Un défi pour Noël

Did HeidiJean really see this movie? A great Christmas movie? Not even close. Dull, bland and completely lacking in imagination and heart. I kept watching this movie wondering who the hell thought that Carly Pope could play the lead in this movie! The woman has no detectable personality and gives a completely lackluster performance. Baransky was great as usual and provided the only modicum of interesting the whole thing. Probably her involvement was the only reason this project was green lighted to begin with. Maybe I'm expecting too much for a Lifetime movie played 15 days from Christmas but I sat through this thing thinking that with a different director and a recasting JJ with an actress that at least could elicit sympathy this could have been quite a cute little movie.

Okay finished watching last night "Recipe for a Perfect Christmas". I love Chirstiana Baranski and her talents were not wasted.

In this film: A newly appointed food critic finds her life turned upside down when her uninhibited mother arrives announced at Christmas. Desperate to offload her, she enlists the help of a young chef, with surprising results. Bobby Cannavale co stars.

The film is very predictable but CB brings such a depth to her role that you will find yourself enjoying the film despite the fact that it is very predictable. CB does makes this film rise above the Average Television-Christmas Movie

The film is available on DVD from Amazon.

I live for the Lifetime holiday movie schedule, and always look forward to the new movies each year. Sadly, this one was not nearly as good as some of the past winners.

Christine whats-her-name, the mother, as always gave a great performance. But the daughter and Alex were both really weak characters, and didn't leave much room for the actors to show off. I thought there were zero sparks between them. It's like we were supposed to think they're a match made in heaven just because they brushed arms a couple times, and both like books on WWII history. I watch these dumb movies because they're supposed to make you feel all warm and goo-ey Christmas-y inside. But this was just bland; Their first kiss didn't have any of the predictable goo-eyness that i expect from these movies... I dunno, it just left me feeling flat. So much so that i fast-forwarded through dullsville parts with my tivo. I never do that. Normally I rewind those scenes. And watch them again the next night. Yes, I'm a giant loser.

I won't watch this again next year. But some of the past made-for-TV holiday movies that I've enjoyed in the past, and I'll watch again this year include Picking Up and Dropping Off, Boyfriend for Christmas, Comfort and Joy....All cheesy and feel good....

PS I'm tired of all these lifetime movies being about women in 'high powered' jobs, and they illustrate this fact by making them hollow, shallow, vicious jerks. Like women making over six-figures can't like Christmas. Arghhh.... At least this one deserves credit for giving her an actual job description (food critic), wherein most of these movies just have these ditzes in tight suits, stressing about some vague work-related issue on a wireless earphone, saying stuff like "I didn't get my masters in marketing at Columbia and rise to the top of the marketing business to not close this deal"....just to show how successful and professional, and not into Christmas this character must be (problematic because first, a masters in marketing is an MBA; second, what the heck is a 'marketing business'?, and third, can we be more vague and touchy feely about women in business? Make them an accountant, for god's sake; at least that's a real job.)

I'm a life time TV watcher, so i like always watch the movies, this one was good, the cast had chemistry, and it was a real feel good movie, and it has a great moral to the story.Carly Pope was great along with Bobby Cannavale and Christine Baranski!This movie really could have used a different name I think , maybe like "The Christmas Review" so people wouldn't think its just about food, because its about so much more.I think Carly Pope may be the next big thing, shes beautiful , natural, and so believable. If you haven't seen it yet and like Christmas movies that aren't too christmasy then I'll bet you would really enjoy this one.

JJ Jenner (Carly Pope) is the assistant for the food critic at NYC magazine Glow Manhattan. She doesn't get along with her mother Lee Bellmont (Christine Baranski) who is always the center of attention. Lee shows up at her apartment out of the blue. She got retired for old age as a cruise ship dancer but she keeps it a secret. The food critic leaves for maternity, and the new critic is a drunken creep. He gets fired and JJ is the new critic. Lee berates JJ's boyfriend who reveals that he's been actually cheating on her. Alex Stermadapolous (Bobby Cannavale) cooks good food in an empty restaurant. He struggles to get notice without a publicist. JJ agrees to come by his restaurant if he pretends to date her mother keeping her busy.

Christine Baranski makes this something passable. She does a compelling character with emotional depth. The mother daughter relationship works because of her. Both Carly Pope and Bobby Cannavale do a reasonable job. The production is pretty much middle of the road TV movie. This is borderline watchable. I'm not always sure which side of the border however.