like in an alternate timeline. He and Teri Hatcher play their roles in a way that one might expect, since they've known each other professionally for years. Although I wish the story had been shortened about 30 minutes, if a successful Hallmark movie is one that makes one feel better for having watched, then I see this as a success - perhaps you will, too.

From the actors and chemistry they had on desperate h comes this terrific warm little movie with all the right messages.forget it reminds you of so many other movies and let yourself be carried away by its charm and magic.simply enjoy!!!!

I really hate the premise where the lead is dropped into an alternate universe with no memory of how he got there or even how to operate. As a result he looks like a fool for a long time after that. Really, the character should be committed or suffer other permanent consequences. This movie takes this whole premise about as far as any I can remember. The characters even acknowledge that he's certifiable. I guess it's supposed to be funny. I just wanted to get past it. And I had looked forward to this pairing of lead stars.

Once you get past the initial pain, things smooth out. Ethan goes from being timid and disheartened with life, to a competent man who is more than just a noble nobody. The story becomes a mutual project to ,,,,, you guessed it, to raise money to save a youth center, which is also part of Ethan getting his old life back. The story uses many of the usual devices, but Teri Hatcher and James Denton carry it off with excellent chemistry.

There is a very sweet twist near the end. It transforms the story into something different. Some will say too sappy, but I love sappy.

Destined to become a Christmas classic. Well done. Acting very good. Script good and sentiment not too sweet. Kept my attention straight through. Congratulations to Hallmark.

The movie itself is nothing particularly innovative. A man feels if he'd made one particular decision at a crucial juncture, his life would have been better. So Santa shows up and let's him see what his life would have been like. Of course, that crucial juncture is what led him to meet and marry his wife. In order to get his old life back, he turns to the woman his wife has become (and she, of course, thinks he's crazy).

Nothing special about the film really but I was struck at how experienced actors (like Denton and Hatcher) come off in a Hallmark movie. Boy, does it make a difference! Many of these films star younger (and less experienced) actors who only underscore the superficiality of the Hallmark movie brand (with some exceptions). But take some pros and the pablum that is Hallmark sure goes down smoothly. Hatcher and Denton don't have to stretch their acting skills much but they bring a confidence and conviction to the roles that makes them very enjoyable to watch. I say put more fifty-somethings in these movies!