Christmas Under the Lights

This is an example of a Hallmark movie that seems to be made with a low budget so it is just a series of endless scenes where the characters just talk on and on and nothing really happens. Plus, the scenes are very repetitive with the lead character, Emily, constantly agonizing over the loss of her mother. At times, Heather Hemmins, as Emily, even seems bored with the script herself. Usually, a very good actress, Hemmins just appears to get lost in all the word salad. Marco Grazinni, as Emily's love interest, Luke, tries valiantly to breathe some life into the story - but there's little he can salvage from this weak script. Sharon Taylor plays Emily's mother in flashback and she is the most interesting of all of the characters - she manages to add some spark to what is, ultimately, one of the biggest disappointments of this 2024 Christmas season at Hallmark.

Christmas Under the Lights is easily one of the best Hallmark movies I've seen in years, and I watch plenty of them! What sets this one apart is its calm, realistic tone and the maturity in its storytelling. The acting is wonderfully natural, the characters feel genuine, and the story has surprising depth. Instead of relying on clichés or forced drama, the film focuses on heartfelt relationships, emotional growth, and a community coming together.

It's a refreshing, feel-good movie with just the right amount of holiday magic. If you're craving a Hallmark movie that feels authentic and meaningful while still delivering all the festive charm, this is a must-watch!

Of course I was not familiar with the 2024 Christmas movie "Christmas Under the Lights" from director Lucie Guest, but opted to add it to my 2024 Christmas movie marathon, and thus give the movie a fair chance.

Writers Russell Hainline and Beverley Wood didn't exactly think out of the box when they wrote the script for the movie, as they basically played it safe by putting all their money on generic sappy Christmas tropes, for better or worse. Well, sure, "Christmas Under the Lights" was a watchable movie, don't get me wrong, and you're in for a treat if you enjoy these particularly formulaic sappy Christmas movies that follow the Hallmark-guidebook-of-how-to-make-a-sappy-Christmas-movie.

The only face on the screen that I was familiar with was actor Niall Matter, whom was in the movie for maybe less than a minute. But I've seen sufficiently many Christmas movies to recognize him. The acting performances in "Christmas Under the Lights" were fair.

Hardly a Christmas classic in any way. Nor is it a movie that I will return to watch a second time.

My rating of director Lucie Guest's 2024 movie "Christmas Under the Lights" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Christmas under the lights is a movie about a marketing executive who is persuaded by her brother to return to the family farm to help run a holiday event after the passing of their mother. I feel like I've typed that before.

Anyway, she is reluctant to return because she's still carrying baggage from her troubled relationship with her mom.

She does so, and on the way has a meet-hostile with a man she later learns is an artist staying at the farm as a refuge following a bad breakup.

There are several things that stand out in this movie: for one, the leads are prettier than people have a right to be. I have to say it's nice to see some actual masculinity in one of these movies, and they have a little fun mocking it from time to time.

They also manage to get in a couple jabs at the Hollywood/social media types.

This movie is very dialogue-heavy. Some of it is very well-written, but some not.

Supporting cast is good, although again, another movie with mostly unfamiliar faces.

Not a bad job, I think many will enjoy it. I do not happen to be a big fan of all the heavy conversation, and really didn't care for the flashbacks.

Six.

I enjoy Heather Hemmens in most of her Hallmark movies. I thought this one was good, and she played the emotional story beats very well, mostly in trying to grapple with her mom's death and the regret associated with that. The romance as usual was a slow build over the course of maybe two weeks (lol), but I liked that it wasn't your typical "I'm in love with you" but rather "I really like you and want to see where a relationship could go".

For my first '24 Hallmark offering, this fit the bill. But it wasn't anything particularly groundbreaking. Still, even the most casual of Hallmark fans will find something enjoyable in this one, so I say give it a watch!