La Ville du père Noël

"You can never be too busy for Christmas." Another formulaic story but does it work? Eh, so so. This made-for-TV movie from the Hallmark Channel stars Candace Cameron Bure (D.J. Tanner in Full House) and the usually entertaining Tom Arnold. She stinks but he's great and really brings true charm and Christmas warmth to the screen. Great location in Chester, Vermont -- that's the name of the town it takes in and the name of the town where it was filmed which is different from so many movies where a fictional name is used. Overall, not a terrible Christmas movie but nothing special.

5.5 / 10 stars

--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

I have never been disappointed with a Hallmark Christmas movie starring the very talented Candace Cameron-Bure...and I was not disappointed with this one either.........The plot was great! It definitely stayed focused on Christmas...with constant Christmas décor. The lines were great to nicely and clearly express the story with the intensity of several the situations...The entire movie flowed nicely...None of the players were annoying....However, I thought Barbara Niven seemed inappropriate for the part...including her little girl, "Shirley Temple" hairstyle. Her lines were weak in the way of support...and she presented her lines in an untalented, insincere, "jumpy" way. Fortunately she did not appear in the movie much........I liked "Peter" because he was sincere, and just so right for his part.......I have watched this movie several times, and every time it is just as enjoyable!

I'm afraid I find the performances in this drama about a man who runs a 365-day-a-year Santa Claus Village that is about to go under (Tom Arnold) and his daughter who moved away (Candace Cameron Bure) rather poor. Tom Arnold is clueless and nasal until the plot calls for a bit of warmth and Miss Bure, while very pretty, is shrill.The other actors are good, but their roles seem to be matters of revealing the secrets that made them come to Santaville for some warm fuzzy moments. In fact, that seems to be the entire set-up of this movie: conflict, then warm fuzzy moment, and the performances make it all seem very calculated.

Even the camera work supports this: consider, if you will, the scene where Tom Arnold and Candace Cameron Bure finally bond. The are sitting at the dining room table, going over his mementos of his dead wife. Instead of shooting it in an extended two-shot, which would have been more difficult to achieve and hence more expensive, but more effective, it is shot in a series of close-up reaction shots: basically, instead of two people together, it winds up two people apart. Using a yellow light for atmosphere does not make up for missed opportunities in the service of a small budget, alas.

Candace cameron bure and Tom arnold really overact not good way either.not a fan of either one she is so arrogant self absorbed

Overall, a pretty good story for a Christmas season diversion. A year round Santa's village type place is suffering budget problems, and nearing bankruptcy. Tom Arnold stars as the owner/operator of the sentimental amusement center, but his dedication and festive spirit are not matched by any business sense. The place has fallen from better times, and is now nearing extinction through bankruptcy or sale.

Tom Arnold is usually an annoyance in any movie he appears, but he was pretty good this time out. He plays Nick as confused and frustrated yet faithful to his dream. Nick feels lost, as the world doesn't seem to care about this Arctic fantasy wonderland any more, even though several locals express fond memories of the once popular resort. He maintains that childlike hope that the crowds will soon return. To him, the era of this magical place is not over; it never will be over.

Enter Nick's daughter, a shrewd businessperson, who Nick fools into returning to her home town. She thinks she's there to tend to her ailing father. The only thing that's sick is the business, with thousand of dollars worth of unpaid debts, and creditors closing in. The shrewd businesswoman relies more on a sentimental approach, appealing to people to rally together to save the landmark institution. The sparks over their different approaches to Santaland, and a mysterious visitor to the town who woos Nick's daughter, provide for the main conflicts.

Some events seem just a bit too convenient for the story, but with enough Christmas spirit like Nick has, the movie works. Acting and direction are up to par for this style of movie. There's a nice spirit and message to it, and plenty of heart.