Un reve éveillé

This is a film that can't make up its mind if it wants to be a revamped remake of "Groundhog Day" or an attack on corporate America. A high flying corporate executive is sent to her hometown to tear down its Olde Worlde Charme and replace it with a modern hypermarket or some such. Naturally the natives don't like the idea, especially the small shopkeepers.

Lured to the home of the man she left behind, she falls down the stairs in a freak accident, and when she wakes up not only are the two of them married but she has never left.

No sooner has she come round to her new reality, albeit with great difficulty, than she suffers another accident and the process is reversed.

As comedies go, this isn't bad, neither is the soundtrack, and the finale proves that not all capitalists are bad, or maybe that big business needs a woman's touch.

Holidaze is a movie that is primarily geared for those who are 18 and older and those who are romantics. I must have seen Cameron Matheson is at least a dozen movies this year. I like him, however, I guess his Dancing With Stars last season has propelled him into the highly demanded actor spotlight. He plays the same basic character is all his movies I would like him to see him grow as an actor, not just playing the same type of part. I have seen this plot before in other movies. Holidaze should be shared with your BFF or significant other. This is another hot cocoa and popcorn, rainy/snowy afternoon type movie. It does provide adequate entertainment for two hours. Enjoy.

All in all, this was a better than average rom/com. Other than a short scene with the 3 ladies at the bar, there wasn't the usual sophomoric nonsense in this film like so many Hallmark movies. The acting and writing was good as well as sound and filming. The end clip during the credits was a little silly, but again, this was a good watch.

In the usual tradition of Christmas TV movies, the heroine of Holidaze is too consumed with surface attractions and needs to learn her lesson. Jennie Garth, beautiful and with an adorable spunk that helps make her likable, is a corporate big-wig who hasn't been home in ages. She comes back for a business deal, but when she bumps her head and passes out, her world changes. All of a sudden, she finds herself married to her high school sweetheart and running a coffee shop in her hometown!

Jennie and her love interest Cameron Mathison have a natural chemistry together; it's easy to believe they have a history and belong together. In these types of movies, the romantic leads often bicker and have nothing in common, and while that is still the case in Holidaze, the audience can still feel a pull between them. The rest of the story—a potential corporate takeover—isn't particularly compelling, so the fact that the romance is makes this a delightful holiday flick. Plus, it takes place in the days after Thanksgiving, so you can watch this one early on in the season before your Christmas cookies are even baked!

I have been avoiding this movie each year due to the rather low 5.9 rating. I liked Secret Santa-2003 which also starred Jennie Garth and decided to give this one a try. Very glad I did. Jennie Garth plays a great role as a business woman. It is a fun movie with lots of fun dialogue. The movie is not technically a Christmas movie but it has the feel of a Christmas movie since it centers around Thanksgiving.