The Holiday Fix Up

It's a lifetime movie so expect a lifetime quality movie. I can see this being really great for a pre teen girl. It's not sexual or preachy & the storyline is simple ( & dumb, but, again, it's a lifetime movie). Other than that, it's great to watch with an edible if you're an adult. If your high, it's non- stop laughs and a new must- see holiday movie. You can go to the bathroom and grab snacks through out and you'll never miss a thing. Although, I recommend watching the whole thing in its entirety as it's truly a wild ride. Personally, my favorite character was creepy uncle jack. A fun party game would be to take a shot ever time uncle jack shows up for no reason other than to be a weirdo. Happy watching!

Jana is a HGTV type star who is being pushed aside by an up and comer whose social media presence is better. She is out of work until the new year and is at loose ends until She is asked by Jack to renovate and rebuild his Inn which was demolished by a tree. He asks her ex, Coop, to work with her to restore the building and save Harbor Fest.

I liked the chemistry between Ryan McPartin and Jana Kramer. The conflict in their two styles pushed this a long. Jana, used to taking short cuts and and getting the job done as fast as possible for television and not always using the best materials versus Ryan, who was all in for a quality product. His career was based on reclaiming wood and reusing it. He was all about the craft. He wins her over to his way of thinking.

She films the renovation project for social media, and people love the more personal input and especially like Coop and her together. They seem like a good team. Why did Coop dump her to begin with? When the truth comes out Jana gets even angrier with Coop and I can't say I blame her. Eventually Jana's popularity wins over her bosses and offer her a big opportunity. Coop thinks she was just helping with the renovation to boost her career. Yikes.

Will they ever get this mess straightened out? Not sure I liked the resolution but they seemed happy with it.

These Hallmark/Lifetime/Whatever films are all fairly similar, and their success of lack of success, whichever the case may be, depends heavily on the lead actors and also the supporting cast.

For that reason, 'The Holiday Fix Up' is a success because Jana Kramer (Sam) and Ryan McPartlin (Coop) have good chemistry and play off each other well, not to mention both being very good looking. You throw in a likeable bunch of supporting characters like have been assembled in this movie, and it's a recipe for success.

TV star Sam returns to her hometown to renovate her uncle's old inn, which has been damaged by a tree in a storm, and is forced to work with Coop, her ex-boyfriend. Their relationship progresses from animosity to a desire to work together as friends and then, of course, something more.

(Through it all, no matter the weather, Coop doesn't seem to wear much more than a light jacket, even when everyone around him is bundled up against the cold. What a superman!)

Typical Christmas fare, but done well. I thought this was a lot of fun. Maybe Hallmark's best 2021 release.

I watched this with my sisters while playing Countdown to Christmas Bingo, and it was so much fun! We couldn't believe they kissed three times! Of course, they were not appropriately dressed for December in "New England", but whatever. Also, I'm sure I heard the Maestro song from The Holiday! (Although, at times we noticed that the music was, in fact, too loud to be able to hear the dialogue.)

Jana Kramer is one of my favorite Christmas movie stars. If I weren't such a fan of hers this would be lucky to get more than 1 star. Her character, Sam, and Ryan McPartlin's Coop spar, no fight, for almost exactly half the movie. And then suddenly, there's a cease fire and the animosity disappears. But even then, I just didn't feel it even when "that moment" occurs. It didn't feel real. The acting in general was less than I'd expect from these actors.

Sam and Coop get thrown together to repair the inn and "save Harbor fest". There's one formula moment after another including she-falls-and-he-catches-her, the preliminary almost-kiss, a snowball fight, the recently passed mentor, the nostalgia moments, the mysterious but cliche of why-we-really-broke-up, and Coop putting his arms around her to help her do something. There is too much use of musical montage. There are scenes of the two just building or decorating together. The story is completely cliche and the rest is filler. Throw in an unnecessary shot of Kramer's chest in a negligee and later a closeup of another woman in a T-shirt.

Even the attempts at sentimentality at the end feel forced.

The whole movie feels like it was written in a couple hours and filmed in a day.