Leah's Perfect Gift

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I thought Leah and Graham had chemistry. You could tell they really loved each other. I loved the sister too. She brought in some comedic timing that was needed. I loved mixing the Jewish and Christian traditions. I would agree with other reviewers that Graham's parents were over the top and rude. I don't know why Hallmark does that and then in the final moments they change. It's not believable. I really felt Leah's performance and how she didn't feel like she fit in with Graham's parents. He played both sides well. Maybe he could have listened to Leah better but that is where some of the conflict lyes. The ex girlfriend could have been left out. She really brought nothing to the table. Overall I really liked this movie.

I saw other reviews and expected Graham's family, especially the mom, to be worse. Oh she was bad enough, but I've seen worse. Actually the movie started out well enough at Leah's family's house. There are several good moments between Graham and Leah. However, the constant putdowns of Leah did not lead to much Ho, Ho, Ho. Leah starts to get down on herself which isn't a good look for her.

So awkward? All the putdowns are nothing compared to the Christmas Eve gifts.

Obviously things pick up and several nice things happen.

BTW - about the vases. It really bothered me enough the Julia made Leah pay full price for the broken vases given that it was an accident. Over $300 at retail should have got a discount for multiple purchases anyway. But then she had to rub it in later when Leah meets her again making it sound like Leah did her so much harm even after paying for it.

Another BTW - Hallmark's running gag about Die Hard is kind of cute.

I really enjoyed this movie (coming from a long marriage where we combined Christmas and Hannukah traditions). Some of the scenes were a bit over the top, however I can relate so well to the way I opened packages on holidays by ripping the wrapping paper vs. The way my non-Jewish husband opened packages by carefully opening the taped end and folding the paper afterwards. Combining our traditions led to some moments such as they portrayed in the movie. I have to think that some or all of the writers lived some of these type of situations too. I really enjoyed the ending when the mother and Leah have an honest conversation. I don't understand all of the bad reviews here; I enjoyed this movie and could relate to most of it.

This seemed like a cute movie, the main actress was great she was funny, cute and did a good job, but halfway through I had to stop watching take a deep breath and remind myself it's not real. It's a movie they are not real people. Because the way they treat this poor girl in this movie was so hard to watch it was giving me anxiety! Was the mom supposed to have a mental illness(ocd) and it just not be talked about? Because she was so bad and even in the end when she was being "nice" I couldn't take her seriously I was waiting for another put down from her and even the mean ex girlfriend I was thinking wow they really just threw in nice moments that fell flat. A rewrite for the mom and maybe a different actress to play her and I would've loved it! The main actress is the only reason I watched the whole thing and am giving it 5 stars.

Here is one of the Jewish people partaking in their first Christmas (and sometimes vice versa) stories. We've seen several, and ALL the rest are better.

The mother is unbearable. I "think" she's supposed to be funny. She's not. She's insensitive, cold, and obnoxious to the point we simply could not watch anymore.

Emily Arlook as the female lead should at least be charming and sympathetic. She's not. We found her annoying, too. The father is shallow and useless. The sister is okay. They should have used her more. MUCH more. The male lead came across as the most likable "main character", but they didn't even use him enough. When the plot description says "awkward", believe it. It's just not "funny awkward", it's "disturbing awkward".

But the mother spoils the entire story. She's not someone I'd tolerate in my life, and not even for two hours. Buh bye!