Un Noël magique à Rome

Ahhhhh .... another notch in the string of Lacey Chabert Christmas themed romances blossoms. Just what we need every year at least twice eh? My header comment is based on how silly Lacey Chabert looked playing a tour guide in Rome, Italy named Angela de Luca who can seemingly get by financially providing a private tour to one young executive named Oliver Martin (Sam Page) who is trying to close a deal with an Italian businessman named Luigi Forlinghetti (Franco Nero). Angela and her client Oliver are seen walking up and down the hilly streets of Rome Italy wearing coats that are always wide opened, and her wearing 3 inch high heel boots instead of running shoes.

If you can get by these two phoney Americans looking totally out of place as if they own the city of Rome and no one is around them doing business or just living in the bustling city of Rome, then maybe the premise of this film will inspire you to also find romance in Rome whilst making a magical fruit cake just like Lacey and Oliver did.

I give it a 6 out of 10 IMDB rating for some level of originality and of course for the beautiful scenic views of Rome, Italy, although some of this picture was filmed in Bucharest, Romania of all places which has some beautiful castles and panoramic views as well. Typical of some Americans not knowing what country there in.

This has been a very drab year for these movies. I believe they're doing so many every year now that it's impossible to get new and interesting stories, and the performances they're getting from the actors have been fairly drab -- possibly rushing production to the point that the actors don't have time to get into their roles.

And even though we like this film, it's still pulling from the same list of plug-in cliches: girl fired just before Christmas, fixated businessman who needs to learn slow down and smell the roses, corporate acquisition needing to understand the family business to be acquired.

Despite the plot cliches, the people behind this film get bonus points for deciding to spend the bucks to film on location in Rome. Some of the great sites of the city serve as the backdrop for many scenes, and every scene has atmosphere in the location. It was a good idea done well. And too many of these movies are a "good idea bungled".

Next, the leads connect. Another mistake many of these movies make is not actually putting the leads on screen together enough, so their developing relationship gets hard to buy. Here, the leads share virtually all of the screen time, allowing a believable chemistry to develop.

Finally, FRANCO NERO! Great decision to add this wonderful actor into the mix. I've been a fan since Camelot -- yes, THAT long. LOL At 77 during filming, he could pass for 60. He still looks great. He isn't given much of a challenge in his role -- mostly turning a quizzical eye on the American businessman fumbling with the "ways of Rome", but it's still great to see him. -- and looking at his IMBD page, he's still very much in demand. I don't think I've ever seen a page with so many upcoming roles!

This is one we'll want to watch again in coming years -- the first time I've been able to say that about the 2019 crop of films.

This movie was beautifully filmed and well acted, and I loved seeing Roman sights and learning a little about the culture. I only had two problems with this movie; one small (Angela hoofing it around Rome all day on those heels) and one big (Oliver's deep and abiding focus on only business and profits sure did change quickly, with zero growing pains). That being said, this movie did a pretty good job at making me think such a transformation may be possible with the right person and experiences. Well done!

7/10 - light holiday fun with the incomparable Lacey Chabert

This is the typical, formula, stereo-typed Hallmark Christmas movie plotline. There is nothing new or surprising about this romance story - you've seen it all before (probably many times) other than the fact that some scenes are actually shot in Rome which does add some uniqueness. Nevertheless, the always good stars, Lacey Chabert and Sam Page, rise way above the lackluster material and give some really nice performances that make sitting through this, ultimately, okay. Once. But not again. Fun to see Franco Nero, an Italian actor who became an international heartthrob during the late 60's, 70's and early 80's, show up as "Luigi" (of course), but he really isn't given much to do or say. The rest of the cast works well, too, despite the trite script. It's time for Hallmark to realize that taking their really talented performers and sticking them in boring stories just because they take place in London, Rome, Graceland, Dollywood (that one was a real stinker this year), etc. does not guarantee viewership. As a matter of fact, we quit watching the Dollywood one half way through. Never saw Dolly Parton!