Noël au pays des jouets

A Very Merry Toy Store (2017) Available on Prime Video (Freevee)

Here I am again reviewing a movie several years after its release, but I try to be thorough, and often don't see that in other reviews. The cast drew me to this one. I was curious to see a rom-com where the leads are not the usual 20-somethings or young 30-somethings. It was nice to see a 40-year-old Melissa Joan Hart and 43-year-old Mario Lopez (ages at that time) as the stars. That said, I didn't see or feel a great deal of chemistry between the lead actors--and I almost never complain about chemistry--I am usually one to that is open to the subtle signs. I'm not saying these two were bad together, I just don't think they are likely to have viewers on the edge of their seats, hoping they get together at the end--which is part and parcel of romance movies. (But hey, Lifetime is not as good at this as a few other romance movie networks).

The storyline here was interesting, and it was different from many rom-coms. The acting from everyone was more than adequate. I DON'T have the complaints many reviewers did concerning "fake snow," "cheap sets," etc. With rom-coms, I'm always willing to suspend disbelief and not waste my time analyzing peripherals that don't mean anything.

I do have one complaint about the movie--there were simply too many subplots, and there really wasn't enough time to develop them all. It's as if the script only touched the surface of many different stories within the film. Mostly, the subplots were resolved, but poorly, with a disturbing lack of details. We the viewers are left to imagine how the resolution took place, what happened to the people involved? I blame all of this on simply trying to cram too many little stories into an 87 minute movie--there just wasn't time. The result? Too much happened that simply was not satisfactorily explained.

This is not a bad movie. It's an okay movie that entertains, but those MANY subplots dragged the film down to a six for me. With perhaps 2.5 hours to work with and an expanded script, the film might have really shined.

I gave this an extra point for reuniting Melissa and Beth. Likeable cast in slightly above average TV Xmas movie. Cute and sugary. The usual.

I like the movies that Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez act in. Sure, they are usually cheesy romantic comedies, but still offer substance. A Very Merry Toy Store has a light romance between the two leads, Connie and Will. They don't have the instant chemistry and connection that you see in some movies. Their feelings for each other grow, change, and blossom as they work together to combat a common enemy: a rival toy store. There is a problem in their relationship at one point, just like all of these tv romances. However, the reason for Connie's pain is completely understandable and Will recognizes his lapse in judgment and quickly fixes the situation.

This movie moves along pretty slowly and is boring in some scenes. There isn't that much comedic relief, but they attempted to add it with Connie's idiot brother. But to be honest, the brother is just too clueless. No grown man would actually be that way. It's definitely off putting and a big reason I didn't give more stars. Funny thing is that the brother inadvertently saves the day because of a mistake he made. Lol

I like Connie's quick wit and the way she says what's on her mind. Both Will and Connie have huge hearts and care deeply for their town and neighbors, which is comforting. There is still something lacking though. I didn't feel a huge connection to any of the protagonists. I don't know how else to describe it except for bland. A lot of the movie didn't feel natural. And nothing really stayed with me after. I still enjoyed it though. But I'm not sure it'll be one that I'll rewatch.

This festive flick has real charm and Christmas magic and is well above average for the genre.

Delightful!

It took me forever to finish this movie. It wasn't very interesting to me. The graphics in this movie were terrible on some scenes and could have been done better, some of the background scenes looked so fake. Didn't enjoy this one