Noël dans la prairie

It's a nice change from the usual fluff to have a slightly more serious Christmas movie about 2 rival ranches and a budding romance. I like the cast. Erin Cahill is pretty and believable. There is some diversity here with a biracial element. Hispanic actors A Martinez and Nicholas Gonzales Star. Good to see Lindsay Wagner - a lovely actress who hasn't ruined her face with plastic surgery. Looks so much better than some of her contemporaries.

I assumed this would be another run-of-the-mill Christmas movie. It has a slightly darker feel so I sort of found the uptempo festive music slightly at odds - but it comes together in the end. There is a bit of light relief in the salon - which also feels disconnected but ties in eventually. The salon slightly reminds me of Runaway Bride so I have expected Erin Cahill to come in and make a platypus face, but alas no. Ultimately this is still a feel-good movie and in some ways the bitterness makes it sweeter. Also, the end credits are quite quirky and definitely unique to this movie - raises the festive nature after the struggles.

This is a different kind of Christmas movie: it has more drama and conflict than your typical Christmas romance film. At the center of the story is Kendall Riley (played by Erin Cahill). Kendall runs the family ranch, which she inherited from her father, and is one inspection away from having The Last Chance Ranch certified organic. Clint McCree (played by Nicholas Gonzalez), our other protagonist in this story, has come home to visit and help his sick father (Brick McCree, played by A Martinez) on the family ranch (which borders Kendall's land). The two families have a troubled past. As Christmas approaches, Kendall faces the real possibility that she may lose the ranch due to some dirty tactics used by her neighbor. However, she receives help from a questionable individual: i.e., the neighbor's son Clint. The story is more than simply a romance between Kendall and Clint. The sub-plots try to dig a bit deeper into troubled family relationships between father (Brick) and son (Clint) and (former) husband (Brick) and wife (Lillian, played by Lindsay Wagner). These family dynamics, of course, represent challenges to the leads' romance/relationship along the way. The story engaged me, that is, it pulled me in from the start. The writers do a decent job of developing the main characters in this; they are a bit damaged; they feel a bit more real. The story/script has a bit of a light side to it as well, with some humorous scenes involving snooping and gossiping friends and towns' folk. The acting, overall, was strong. Cahill and Gonzalez both had convincing performances. Moreover, the chemistry between the two worked well on screen, I thought. The supporting cast also had a good performance. Martinez and Wagner both had strong performances individually, though, I thought, their chemistry was a bit lacking. The movie also provides some beautiful scenic views of the ranch/landscape. We do get a couple of scenes that try to instill a bit of Christmas spirit and cheer as well. All in all, as another reviewer on here said, this one is "a nice change from the usual stuff" this holiday season. It is an entertaining new edition to UPtv's Christmas movie lineup.

While loving Christmas (a lifelong love too) and having liked/loved many Christmas films, there are plenty of Christmas films that are too sappy and cheese ridden as well as predictable. Have seen quite a few films in the past few years using Christmas on a ranch setting (always an intriguing setting for this particular holiday) and they have varied in success, some are very charming, sweet and engaging while others are too simplistic, dull and silly.

'Christmas on the Range' is among the better ones and generally in the former category, though there are some not unexpected glimpses of the latter adjectives. Was not expecting a classic and didn't get that, but did expect in a way an at least average film that didn't have me wrenching my hair and teeth out. Luckily that was the case here with 'Christmas on the Range'. Not an essential, but there is nothing offensive about it either at the same time.

Shall get the not so good things out of the way. The story is rather basic and too slight, a fair share of familiar elements with not much new done to them (including the obligatory too easily telegraphed and too neat ending). There are moments of dullness early on and some of the dialogue is on the awkward and too sappy side.

Most of the acting is fine, but there are signs of overacting in the supporting cast.

On the other hand, 'Christmas on the Range' looks attractive enough. The scenery is both rustic and festive and the photography doesn't look rushed or drab. The music doesn't come over as too melodramatic while still having some presence. The direction is suitably sympathetic on the most part while taking a little time to find its feet. Erin Cahill and Nicholas Gonzalez are very likeable leads, their chemistry has a lot of charm and their relationship develops realistically, easy to connect with emotionally and is not underused. A Martinez and Lindsay Wagner are fun in support, with Wagner especially bringing a lot of heart to the film.

The dialogue generally gets better as the film progresses, it becomes more natural in the flow and it didn't make me cringe as much. The story on the most part, providing that one doesn't mind that it is predictable and slight, is heart-warming and easy going. And while there is more of a serious edge here than most recently seen Christmas films, it doesn't come over as too serious or heavy-handed.

In conclusion, worth watching. 6/10

I really enjoyed this movie. It was well acted, a cut above many of the Hallmark/Gac/UP movies in my opinion. While I wouldn't really call this a Christmas movie per se there was smatterings of Christmas here and there and some places were nicely decorated for Christmas.

The two leads, both very good looking, had great chemistry! The story unfolds slowly as does the romance which kept me engrossed in the story/movie. There was action, romance, angst, anger, humor, jealousy and Love! All human emotions played out perfectly in this unfolding drama with a touch of Christmas.

I loved seeing the ever gorgeous and great actress Lindsay Wagner. I really hope we see more of her in the future.

The other actors in the movie did a great job and they all brought a lot of humor to the movie.

I will rewatch this movie again next Christmas. I highly recommend this movie.