Destination Noël

I love Jennifer Finnegan but this was not her strength. She is not giggly, coy or flirty. Her strong suit is up front and straight forward. No chemistry with actors. And the sisters hair; seriously?

I am someone who can understand the value of the marshmallow- gooey nonsense that is hallmark. These movies have a light-hearted, happy ending one enjoys in a messed up and cold world of December. However this one was a bit too heavy on the poor acting, and poorly written dialogue. I honestly couldn't pay much attention to the movie because the camera work in this film was so bad it looked like a 12 year old did it. I expect more of a big company like Hallmark, yes, even for them to put out 23 new Christmas Movies every year- more than 4 should be of good quality.

This Hallmark holiday romance lacked the sense of magic that many Hallmark films strive for. I think it is due to the lack of chemistry between the two leads.

Jennifer Finnigan plays the role of Madison, who travels to the small town of Christmas to assess its suitability for a new resort development. She is convinced there is a better alternative, but her boss asks her to investigate. When she arrives, she meets Gage (Eric Mabius), the town sheriff, who becomes her unofficial liaison with the community.

The entire town dedicates itself to convincing Madison that Christmas is the better choice, pulling out all the stops. Madison is stranded in Christmas longer than she wanted, giving her opportunities to interact with the locals, especially Gage's family. When it is time for the final decision, Madison's feelings come into play, and there is a final twist.

Eric Mabius plays the sheriff with a gruffness that Madison has to break through---a typical plot point in such romances. But we never see him thawing to her character, giving loving looks. Still, like many Hallmark films, this one honors the value of small towns and the people who live there.

Surprisingly not a lot of "evil/jealous ex'es etc". It was an okay watch. Chemistry between the leads was minimal, but much more between the kids and the lead actress. The lead male actor was also quiet "distant" in the movie, like he didn't really care. But other than that, :) a good movie to watch during the holidays

Though the Hallmark movies churned out every year now are pretty predictable, the chemistry and banter between the romantic leads were better than the norm.