Coup de foudre sous le sapin

I've seen quite a few Hallmark Christmas movies and most are schmaltzy, contrived and overly clichéd. This one feels different. It flows really well, with an outstanding lead in Bonnie Sommerville. She looks gorgeous, has a radiant smile and an easy-going natural acting ability which cuts through most of the clichés ! It feels like a Christmas version of "Doc Hollywood", although Bonnie plays a New York advertising exec who breaks down in Christmas Valley, Ohio. She meets Kevin ( a good job from Brennan Eliot) , who's a widower with a daughter & owns a Christmas tree farm which is on hard times. The supporting cast are great and the singing mechanic has a good voice too ! All in all, it's way better than most of the rest, so relax & enjoy !

Throughout my whole Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas film completest quest undertaken namely late last year through to early this year, an interesting quest but very mixed one, there was never the mentality of expecting a classic or the film in question to be flawless. Something that was never managed with Hallmark's output. There was always the expectation of seeing a film where one can see at least some effort rather than merely cash-in level. One could see that with most of Hallmark's output but not all.

'Love You Like Christmas' is not a Christmas classic, but seeing it the amount of effort that went into it was more than evident throughout. Hallmark's Christmas output has been very variable, the best ones being surprisingly very bad and the worst terrible. 'Love You Like Christmas' in many ways is one of their overall best, with almost everything done remarkably well and only a couple of things done imperfectly which was not unexpected in a way.

Have never expected much originality from Hallmark, and attempts at doing something different were quite rare. 'Love You Like Christmas' is not much of an exception, with the story being yet another variation on a very familiar and still done to death (for Hallmark) formula. So story-wise it is rather predictable with some slow spots here and there.

Perhaps the ending is a touch on the pat side.

Not much else to dislike otherwise. Bonnie Sommerville is a breath of fresh air, after seeing some pretty terrible female leads in other Hallmark and Lifetime films her performance here is among the better ones. Brennan Elliott is a very charming and equally likeable partner and they have a very sweet and genuine chemistry together (something that some other Hallmark films have failed badly in). Madison Brydges endears and is not bratty and too cute, her character also feels like a real character and not a stereotype. Which is true for the characters in general and how refreshing it was to finally have a Hallmark businesswoman character that isn't over the top annoying, Maddie being one of the few rootable ones.

Moreover, the production values still manage to be pleasing. It's not too drab or garish in photography, the editing didn't seem rushed or disorganised and the scenery has a real charm to it. Most of the soundtrack is nostalgic and appealing to listen to, capturing the festive spirit well. The script just about avoids being corny and saccharine, both of which are common for Hallmark, and the story is mostly very engaging, easy to be uplifted by and heart-warming. Oh and the dog is adorable with a capital A.

On the whole, surprisingly very good and one of the best Hallmark Christmas films. 8/10

...this is a feel good Christmas movie. Love Brennan Elliott, no matter what he's in. His acting is natural, guy next door type that makes one feel you've known him forever. Loved the dog and the young girl.

A lot of these movies have to push the limits of credulity for their premise, but if you can get past that, they have a story.

In this case the stretch is a Madison Avenue ad exec driving to Denver for a client's wedding because she's afraid to fly. So she sets off in a vintage Mustang for the trip, winding up with a failing alternator in a small town in Ohio ... which happens to have an unseasonable early and heavy snow.

She meets an adorable little girl at the boarding house she must take refuge in while the part comes in for her car, and the film follows a growing relationship with the girl's father and others in the town ... particularly a woman running a diner who could use a bit of help promoting her business.

Other circumstances keep her stranded in the town until she seems to have "gone native". :-) Luckily, there is no "old boyfriend" trope, but there is the "big city exec helps small town business" trope.

But the characters and the story are enjoyable, and the film holds up under repeated viewings (thought probably a few years apart).

While formulaic a very enjoyable movie. Woman in the add business gets stranded in Christmas loving town with car breakdown. Woman is embraced by town and meets handsome single dad. Single Dad and child fall head over heels for stranded woman. Stranded woman tries to help save the family tree farm. Will she do it? Boss, back in the big city threatens to fire woman if she doesn't make it back to do the big presentation in time. Many tears are shed as woman finally weaves her way back to the city..will she choose her job or the ready made family back in Christmasville?? What do you think. Liked it, worth a watch!