Les 12 Cadeaux de Noël

It is a cozy Hallmark movie. I would say it's one of their good ones. The Christmas shopper idea was quite inspiring, wish I could do that. The "drama" in the plot felt kind of off, there was really no need for it.

Most Hallmark Christmas movies make the difference with other Christmas movies in the fact that they are bright and agreeable, although they tend to be too bland and corny and have not exactly complicated plots. However, this one's a bit more elaborated, resulting in a more entertaining and nice to watch movie with fine cast and beautiful photography. A painter who does not succeed in her profession (Katrina Law, who resembles Relic Hunter star Tia Carrere) and lives with her sister's family decides to work as a personal shopper to earn some money to pay her rent. Her first client is an executive (Aaron O'Connell, who resembles a young Richard Gere) who has no time to buy Christmas presents. While they met and work together, his priorities begin to change and begins to really enjoy life while falling for her. Filmed in a visually attractive New York city it is an easy watching movie that runs along smoothly and provides a nice entertainment without being too corny. If you liked this one try With love, Christmas.

This is a really by-the-books romantic Christmas comedy, right down to an 80s dressing montage, I kid you not.

But what makes it stand out is how sweet and cute the main characters are.

There's no cringe pandering or mean spirited antagonism as in most rom coms, this one is just very nice and uplifting. Highly recommended. Trust me, you need this.

A fine film to watch around the holidays, with two strong leads. But something bothered me. I mean, really bothered me. I'm not hating on Donna Mills, but she played the main character's mother. The young man is in his late twenties, no older. Donna Mills is made up/lit/diffused/whatever to look thirty years old. The woman in seventy-five. Women that age should not look thirty! She looked more like the character's sister than his mother. That distracted me so much, that's pretty much all I have to say in this review. Good film. Good lead actors. But, damn. Don't make a seventy five year old woman look thirty. It took me right out of the movie.

Based on the other reviews I wasn't expecting too much from this movie, but it turned out to be one of the best I have seen. Light and breezy dialogue, and a plot that kept moving with likeable characters, are among its strengths. But it also dealt with questions of goals and life direction so it wasn't all fluff, either. All in all a charming, engaging movie with enough plot surprises to keep you interested and entertained.