A Lot Like Christmas

He is adorable but she ruins it. I finally had to stop watching it over half way through. Casting makes a huge difference and Maggie Lawson was terrible in this part!

Should you look for originality, you may take a negative view of this film. Big business crushing "mom and pop" enterprises, business competitors attracted to one another are themes that abound in shows. This time, though, they are developed with the appropriate tones. Love and hate situations, resentments among friends, hopes and dismays are rendered soberly, therefore credibly. Maggie Lawson and Christopher Russell are a good match and make their story appealing. Good will and kindness prevail, as expected in a Christmas movie. The result is not a home run, but a solid Holiday movie, one that it may be worth watching. GAC seems to have found the thread lost by Hallmark in many of its recent productions.

At the first sight, it deserves a lot of critics. Not only for predactibility or for huge unrealism but for waste of good parts, especially the explanations of Scott to his sister about the need to sell the farm and the good image of the clash between paseism and pragmatic present.

But the film is saved, in some measure, off course, by same , so familiar "firefighters"- Frances Flanagan,Dolores Drake and Christopher Rusell , the last in same armor of the kind guy from big city with precise mission but , in same measure, with so many virtues, making him new version of Prince Charming ( his look helps in significant measure ).

So, what you expect, step by step. And nothing more else.

It's "Clay" (Christopher Russell) who arrives in a small town just as the animated snow is falling onto such an obvious studio set - so now we know what we are in for. He's there to help set up a new superstore that's going to be just what the townsfolk need for jobs and prosperity. Meantime, the "Roberts" farm is facing a tough time. "Scott" (Matt Visser) keeps telling sis "Jessica" (Maggie Lawson) that they are on the brink of bankruptcy! The last thing they need is the new shop, especially one run by his old pal "Xavier" (Ian Collins). Scene set? Well now we have to create the gently convoluted scene in which she and "Clay" meet, then there's the bit when the start to fall for each other before the bit about him about his owning up to why he's there. Will she forgive him? Can they have a truce as the all important Christmas market will be crucial for her family and his job, yada yada... The denouement? Well come on now! I didn't hate this, and for the festive season it's your typical cheesy drama with some very light humour (mostly contained at the very start) and just the hint of a frustrated bromance between "Scott" and "Xavier" that's disappointingly undercooked. Nope, there's no way you will ever recall watching this, but it's harmless fodder to shove on in the background whilst you wrap, or stuff, or snooze through December.

Typical in many ways, but the cast is what makes it enjoyable. It's a Holiday rom-com and easy going.

Maggie and Christopher mess well.

To the person that was critical of the use of Route 12 and 90......."Route 12 is real" and 90 may not be a "US" but is actually the NY Thruway.

Both real roads through beautiful areas.