Père Noël incognito

Really did like the premise for 'Random Acts of Christmas', seen as part of my Lifetime/Hallmark Christmas film completest sake that has been happening on and off for a while now, which sounded like something a little different from the usual Lifetime Christmas film formula. Lifetime's Christmas output is expectedly very variable, with some surprising hits, some duds and a lot of stuff somewhere in between. Have seen the leads in other things and with mixed success.

There is not an awful lot to add here reviewing 'Random Acts of Christmas'. It was pleasant and acceptable enough, with nothing offensive or out of the ordinary. As far as Lifetime's 2019 Christmas efforts go, 'Random Acts of Christmas' is somewhere in the middle and a film that started well but ran out of gas. The premise was very appealing but the film could have done quitwe a lot more with it, didn't think the potential was followed all the way through.

Good things outweigh the cons just about. It looks good in particularly the scenery. The music is pleasant and not intrusive, not always the case with Lifetime (even more Hallmark) films. The script is far from perfect, but is sweet in places and raised a number of smiles here and there. The story is likewise very flawed, but is very charming and warm-hearted for the first two thirds with an authentic atmosphere.

Most of the acting was good, with two immensely engaging leads as characters not hard to root for and Patrick Duffy being a standout. The chemistry between Erin Cahill and Kevin McGarry is sweet and natural.

Not all the performances work, especially Jaden Oehr over-compensating quite embarrassingly to the point that his character became hard to take. Also found Hamza Fouad annoying in the third act. Which is where the film goes downhill, where things become very contrived, ridiculous and rushed.

Complete with a cheesier ending to usual and at times being too sugary sweet. As said above, the film could have done a lot more with its relatable concept. It was very easy to relate to at first and there was a while where things didn't feel too predictable, later on the premise was given short shrift and the story became conventional Lifetime and very formulaic.

Overall, decent but not great with a good first two thirds but a pretty weak final one. 6/10

I loved the movie and theme. It's a movie I will watch more than once. However, the child actor was the worst. I'm thinking he was related to Lifetime staff.

The premise of this Christmas movie is cute - good Christmas spirit in the movie. BUT the child actor is horrible - very forced and not believable. Erin Cahill - as much as I've liked her in other movies - seems pretty forced here too. Her mom is played by Jacklyn Smith - who is always a joy to watch. And Patrick Duffy - oh Patrick ... whatever happened to you! Now onto Kevin McGarry ... I like Kevin. He plays this role well. I've seen him in a few duds - but he was OK in this one.

BTW - it appears another reviewer is having trouble separating the actors from their real life. They are playing roles ... that's it. It's not reflective of their real life!.

I don't understand how this movie has such a high rating. I watch a lot of these types of christmas movies and enjoy them even though most of them are so predictable and follow the same formula. There's just something off with this movie! The two leads don't have much chemistry, the child actor is pretty bad, the story it self is not that good and a bit stupid honestly. And some of the set design is ridiculous, it's like they googled "rich guys house" and copied eveything. I also spent a lot of time annoyed at the male leads helicopter being in the background of every shot from his company factory/show room, probably to remind us that he is a very important and rich person. Skip this one if you like your christmas movie of choice to have a bit more substance!

A wealthy do-gooder with a wise butler who projects Christmas images in the sky, ala the Bat Signal, and a journalist, ala Lois Lane, who falls for his alias while unknowingly working to expose his true identity as the Secret Santa who has been amazing the citizens of Gotham, no, er um, Chicago. Less compelling story arc than the better Hallmark Christmas movies, and an overly earnest kid actor, but saved by good production values and enfaging performances by the leads and Patrick Duffy and Jacqueline Smith.