Noël sous les bravos

As a professional musician, I am horrified that this woman (Jessica Lowndes) is called a singer. Simply listen to her duet of Deck the Halls with Paul Greene and you know she is not. She cannot match pitch and maintain a key from one phrase to the next. Maybe this was because of multiple takes? If so, why was there no consistent key established? Shame on the music production team for allowing something so painfully out of tune to make it to the final version. Maybe they can't hear pitch either. My musician husband and I rewound the scene about five times with our jaws on the floor. Have never heard such an unprofessional final musical product in a movie, except where the singer was SUPPOSED to be awful, like Florence Foster Jenkins. And then came Joy to The World, which wasn't. Sad to build an entire movie plot around this woman singing, when she cannot. I scored as high as four stars only because Gladys Knight and Paul Greene CAN sing.

I have a soft spot for Hallmark-style Christmas movies and always try to approach them with an open mind. This film delivers on the expected charm, offering a cozy setting and a likeable cast. Jessica Lowndes shines with her strong vocal performances, and the legendary Gladys Knight graces us with a brief yet delightful glimpse of her singing talent.

However, the story is exactly what you'd expect-formulaic and predictable, with no surprises or creative twists to elevate it beyond the standard Hallmark blueprint. While it captures the feel-good Christmas spirit, it doesn't fully utilize the season to add depth or innovation. If you're in the mood for a simple, heartwarming holiday movie, this will hit the mark. For me, though, it doesn't rise above a 6/10 due to its lack of originality.

I am so sorry this movie is so bad! The script is soooo boring, and so slow!!! Let's say Jessica keeps saying "I don't know!" most of the movie, even when things seem turning for better! Music is nice, both actors sing well, but really, the story is silly, no plot, and Jessica plays very badly... one face, mostly a huge smile, that's it. And can we talk about the reaction times?! Embarassing!

I think her best friend (actress Sierra Wooldridge) was the one playing better in the whole movie! Not kidding: she did great! Along with Paul Greene who is always pretty nice and very good!

By the way I am pretty sure this movie could have been like 10 minutes shorter if they had cut all the downtime when Jessica Lowndes just thinks or mumbles!

Last thing... I watched other movies with Jessica but this is the only one where they dressed her like a pin up! I don't know why! No need for that in a family movie...

The story is about a struggling performer who has reached the crossroads of deciding to abandon her dreams if she doesn't succeed by the year end. Chloe agrees to help put on a neighborhood show produced by Cora (Gladys Knight). The execution of the story has some rough moments and lacks depth. It relies on many of the formula Christmas tropes including "do you like like him?" The story even contradicts itself in the conclusion.

The acting is fair to poor. The dialogue is flat. Lowndes and Paul Greene have chemistry but it is not infectious. There are no great highs or lows or real surprises.

Lowndes sings several times through the movie, mostly in brief snippets. It seems like many movies Lowndes appears in that the movie is mostly an excuse for her to sing. Greene should not quit his day job. Both of these actors have moved from Hallmark to GAC Family and GAC seems to realize that Lowndes is an asset the more they allow her to sing.

The conclusion is the show and does include multiple performances including Gladys Knight.

The story and romance are just one more among many. The singing raises the movie above that but only marginally.

It was a beautiful simple Christmas movie. It was not as cringy as some Christmas movies but no need to overanalyse. Just watch it when in the right mood - aka around Christmas and enjoy the story. And in this day and age where everything is littered with virtue signalling, it was nice to watch something clutter free and wholesome.

A group of people working hard, trying to reach their dreams, opportunity knocking, supporting each other even when it means letting go and making the tough decisions one needs to make it in life.

Overall great vibes and brings the Christmas cheer to life. I enjoyed it.