Turma Reunida no Natal

The teaser text for this movie would have made a great movie, potentially. But the writers didn't even try for that. The idea of a class reunion with surprises and successes and disappointments could have been dramatic and humorous at the same time, but the reunion only appears in the last act and the script never really focuses on it very much. Yeah, they have a room full of people, but do nothing with it.

We have a female lead whose firm is collapsing, but they spent so little time on establishing her in it that 'Who cares?' They made a weak pass at an antipathetic romance when she distrusts the "high school goof off" as an event organizer, but they didn't really make much of that, either.

We did find ONE funny moment, when she tells a company that "The North Pole" is a deceptive name for a company, given that it's devoted to "exotic dancers".

Otherwise, these lazy writers showed no originality and wasted our time.

I really enjoyed this movie for what it is: fun entertainment that is easy to follow and fairly captivating.

In reading many of my peers' contributions here, my view is clearly a departure from theirs. While I agree that the plot wasn't airtight on each and every detail, I fail to understand how a movie that is covering about 6 sub-plots/relationships could go that deep.

Elle (Teagarden) indeed has a job with "Zigg", and it's true we never really know the company's profile. Is that really necessary to understand the overall gist of the movie? Not at all. We know that this firm has come into challenging times, and it threatens Elle's self-confidence, because she has placed her identity in her work. Another reviewer stated that this is disappointing; I respect this, however, I myself truly relate. I work in non-profit, but if my job were threatened, my purpose and joy would be rocked; I try to work on this, but I would absolutely need to recalibrate. To me, the point of her statement "My resume is who I am" is not that her identity is the money she earns, but that her work is her 'comfort zone' - she is structured, disciplined, very Type-A, and many people are similar.

It is only until this painful moment happens that she is forced to reconsider her priorities, and for that reason, she is able to step back and see how it hasn't been as wonderful as she thought.

- I agree that she is somewhat aloof, because in this role, her respect for a peer that was silly, undisciplined, and her complete opposite in high school is understandably sparse. She doesn't keep that mindset for the entire movie, and realizes that Devin has found wisdom worth sharing.

I loved Aimee in other movies, especially I think "Christmas miracle", where she plays a very ill and endearing young lady. To see her in two very different roles, but equally believable, shows her range and skill.

- I loved the couple that had their marriage issues; oddly enough, the young man was so incredibly handsome and charming (i'm not related, I swear) - the actor looked absolutely in love with his movie partner, but I did think she was somewhat like a shell of a person. I appreciated the realistic view of a couple that drifts apart due to career, and it's a great foil for the usually magical relationships that Hallmark is known to highlight. (Every HM movie has a conflict, but it's rare for the conflict to be this level of "icy"; while it's not fun to feel these emotions, they are truly a reality for millions of people. It helps to see that - surprise! - we are truly not alone, and even the bliss-filled Christmas world of Hallmark has complexities.) - The story lines that were also included, but for me, lacked enough depth to warrant a "10", were the ones that featured the 'nerd that became a success' with her amusing assistant, as well as the father/daughter storyline that failed to be authentic to me. (he didn't have enough 'fatherly' factor to seem like her dad, and she needs to be in movies that allow her to be the focal point - not a bit part) I laughed aloud at the start, when the movie decides to channel Carrie, because that scream of Aimee's was absolutely hilarious. I also listened - the entire time! - for a 'voice clearing' that Aimee allegedly does, and I heard nothing. That was actually why I decided to watch each detail of the movie, and I must say that I'm disappointed to not be able to hear this allegedly annoying trait of Aimee's!

Overall: enjoy this movie, don't overthink it, and know that if you are the sort of HM movie lover that relates to work/career situations, this is a great Christmas movie for you.

Hallmark just signed Aimee Teegarden (one of the talented stars of the great TV series Friday Night Lights) to an exclusive multi-picture deal. That was a smart move because she is quite charming and very likable, as she demonstrated in Once Upon a Christmas Miracle, New Year's Resolution, and My Christmas Wish List. But she may have been miscast here as Elle, a valedictorian and high achieving tech expert, happily immersed in the Big Tech culture of Northern California. Inexplicably, and despite a high profile and demanding job, Elle has continued to embrace her role as class president long after graduating high school and goes back home (3,000 miles from work) to oversee a reunion.

The movie begins with a scene that seemed like an homage to the movie Carrie, and then jumps ahead 15 years. Tanner Novlan plays Devin, a popular high school goof off who became a single dad and took over his parents' successful event planning company. If he looks familiar, it's because Novlan previously played a struggling actor who couldn't remember his lines in a Liberty Mutual commercial ("Liberty Biberty").

The romance between Elle and Devin seemed more than unlikely (they live 3,000 miles away from each other and she loves her Big Tech career in California). But Yasmeen Kelders was great as Devin's daughter Skyler who, rather conveniently, is presented as a young tech whiz who knew of Elle's achievements. One of the best things about the movie is its promotion of women in STEM fields. And I really liked the father daughter relationship (Devin's support of Skyler's dreams was sweet).

But the estranged real estate couple didn't ring true for me, either as a couple breaking apart or afterwards (I blame the writing, which was weak). There were other problems too. For example, would a successful hot shot tech executive discuss highly sensitive work issues during a FaceTime call on speaker in public and then simply put the phone down (and ignore the urgent matter) when a high school crush walks up?

And what woman would take her gay stylist from Indianapolis to her 15 year high school reunion in Connecticut? I respect and admire Hallmark's commitment to diversity, but if you're going to add a flamboyant gay character to a Hallmark movie, he should be as funny as Dan Levy from Schitt's Creek (not easy to do). This guy was just annoying and there was no reason for him to even be in town. Hallmark's gay characters don't need to be over the top caricatures for Hallmark to be inclusive.

And as much as I like Aimee Teagarden, her character was unrealistic and a bit off putting. Her high school crush (who took a cheap shot at Devin for remaining a local) reduced her to acting like a silly schoolgirl which didn't jive with her successful no nonsense career as a tech executive. She was also very dismissive of Devin for the first hour, blew off her understandably concerned assistant Alma and, in one of the sadder scenes, acknowledged blowing off Samantha after high school when she reached out to Elle. And her Big Speech was mostly about her.

But the most annoying aspect of the movie was how it dealt with Elle's impressive career and her position at a company called ZIgg. She was apparently the CTO of the company and managed its data cloud storage division. She was also featured "on Wired Magazine's 35 under 35 list". And yet the movie never explained what ZIgg does and what went wrong at the company. They also never explained why she never spoke to anyone on the Board or tried calling anyone other than the CEO, and there was no reason to believe she couldn't return to the company just because the CEO was arrested or wouldn't be in high demand at other Bay Area and Silicon Valley tech companies in California (there were no facts given as to why the sins of the CEO would sink the company or taint her).

I should probably give this less than a 6, but I really do like Aimee Teagarden. It's not her fault the story made no sense.

Now I get that most of the Christmas movies in recent years are the same 3 romance stories in different variations. But most of them had some Christmas elements that wasn't just the the tree it had that magical moment of the holiday. But this movie didn't feel any Christmas to me.the story is about high school reunion after 15 years were we meet the group of characters thinking about their school days and where they are now. Did they chose the right path, what did they achieve etc' etc'. The movie wasn't bad at all, the cast was great and had good chemistry. But to me the link between Christmas and the story was weak at best. They could have done reunion at any event because we always think of these questions When we meet our friends. There was no this extra Christmas magic that these kind of movies need to be holiday movie .

Hallmark has released a string of disappointing Christmas movies in 2022. The Christmas Class Reunion movie in 2022 is so predictable and slow moving to the point of being boring. The movie has a great cast with Aimee Teegarden from Friday Nights Lights as one of the lead characters. But the writers didn't put together a decent script for the cast to perform. The storyline was even more predictable than most Hallmark Christmas movies but most of the movie was depressing with couple breakups, conniving business folks in the class, and workaholics classmates who have made a mess of their lives in the big city. Hallmark should focus on quality versus holiday drivel.