L'amour sonne à Noël

Was it boring, as some reviewers have said, or was it more that it was awkwardly done. A little off here and there. Clumsy.

Ashley Newbrough has real presence. She is unquestionably beautiful. She has a good voice and delivery. But in this movie, I don't think she shined in a way that lives up to that description. It felt just a little off. A lot of that may have been the actors around her. She really didn't have chemistry with Kyle Dean Massey. It was like they were both acting AT each other rather than acting together. Something else that I don't think helped her was some of the dialogue. And some of the speeches that were supposed to have impact, didn't. That also may have been overused tropes.

The story wasn't sparkling, but many Hallmark movies on the other channel do quite well with similar fare. Most often, those are carried by veteran actors. Newbrough isn't quite a newbie, but she doesn't have the breadth that many of the Hallmark vets do and it shows. But back to the story, it had those overused tropes (he fails to reveal the truth before someone else does, save the family store). The story just didn't grab me. And add to that, the story lacked the touching element that usually makes movies on this Hallmark sister channel (HMM) stand out. It also lacked any real conflict. I thought the apparent conflict toward the end was a little contrived.

An interesting side note. I remarked reviewing Two Turtle Doves (a much better movie) that Hallmark loves to contrast the small town and family values with the big city rat race.

This movie isn't awful, but I can definitely see how one reviewer fell asleep (more than once?) watching it. The characters are pleasant. It's watchable (barely).

Our main character is Corey who lives in the small town of Harmony where she is struggling to keep her deceased father's antique shop going, especially since a large ski resort opened in a neighboring town drawing away the tourist. Corey's attachment to keeping her father's antique shop afloat is preventing her from pursuing her dreams in LA, like her bestie the now famous Jillian Winters.

Jillian visits her family and bestie in Harmony, "Santa's final pitstop in the snow", just before Christmas and this leads to a visit by Jillian's new boyfriend Davey and his best friend Ryder Donnelly.

There is a funny meet cute between Ryder and Corey at her father's antique shop where Ryder breaks a chair and tries to buy a clock that is nfs. He falls in love with the clock "I have a thing for old clocks and this one is really cool.", the antique shop...and that's not all.

"When you possess something this perfect and unique you don't just hide it away on a shelf to collect dust. You put it out there and you share it for the world to see. And this clock it wants to tick, to tell time, to live. Are you really going to deny him that?"

"You think I can be bought?""I think I can try."

Ryder is "conceited and a know it all" wealthy heir and "the hunky holiday bachelor", but Corey learns that he is actually genuine, giving and very much in to her. He encourages her to pursue her passions and to give their relationship a chance.

Corey who is "very happy under (her) rock" is reluctant at first but with some persuading finally takes a risk and visits LA, getting to see Ryder on his home turf and learning more about his charitable side.

One of the sweetest conversations takes place at the antique shop during one of Ryder and Corey's first meetings in regards to visiting Alaska: "always wanted to go though. I want to see some real reindeer." "Oh. You like reindeer?" "Who doesn't? They are only like the most magical creature there is. Did you know that all of Santa's reindeer are girls?" "Wait, no. They all have antlers, right?" "Females have antlers too. In fact, males shed theirs during the winter and females keep theirs. So, if all the pictures in the stories are true...all of Santa's reindeer are girls, even Rudolph." "Wow! Who'd have thought." "It makes sense. Women have a much better sense of direction." "I would love to hear more of your impressive knowledge of reindeer."

Moral: If you love it, you should do more of it...aka if it is something that you love it's worth fighting for.

"Your poker-face is on point" I really appreciated the friendly advice that people don't always know how you feel unless you tell them. Excellent advice.

I loved the antiques and as a horologist...I loved the role of the clock.

I thought our two main characters were fun and did a good job building the romance. The supporting cast was great. Ryder's parents house was amazing all decorated for Christmas.

And big hats off to the costume designer for what I think was the best holiday costume of the year...Corey's candy cane pillbox hat with candy cane striped tights and a short red a-frame dress with a white collar. I immediately started searching for a candy cane pillbox hat, I loved it that much!

My favorite line, "If I am being betrothed to another woman, I should at least get a dance in while I can."

Our stars crossed... add this to your list.

I try to rate based on acting, plot, etc. This movie was simply average. Not that memorable, actually. A woman manages her deceased father's antique store and a man walks in and breaks a chair within and then wants to buy an antique clock. The usual misunderstandings occur. Not seeing any shred of chemistry between the main actors. Ashley Newbrough in the female role is, sadly, flat. As is the male protagonist. If you meet someone and feel an attraction to them and want to see more of them, perhaps a bit more flirting, long gazes, some emotion?

There were some "original songs" in the movie, but I have yet to find out what they were called and who sings them. Unfortunately, many of the Hallmark Brand Christmas movies are so formulaic that they have no actual novelty and the performances are uninspiring. Exceptions: Journey Back to Christmas. That was exceptional!

I usually love Hallmark movies but this one was a snoozer. The two female leads (Ashley and Lindsey) are pretty competent. Unfortunately almost every male character has been cast with subpar actors including the male lead (Kyle). There's absolutely no chemistry between the romantic leads and the film just suffers and drags.

The plot here is nothing special, but the writers did make an effort to create the classic antithetical courtship. It started out well, but didn't carry much force through the course of the film.

Massey, however, made the film interesting enough to watch all the way through. He portrayed a character who was sensible and in control of his space, which was a refreshing change from characters who get pushed around by their circumstances.

It was worth the watch, but it isn't one we'll put on our list to watch again in coming years.