L'ange gardien de Noël

My wife asked, "Why do you like this movie but don't like movies about Santa?" There are two classes of formulaic Christmas movies produced by Hallmark. One class succeeds most of the time, given a good script and good actors. The other doesn't. To be successful, it must be believable if we can suspend our prejudices. When it comes to angels, etc., we all want to believe they exist. Even an agnostic like me, wishes this to be true. On the other hand, when it comes to fantasy Christmas involving Santa, we all know it isn't believable so we just ride with it because, after all, it is fantasy. With Angels and Ornaments, we have a wonderful script and a mesmerizing Sergio Di Zio (H). Coupled with Jessalyn Gilsig…well, the magic works. This is on par with The Christmas Card, one of the best Christmas movies made in recent years.

Jessalyn Gilsig has just broken up with her boyfriend and has lost the audition for the solo at the community center where she volunteers. Little does she know that her boss is in love with her -- neither does he -- but thanks to her guardian angel, things are going to turn out just fine for them. However, that doesn't matter.

Many of these Hallmark TV romantic comedies succeed, when they do, because of the major actors in minor supporting roles. In this one, however, it is Sergio de Zio as the on-assignment angel, Harold, who makes this movie. With his old-fashioned, formal clothes, direct gaze and emphatic, nasal voice, he owns every scene he's in and makes his absence in others telling. Of course everything is shot to emphasize him, but that's more than okay, since he makes it worthwhile.

The rest of the story is competent and workaday, although the other actors are fine in their scenes. There are the usual details that make me wonder if the movie-makers have ever been in New York City, where they set this movie: the store has a big second story sign announcing it has been in business for 25 years; no New Yorker looks at those signs and do they change it every year? Everyone lives in huge apartments. However, it's still a fine movie.

This is a Hallmark movie, so the ending is predictable, but it features an excellent performance by Sergio Di Zio who plays an angel tasked with bringing two people together. That alone makes this worth watching once.

2014 was a bit hit and miss when it came to Hallmark Christmas films, and perhaps even Hallmark in general. While there were good ones such as 'A Royal Christmas' and 'Christmas Under Wraps', there were also misfires like 'One Starry Christmas' and especially 'A Cookie Cutter Christmas'. There has never been any bias against Hallmark, far from it. Have actually been impressed by a good deal of their work, though a lot of it is average or less especially in the past few years even when judging them for as they are intended to be.

A very strong contender for the best of the 2014 Hallmark Christmas films is 'Angels and Ornaments'. Was not expecting a massive amount, and it delivers a lot better than expected. While not masterpiece level or perfect, there is a lot that works absolutely beautifully and it is very highly successful when taking the film for what it is. Not only is 'Angels and Ornaments' to me the best of Hallmark's 2014 Christmas films it is also perhaps among their best ever work, with it being one of their not many very good ones.

It's not a perfect film. Dave is a rather dull and one-dimensional character and Graham Abbey doesn't have an awful lot of spark playing too.

Did think too that the ending was too easily telegraphed and too tidy.

However, as said a lot of things work absolutely beautifully. 'Angels and Ornaments' pleases visually, lovely festive locations attractively and never drably or garishly shot. The music isn't as intrusive as it tends to be with Hallmark while the direction gets the job done well. The script doesn't get too cheesy or sentimental and does have a more natural flow when it becomes more settled. The story is not too heavy while taking itself seriously and is both warm-hearted and has a light touch when necessary.

On the whole as well it isn't too predictable, there are elements that are different than the usual Hallmark Christmas film and they are elements that feature a lot but not rammed down the throat. On the most part, the characters are worth caring about. Jessalyn Gilsig is a charming female lead but do agree about Sergio Di Zio giving the best performance and making the film. He did start off a little too intense at first, but softens quite quickly and brings understated sincerity to an entertaining and wise character without any signs of being on autopilot.

Concluding, very well done. 8/10.

Corrine is a musician who works in a music store; her boss Dave is an old friend of hers, and is sweet on her but would never show it because she has never seen him as boyfriend material. However, Christmas is coming up and she is fresh off a break-up with Tim, who keeps calling her hoping for a second chance. We know a bit about Corrine's background: her grandfather, overseas during WWII, sent her grandmother songs instead of traditional letters. The last one she got was on a Christmas Eve before he was reported killed, and when she died, she gave the song to Corrine as a keepsake, which she treasures. Her favorite ornament, also from her grandmother, is of a group of carolers, and one night, when some carolers come to her door, she notices that the front-and-center singer, Harold, is wearing the same snowflake scarf that one of the ornament carolers is wearing. Wouldn't you know that, a couple days later, Harold winds up as a seasonal worker at the music store. This is when the movie takes a "Wonderful Life" twist: Harold is actually an angel who has been assigned to get Corrine and Dave together. If he succeeds, he'll win his wings. But Harold has his hands full since Dave is a little gun-shy because of his own failed romances, and just as it looks like Corrine is starting to see Dave in a romantic light, that rat bastard Tim comes back in the picture. Can Harold get everything straight before midnight on Christmas Eve?

I give this Hallmark holiday movie a few extra points for its somewhat original plot. Yes, it's stolen from It's a Wonderful Life but it does have a couple of nice variations, and in its plot point involving an old song written by a dead loved one, even borrows a bit from the climax of The Bishop's Wife. The mostly Canadian cast, none of whom I remember seeing before, is fine. I like that Dave (Graham Abbey) is a little rougher-looking than the usual shiny bland romantic leads, and Sergio Di Zio, as the angel, gives an almost eccentric performance that ends up working well. I had some problems with plot loopholes that I can't discuss here, but I recommend this as something just a little different from the Hallmark Christmas Factory.