Rescuing Christmas

The radio intern emerged as the unequivocal star of the movie, delivering a performance that not only breathed life into a lackluster storyline but also set a standard of excellence that the other actors failed to match. His acting prowess, marked by a professional and captivating demeanor, showcased a rare talent that surpassed the mediocrity of the film's lead characters, Sam and Erin. While the radio intern's authenticity and refreshing presence enriched every scene, the shortcomings in the performances of Sam and Erin were glaring. In comparison, the radio intern's unbothered attitude and nuanced portrayal stood out, highlighting his superior acting abilities and making him the true highlight of the production. His contribution was not just commendable; it was a masterclass in elevating a movie beyond its limitations.

Wanted to love it, but the cast didn't grab, hold my attention. I found myself doing other tasks while checking back in periodically. Sam Page is a good anchor, but felt monotonic in this particular offering. Rachel Leigh Cook appeared a bit off, perhaps being executive producer took away from her usual shine. The ending seemed to be a bit of cut ins pasted together to wrap up the ends. The elves were annoying which in an odd way brought some sort of emotion. The optics of a non White Santa was irksome. Non White, female, Christmas overlord was bothersome. In fact, a good reason to downgrade further.

In some ways the premise is common. It's a quest where the romantic leads work together to achieve a goal, in this case to bring back Christmas. It is a not so common subset where the quest is to restore some reality that has been changed, usually by a wish. In many cases, the lead is the center of the quest and has been given a new life. In some cases like this one, the entire reality has been changed for everyone, that is if you accept the reality of Santa and Christmas magic.

It takes a while to set up the quest. And enlisting Sam doesn't seem to be the obvious choice, but Erin needs help from someone. The romance development doesn't receive a lot of screen time and therefore it may seem like "falling in love" was rushed. Rachael Leigh Cook and Sam Page still manage to display some chemistry.

There is a strong thread that the meaning of Christmas is family and friends and love and spending time together. Also some stabs at Christmas commercialism.

There are a lot of good lines. I typically don't laugh at lot at movies but I found myself laughing out loud a few times especially early on. The acting is good if you allow for some necessary silliness. I think RLC has good comedic timing.

My title says "Clever". I thought this was shown in imagining of the results of trying to get people to celebrate a Christmas that they have no basis for. Tennis balls for ornaments is just a small example. Or the mom complaining about what Erin was telling her kids which was actually kind of creepy.

A jaded, stressed out woman wants a break from all the festivities and obligations of Christmas. In a moment of fury, she wishes for it to all just go away. The next morning, she wakes up to find that all the Christmas decorations in town are gone, and nobody except her has any memory of the holiday. She then scrambles to revive Christmas.

It's a funny idea -- having the protagonist reintroduce Christmas to her family and to the town, and they point out how absurd the holiday traditions sound.

The male love interest is very likable in this movie. And the actor playing jolly old Saint Nick did an excellent job.

Omg. So...I LOVED this movie! It's so hard when it's a great story, but an actor-or many- just kind of aren't into it and are just not right for the role/s. I'm a Hallmark movie connoisseur due to being on the spectrum, and I appreciate predictable plots...however this was a pleasantly surprising Xmas movie and everything was PERFECT! Loved the original plot, the great acting and writing... the flow, editing? This is a well-rounded holiday movie that I plan to watch every Xmas. But seriously... I watch Xmas movies all year round, so... this movie just bought my hallmark subscription for the next year. Thanks to all who made it- keep making magic please! ✨