Destined at Christmas

This was a low key charmer of a movie.

The plot involves two people who meet while shopping on black Friday, then get separated and spend the rest of the movie looking for each other.

The chemistry between leads is good, and the lead actress is especially appealing.

I did not much care for the supporting cast.

In order to enjoy these movies, we have to forgive much, and this is no different. I would've had that girl's number long before the lead actor even thought of it, and some of the plot twists get a little far fetched.

Still, we know how it's going to come out or we wouldn't be watching it.

For my money, this is a nice start to '22, and an improvement from last year on GAC.

When Kim and Theo lost each other at the sporting goods store because the power went out, why didn't they just wait at the front door to meet back up again?

Very obvious ending that they would finally meet up again and start a relationship. Reminded me of a bad Serendipity, where the viewers get frustrated because the main characters keep missing each other and everyone in their circle meet the person that they just keep missing.

Particularly bad acting by the child playing Theo's daughter. Absolute train wreck. Nice scenery. Shot in Utah. I didn't recognize any of the actors in this movie, including the main characters.

I don't recommend this film.

I like the movie, but it does have an issue in the plotting design.

The couple meets at the beginning of the movie, develop an affinity for each other, then are separated, each only knowing the other's first name.

They spend the rest of the movie trying to "detective out" the other's identity, plus of course a few near misses. That makes the plot dodge most of the Christmas romance cliches (except he of course is a single dad with an adorable daughter and no mention of what happened to his wife ... but they can't dodge them ALL LOL).

The issue is that after the very early minutes of the movie, the leads can't appear together again until, or course, the very end. I don't think that's a spoiler. ;-)

I like the story and the characters, but a lot of the scenes don't build the story and just fill time. It's worth a watch but I don't see it being on our repeat list despite the fact the ending was well done.

I wasn't too sure about this movie in the beginning, the plot was bumpy and I wasn't sure where it was going. The story line of both characters searching for each other over most of the movie, was very tiresome. And it's odd that two people didn't discuss what they did for a living when they had breakfast in the beginning, they're young and obviously they work. The dialog was better than average, I didn't cringe when listening to it.

This movie didn't have a dominate female lead with a male in a secondary role, this was a story about Kim and Theo. It wasn't another formulaic story about developing an app or something in sales, Kim and Theo were both settled in their careers.

Shae Robins and Casey Elliott had chemistry onscreen, the supporting cast wasn't as good.

This movie has no big pretenses. It is a simple story. Kim and Theo, a single father, casually meet on Black Friday and develop a strong attraction. Unfortunately, they lose track of each other. In the following weeks, they search and keep missing each other, while carrying on with their lives. The conclusion is quite predictable. There is no serious drama, as both lead characters are wholesome people and all of the others, family and friends, seem equally nice. Some details are quivery, if not illogical. For one, why Theo's divorced wife appears nonexistent in their daughter's life?

Yet, the movie moves well and manages to be entertaining, while remaining uplifting. Shae Robins and Casey Elliot work great together, projecting warm and sincere, reciprocal feelings. The daughter, Ashley, is captivating. By the way, is she Casey Elliott's real daughter? The movie highlights plenty of Christmas, and everyday, values, such as kindness, generosity and love. If the goal was to provide a family friendly Christmas tale with simple, honest, uplifting emotions, the mission is accomplished. Based on it's values, GAC is my Christmas destination.