Noël avec un inconnu

This TV movie offers more than a clever title. As prescribed by the genre, it is a feel-good Christmas story with a romance running through it.

Retail book clerk, Darcy (Ali Liebert), runs into a man (Peter Porte) walking his dog---literally---and the guy suffers amnesia. With no personal information available for the unconscious accident victim, Darcy and the hospital do their best to uncover his personal information and help him regain memory, respectively.

This is a satisfying tale about personal discovery that guides the viewer on a journey of slow revelation. Although there are not many surprises, the plot is heart-warming.

A little different from the usual Hallmark formula there is no store to save or silly misunderstanding before the end. It's fairly interesting to see a bookstore employee help a man with amnesia figure out who he is. The stars are likeable enough neither too perky or irritating.

One of the better films to come out of the Hallmark channel at Christmastime, A Gift to Remember follows the romance between Ali Liebert and Peter Porte, who have a very rocky start. While on her bicycle, Ali literally crashes into Peter, and he hits his head a little too hard on the pavement. He's hospitalized, but wakes up with no memory of who he is! Ali feels terribly responsible, so she visits him often to help him recuperate, and as they get to know each other, they fall in love.

In one scene, Ali searches his apartment for clues to inspire his memory, and she thinks it's incredibly strange that he has no Christmas decorations in any of this rooms. It's supposed to be this huge red flag, but only on Hallmark would it not even occur to her that he might not celebrate the holiday! "You're Jewish, bud," my mom said to the TV, hoping to help Peter and Ali along.

Humor aside, this is actually a really good movie, one that I plan to watch every year as it's re-aired on television. The leads have a very sweet chemistry together, and it's refreshing to see a romance that isn't peppered with bickering or surface flirtations. Ali puts her heart into her performance, and her dramatic acting makes all the difference in the world. She has some very pretty expressions, and she's an instantly likable heroine.

In a nice part of Philadelphia, Darcy (Ali Lieber) rides a bike everyday to her dream job, a book saleslady at Chaucer's private book store. When she returns home to her nice apartment a few blocks away, she reads the night away. Oh, she goes out on dates from time to time, but if the gentleman doesn't read, Darcy is not interested. As she is dressing up the store for the holidays, Darcy spies a cute man, name unknown (Peter Porte) and his sheepdog Bailey and likes what she sees. Yet, he doesn't come in the store so she can't meet him. Some days later, Darcy is running late and hops on her bike for the fastest commute she can mount. Horrors! She actually runs over "cute guy" and knocks him to the ground. He goes into a coma! The ambulance takes him to a nearby hospital and Darcy knows she has to take care of the pooch in the interim. This complicates things with her landlady but they work out an arrangement. Soon, the new patient awakes from coma land, but doesn't remember his name or why he is there. Darcy comes to visit and she and the medical staff try to find the missing pieces in his memory. But, two problems arise for Darcy. One, the man may have a fiancée, oh no. Two, her manager is leaving and the store is looking for a replacement. Does Darcy have the daring to apply for the job? What another fine gift from my favorite company on the planet: HALLMARK! What would rom-com lovers do without the endless string of funny love stories Hallmark bestows on its fans? I shudder to think. Lieber is cute and funny while Porte, the lookalike to Jim Caviezel, is already a great favorite of this viewer and the world. What fun to see Philadelphia in a good light and animal lovers will fall hard for Bailey, too. In short, tie a string on your finger and remember to look for this one.

Really cute. Woman working at local bookstore literally runs into gentleman with dog and then helps his as he has amnesia. Sparks fly and so does Christmas magic!