Le Père Noël d'à côté

Am not somebody who hates Christmas or has a bias against made for television Christmas films. The complete opposite on both counts and have made that clear more than once and will continue to do so if necessary. Evident from a number of positive reviews for the Christmas output of Hallmark and Lifetime. The premise for 'Christmas Angel' did sound quite interesting and seemed at times like it was trying to do something a little different.

Over the past two years or so, my Christmas film completest quest (made up for primarily those from Hallmark and Lifetime) has been very interesting but also hit and miss. Some were very charming, easy to digest and lovely watches with good casts. Others were very dull, cheesy, too sentimental and badly written and acted. 'Christmas Angel' is mostly in the former category, though it is far from perfect or quite my definition of a great film.

The not so good things are going to be started off with. Some of the music could have been toned down and been used more sparingly.

My biggest issue is KC Clyde, who comes over as too oily to be a romantic lover and has no real charm, also found the character too over the top in the negative characteristics and bland. It does affect his chemistry with Kari Hawker, which has little spark in a relationship that is very underdeveloped despite having moments where it is realistic.

Which is unfortunate as Hawker herself is actually very appealing in her role, which is much more interesting and easy to like. The acting in general in 'Christmas Angel' is above average. The dog is adorable. The best thing about it is Bruce Davison, who is wonderful and movingly understated as a character that resonates. Really liked his sincere chemistry with the other cast members.

'Christmas Angel' furthermore looks good. The scenery is truly attractive and photographed with a lot of love. The script is cohesive and doesn't come over as awkward, it also takes itself seriously without being dreary and the sentimentality doesn't become too much. The story is pretty conventional, but its endless charm, its good nature and warm heart more than more up for that. Same with the very honest and never preachy messaging, messaging that is also relevant and important.

Summing up, good if not great. 7/10.

Ashley (Kari Hawker)is not having a good day. She wakes up her water is off. She can't start her and is now late for a job interview. Along the way she loses her cellphone. Later when she finds out the job she was hoping for is no longer available.

Her neighbor ends up hiring her to be his assistant. What she doesn't know is how special her neighbor is.

The film has a brisk pace to it. The film has believable characters acting they way most people would in in real life.

The film has a likable cast and the possible love story is very realistic.

Available on DVD it is worth watching. I suggest watching it. Must males of all ages will be bored but make them watch.

I enjoyed this movie overall. It's a nice combination of predictable and unpredictable. Main actors all did a fine job. However it really isn't particularly Christmasy, even though it's set at Christmastime. I would define this more as a romantic drama that happens to fall in December. The main character, Ashley, really isn't terribly likable to begin with. In reality, her romantic interest probably would have given up on her fairly quickly due to her cold responses. But anyway, it was enjoyable and it's worth the time so I'd give it a shot.

A cute enough movie about how if you fall in love, it can save you from being grumpy grinchy selfish type. Some sad things happen, but the ending is heartfelt and warm. The side stories are all wrapped up by the end, which is nice. Not everything gets fixed, because love a and kindness can't save everything.

This is a feel good movie where the female lead, Ashley, a regular woman who at the moment happens to be struggling a bit, gets the chance to become Secret Santa. Throw in some hardship in several backstories and a budding romance, and it is hard to miss.

Take away a star for K.C. Clyde, as Will. First off, his character needed some definite refitting. Add to it that it just didn't seem like Will and Ashley had that much chemistry. For me, the only indication that there was any connection for Ashley was the fact that Nick kept selling Will to her. He says something like "you know you love him", but that wasn't obvious at all other than the fact that she had no one else.

Still, Kari Hawker was a pleasure. I just saw her for the first time today in another movie which was so bad, it's amazing I was intrigued by this actress with a fairly small and unknown filmography. She played this part perfectly in my mind. She plays as a slightly insecure woman who really doesn't want any fame, yet she doesn't oversell the insecurities. She steps into the role Nick gives her reluctantly, but she applies herself completely, and rocks it. She's easy on the eyes, but isn't particularly seductive, and I mean that in a positive way.

The epilogue was a bit lackluster even though it was generally what you'd expect.

This has a bit of a Hallmark feel to it, but all the credits point to a non-American production. It would certainly play well on the Hallmark Channel and I would love to see Keri Hawker show up there in other things.