Marié avant Noël

A BRIDE FOR Christmas is a well-made Hallmark TV movie that debuted in December of 2012. Its leads, Andrew Walker and Arielle Kebbel, are two fine, handsome young actors. The story has some good jokes, fine pictures and some good supporting actors -- particularly by Duffy, a handsome and energetic dog. Yet at its heart is a creepy, stalker plot that made me shake my head.

Mr. Walker is a successful man whose friends are all married. He alone remains committed to a life of casual relationships, but agrees to a bet that he can get a woman to accept his proposal by Christmas. He chooses Ms. Kebbel, a woman who has walked out on three fiancés, including one at the altar, as his subject. Then he stalks her.

Along the way they fall in love in a charming fashion, but that initial set-up, in which he proposes to make a girl fall in love with him with no thought of the consequences is disquieting. Romantic comedies have a long tradition of such attitudes from the way Jimmy Stewart treats Margaret Sullavan in THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER to just about every Rock Hudson-Doris Day movie. In this movie careful writing deals with the issues I felt but do not quite dispose of them. I wound up enjoying it but not awarding it the superior rating I would have without that issue.

I've been binging on Hallmark movies this Xmas week. I know many use the ole formula. I look for best rated, good chemistry and stories that sound to be most interesting dare I say 'different' i.e. story lines, locations. We all agree that from the starting gate we know this is Runaway bride run amuck. Super damaged goods. Then, Aiden makes a crazy, horrid bet. I mean, he's going to prank an innocent young woman with a false marriage proposal. OK...we suspend disbelief that he could be so cruel, especially when he's matched with Jessie who has herself basically done this to three guys. Did I mention that Jessie is drop dead gorgeous! Sort of a Jessica Alba clone, I think.

Since I know how all Hallmark movies end I am taking a break, with about 15 mintues to go on this one. I had to stop when the idiot screen writers commit the same 'crime' I've seen too often. In K-dramas they use an easy tool. The screen goes dark and voila, signage on the screen says ONE YEAR LATER! I'm not listing any of this as 'spoiler' because it is basically not possible to spoil such Hallmark movies. We know from scene one, 100% that the two will wind up together. Therein is the HUGE plot hole. This and similar Hallmark movies show a proposal and no engagement or no period of engagement. Totally insufficient time to know one another. I mean propose after weeks of 'non-dating', one kiss, and voila, time to buy the wedding dress and plan the wedding. Please, Hallmark, use the fade, then ONE YEAR LATER or even SIX MONTHS LATER before we see a wedding dress, wedding plans or an actual wedding. This might give them time to actually 'date.' In this and other Hallmark movies the eliminate all dating going instead from one kiss to marriage. Totally unnecessary if done right.

What a wonderful and pleasant surprise! My daughter and I watched this movie on and we both loved it - we taped it and left it on so I could watch it again. Jessie reminded me of Jennifer Lawrence - she was that good - all of the actors could transfer easily over to the "big screen"! I never saw any of them before in anything but will make a point to follow their career from now on - It was like an old Doris Day/Cary Grant movie... Loved... Loved... Loved it! I'm trying to find where Jessie got the dress that she wore to the art gallery :-) Any ideas on who made some of her clothes would be greatly appreciated... wanted to see much more- any chance a sequel is in the works?

Jessie (Arielle Kebbel) is about to tie the knot with her third fiancé. She is in a white gown and guests are waiting for her grand entrance. But, as Princess Vespa, she goes right past the alter and out of the ceremony. Nobody is pleased. Certainly not her fiancé Mike, who proposed on a Jumbotron. Nor is her sister and business partner Victoria or Jessie's grandkids minded parents. But, it was the right choice, as Jessie realizes it wasn't true love. From now on, she tells herself, she will concentrate on her job and her volunteer work at an animal shelter. Meanwhile, Aiden (Andrew K. Walker) is having a card game with three of his male, married friends. As the only bachelor present and seemingly confirmed, he takes on a bet from the others. It involves getting a woman to say "yes" to his proposal before Christmas Day. So, guess what? The first lovely lady that Aiden casts a serious eye on is Jessie, at an art gallery. Victoria tries to get her sis to make a connection with the really cute man but, naturally, Jessie remembers what her present agenda is. Thus, the only exchange made between the two singles is Jessie's biz card, presented to Aiden. Since she is an interior decorator, the betting man hires the dog lover to re-do his condo. Since this requires many an hour of discussion at the bachelor pad, some of Jessie's reluctance vanishes. But, since Mike is still trying to win Jessie back and there is always the possibility that Jessie will find out about "the wager", will there be a future for J and A? You bet! This lovely Holiday movie is just a slam dunk for romcom fans. It features an attractive cast, a beautiful setting (San Francisco), knockout costumes, a sweet, funny script, and a zestful direction. Yes, some of the elements are "borrowed" but no one will be blue after a view. For future sighs and smiles, get Bride for Christmas somewhere, somehow.

My wife and I have not seen every made-for-TV Hallmark movie, but we have seen several dozen. I can't remember a better Hallmark movie than A Bride for Christmas.

This movie has a lot of strengths. It has lead characters Jessie (played by Arielle Kebbel) and Aiden (Andrew Walker) who are unusually attractive and likable. Indeed, Andrew Walker has a striking resemblance to a young Tom Cruise. The acting by Kebbel and Walker, and by all the supporting actors, is excellent. The dialog is reasonably realistic. The camera work is quite good and adds interest. The musical score is also very good, effectively enhancing some of the scenes.

The plot is predictable (as in all Hallmark movies) and we've seen certain plot elements before in several well known rom-coms (The Runaway Bride, 10 Ways to Lose Your Lover). But given those drawbacks,the movie does an excellent job of telling its story. The inevitable "change of heart" on the part of Jessie and Aiden proceeds at a slow and realistic pace and the actors convince us that there is romantic chemistry between the two lead characters. The lead and supporting characters all behave in realistic and believable ways.

While watching A Bride for Christmas, my wife and I repeatedly said to each other "This movie is good!" We thoroughly enjoyed it and will watch it again.