Looking for Her

Not a Christmas fan.

Not a romance fan.

A mixture of the two is usually enough for me to go sprinting into a new year.

The mixture of the two genres is usually pretty cringe to me.

Yet this one isn't.

I love this movie though - I love Alexandra Swarens. Anything she puts her mind to, is golden. She is severely under rated as an actress, as a producer... multi talented woman.

Alex and Olivia have amazing chemistry, in both this and City of Trees. Can't wait to see more from this duo in the neat future.

Gives me hope... then a crashing realisation that Alexandra isn't in fact my wife. Live and dream.

Having viewed all of Alexandra's works, Looking For Her and City of Trees are my picks. Hands down Swarens and Buckle have strong, convincing chemistry together on screen. The overall quality of the film was a cut above her earlier works, showing Swarens is growing in her craft. The cinematography and sound seemed more refined. Im hopeful Alexandra will continue to dig deep, producing and directing at an even higher level. Throwing Olivia Buckle back into the mix would be a plus in my opinion. Buckle's ability to adapt on screen is obvious, and I feel she has more depth to contribute. Looking For Her is a great holiday, feel good flick.

Overall, this is a cute holiday movie. The two leads have good chemistry from the start, and it's refreshing to see how their attraction develops naturally and with minimal angst or contention. The drama between Taylor and her parents that led to the whole fake relationship setup is handled gracefully and tugs at the heartstrings in all the right places. The rapport among the actors playing Taylor, Olive, Cheryl, and Frank is so funny and warm that it would have been nice to see more screen time devoted to that and to the blossoming romance. As it was, the initial setup dragged quite a bit with almost thirty minutes of story before the two leads finally meet. But beyond that pacing issue, Looking for Her is a fun and adorable film I'd be happy to add to my annual holiday watchlist.

No pun intended - actually there once was a word starting with a g, that would mean happy ... but nowadays is being used as a slur by many today ... which is why I am not using it (obviously) ... just in case you were wondering. But if you are offended easily, maybe two women loving each other is not a movie to watch for you either (no matter the time of year it plays in ... even worse when it is Christmas time?).

The acting is nice and decent for a drama of this nature. The story is well told and as I said before, if you are open minded you will most likely be quite content with how this is unfolding ... funny and light overall ...

We absolutely loved this movie. Its charm comes not from big budget or hallmark same old same old, but instead from a genuine, believable and well thought out story. Dialogue that felt unforced and delightful chemistry combined with creative camera work, moved the plot forward without being rushed.

Small details like actually having cocoa in the mug and sets that looked lived in were a nice touch that easily overshadowed any continuity errors (I hear it's incredibly difficult to film scenes with people eating or playing games and keep every shot the same).

The pace may not be for everyone and the family dynamic with healing generational trauma may feel out of place for a feel good Christmas movie, but by not relying on blatant or over used tropes and including a few playful twists it was exactly what this couple needed for Christmas.