Je ne suis pas prête pour Noël

Alicia Witt...one of my least favorite Hallmark ladies that I always seem to watch anyway. She's supposed to "sell the truth" in her advertising job but honestly Alicia doesn't sell that she's human. I think she's secretly an evil robot sent to gain our trust through wholesome Hallamrk. What a perfect cover!

Her trying to imitate Jim Carrey's wonderful comedic outbursts from Liar, Liar is SO HARD TO WATCH! It actually made me cringe, but somehow I kept watching. Her "truth spills" feel super robotic and where is her eyeline? Someone needs to update her programming.

As for the movie, I appreciate that the main character has flaws. Sometimes Hallmark characters can be too polished. The story is cute and moves along well. It has a decent sense of humor, so I suppose I'll be back again next year to watch, dammit.

PS The title/reoccurring song "I'm not ready for Christmas" is sung by the one and only Alicia Witt! So rare to get an Actor/Singer/Robot trifecta. But I'm not going to lie, the song goes from annoying to infectious.

I'm Not Ready for Christmas is a 2015 romance film directed by Sam Irvin and starring Alicia Witt, George Stults, Brigid Brannagh, and Dan Lauria. Written by Hanz Wasserburger, the film is about driven businesswoman whose life is turned upside down when she discovers she can no longer lie—the result of her niece Anna's wish to Santa Claus. Her career and love life become complicated when her lies begin to catch up with her, forcing her to judge between truth and what is right.

Alicia Witt seems to be the go to actress for the Hallmark Channel when they produce a film that rips off other films. I think they do this because she does make these film enjoyable.

This film is family safe however children & men will be bored. If you like romantic comedies then watch this.

Around Christmas I go through bucket loads of these things. I find them harmless festive fun, easy on the eye and brain, totally disposable.

So I never bother reviewing them.

This one did jump out though. I am mainly writing this review so I can remember what the film is in a years time.

It is basically a TV rip off of "Liar Liar" but without Jim Carrey and about ten million dollars chipped from the budget.

The film follows the same worn path where a busy, self absorbed exec type needs to grasp the spirit of Christmas and reconnect to the loving family she has been neglecting. This is done through the medium of a Christmas wish that prevents her from lying. So no medals for originality here.

I actually think Alicia Witt did a better job than Carrey, she brings warmth and charisma to the role without over-cooking it. The forced truth-telling is handled subtly and professionally - it avoids the crass and obnoxious outbursts that similar films feel necessary.

I liked this, I put down my wrapping and actually watched it. Now I am not suggesting you go out and buy the Blu Ray extended edition or anything - this is still a Xmas made for TV movie. If Christmas TV movies aren't your thing this won't change alter you perspective but if you have a choice between a few titles I would go for this one.

My rating for this one when I saw it 5 years ago was a 7. I'm bumping it up because I have come to appreciate Alicia Witt's talent when compared to the current crop of Hallmark favorite actresses. Most are not bad, but very few have Alicia's acting skills or comic talents. I found her very funny in this role, and the plot steps out of the current cookie cutter lines that Hallmark has fallen into in recent years. Special kudos to Mia Bagley who played the young niece. She was absolutely adorable. And it was great to see Brigid Brannagh again as Alicia's sister. One quibble: I hate it when either the hero or the heroine gives up the career opportunity of a life time to stay with the love interest. So instead of the guy going to be the musical director at NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY at twice the salary, he is going to stay with the high school? That is not going to end well.

I used to really enjoy Alicia Witt. She's done great work on really good films, but it seems she is overacting now. It's a little distracting. She's such a doll...but it's really hard to focus on the actual movie.