Unless you rarely watch Christmas movies, my title is what you need to know. The story uses nothing but the usual stuff with the premise of a faded star returns home and helps put on a Christmas show. Of course, he falls in love with the local dance school instructor. Something from his career will threaten that relationship. Same old same old. Sure, Lopez and Kramer have some chemistry, so that part of the story works well enough.
The real hook in this movie is the performances. Some are informal which are spread through the movie. Some are in the rehearsals. Most are dance, but there are a few other kinds. There is some variety in the dance styles. The last sequence is the show itself. That part is really well edited because the sound from some acts are played over the dancing, or juggling, or whatever of the other acts. It's cute how they show some little kids, but the soundtrack has a more polished act going on. Other than the last set, the show itself is presented in these snippets. The show is 7-8 minutes of screen time. The very last set is nicely done.
I love Jana Kramer movies. I always look forward to her singing in them. Apparently ,she's a decent dancer too. So too bad, no singing in this one for her. (I really find that hard to believe.)
The acting is ok. The dialogue is OK. Enzo Rodriguez does several small dance numbers fit for social media, but oversells Junior's arrogance. In general, I noticed that there were a lot scenes which happen quickly and seem almost cut off before moving to the next. It isn't distracting, but for me it seems hurried.
BTW: does anyone watch the final product in the format the viewers see? My pet peeve is text messages on a phone that are impossible for most viewers to read. In this case the text is both small and washed out into the blue background. In addition, there is a point early in the movie, Lifetime's ornament logo covers part of a text message.
