A Christmas Blessing

Why would anyone want to watch a criminal who thinks cheating is the best way to get ahead?

I didn't realize the criminal Lori Laughlin was in this movie.

Shut it off as soon as I realized. I'm not interested in watching criminals who think they can buy their way into college, while the rest of us have to use merit.

I have to add more characters, evidently. Lori Laughlin is a criminal who thinks she's better than you. You and your family have to work hard to get into college - but the criminal Lori Laughlin thinks she deserves better and her kids don't need to work hard, so she cheats and pays people off.

I had every reason to love this movie. I am a huge proponent of Christian content for Christmas movies. I loved Touched by an Angel, was a Full House fan as a kid, even bigger Fuller House fan, and also ***loved*** When Calls the Heart. So this should have been a top movie for me this season.

Not so. It took me at least 20 sittings to get through it. I just couldn't get into it. Part of the reason is that I kept distracting myself, googling things like "Did Lori Laughlin apologize" (and not really being satisfied by what I found). Then I started nitpicking. Her acting was *really* bad. She acted like a mousey, deer-in-the-headlights wimp the whole time. I'm not buying that for a celebrity chef/TV star.

So then I wonder if her acting was always bad and I never noticed because I loved the shows? Or if I am bring overly critical now because I feel weird about her? And then I start noticing little stuff that is normal in any made for TV movie-a space abandoned for three months that is somehow already decorated for Christmas, the stupid ice that any business worried about liability would have taken care of immediately, a tiny turkey that wouldn't feed half of my family let alone an entire community, etc. And then I know I am being overly critical. But the problem is that this movie has overcome my suspension of disbelief.

Bottom line, I didn't enjoy it. I was in my head the whole time. The script was good, and done by any generic actress it would have been a favorite. But I can't help but wonder. I don't think I have ever seen Lori Laughlin do anything explicitly Christian before. So is she playing on my sensitivity to forgiveness to get back into her career? Am I being used?

When I watch these movies, I don't want to have to think about the meta. I want to relax into 90 minutes of predictable brain candy. But I can't *not* think about the meta with Lori Laughlin right now.

This movie has a A+++++cast....several of the cast members are excellent actors and actresses! The main character inherits property and as often is the case, the buyer is ready and overly passionate about getting moved in. The twists and turns, stimulated my viewer mindset, keeping me engaged throughout the movie. I love warmhearted Christmas movies that promote the true meaning of Christmas and this one does just that. Many people suffer hard times, and Christmas often emphasizes those losses and struggles. This movie is a gentle reminder of what is important in life and how not to act when faced with the hardships of others. Great Job Great American Family for keeping it real. Thank you Cast for your sacrifice for being on a Movie that is sensible and has value!

This is one of the better movies on the new Great American Family network and it is because of reliable stars. You may hate Lori Loughlin because of her scandal, but she carries off a certain vibe that works in this movie.

Mandy is selling the building which housed a kind of soup kitchen. Adam wants to wrap up his purchase quickly but agrees to give Mandy one last Christmas. (I never really understood his motive. I guess it was attraction to Mandy, but after 10 minutes?) Otto is a mysterious stranger.

Loughlin and Tupper have good chemistry but the relationship between Mandy and Adam never sizzles. Otto provides the mystery that gets revealed as the movie progresses, although never overtly.

A nice thing about the story is that Mandy is a hero, but far from perfect. She struggles a little to pull everything off. Perhaps it is appealing because she is a kind of hero that anyone could be. Or everyone.

This is a family friendly movie. I'm not sure how much it will appeal to children.

I had to FORCE myself to watch this movie.

Why? Because I'm still really angry at Lori Loughlin and her family. Rich people taking advantage of things designed to help poorer people, getting caught, not really paying for their crime, AND BARELY apologizing. Unfortunately, that seems to be the current "American Way".

But since I do try to watch ALL the Christmas movies, here we go:

As another reviewer mentioned, the script was pretty good, but the "mystery" was easily figured out within 5 minutes. Okay, standard Christmas fare, pardon the reference.

As for the acting, LL sleepwalked through the whole movie. Was she always this bad? I used to watch her occasionally in "Garage Sale Mysteries", but quit watching a while back, thinking the show itself was too boring? Maybe it WAS her (lack of) acting? Hard to say now, post-scandal.

The rest of the cast were great, featuring James Tupper and the always-great Jesse Hutch, having to carry LL like the sack of coal she appears to be.

6 stars for the movie and supporting cast, minus 100 stars for LL's lack of performance.