À la recherche de la magie de Noël

Full disclosure, I was hoping for a comedy since this film stars Paul Campbell (Three Wisemen and a Baby). The dude also wrote Unexpected Christmas, a classic. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Paul plays Harrington, an author who wrote a series of Christmas novels focused on his hometown of (you'll never guess) Mistletoe. He posts a scrooge-like message online and is on the verge of being cancelled until his publisher's PR rep shows up to save him; wow him; spend time with him; hand him pens; decorate in ways he hates; slow the story down; meet people who already know him; accompany him to sparsely attended events. OK, all of these things. This film is incredibly uneven. Harrington seemed to learn his lesson in minute 36 or so, when my movie-watching buddy turned to me and asked if the movie was already over. Sorry, there was 1.5 hours of bland mushiness, and mild life-lessons remaining.

I have read the other reviews so far, and I definitely understand why this movie isn't necessarily a favorite.

A quick summary: Paul Campbell, known for his clever wit and affability, takes a more moody tone in this movie. Instead of being his usual laid-back self, he portrays a 'down on life' author, and is insufferably grouchy, though we understand his plight.

He lost his parents, and has become sour on Christmas as a result. On top of this, his infamous books (which struck me as Harry Potter-esque) have bloated his fame to proportions that make him feel overcommericalized and basically sick of everything.

His publicist is helping to save him from himself; she tries her best to do damage control, but he's slow to trust her and she is equally put off by him.

They find common ground by the end of the movie, although the chemistry (in my eyes) never forms. I don't know if PC is trying to stay out of really romantic roles; I understand he's happily married in real life, and I'm sure that there's some hesitation on his part to sink into these overly romantic roles. He does fantastic work with comic relief, and that is his strongest suit.

I missed the witty writing in this movie; none of the lines or situations were particularly memorable for me. What I did love was that we can all relate to imperfect relationships and feeling down on ourselves/life. Even when we have everything we need, or success as it is defined in society, loneliness and isolation are pervasive; in fact, it is often worse when we have reached success.

The hardest thing for me to write is that I find this movie somewhat dull. I wanted to love it, and the two leads are both attractive and brilliant in their skill. It just wasn't a good Christmas-escapism kind of movie. From the drama standpoint, this would be a good flick to watch if you feel a little blue, or have been struggling to make sense of well-intentioned people that inadvertently have caused you pain.

The movie touches on the reason for his sadness, and it's something most adults will experience.

The scenery was beautiful, including the properties they used; his house is perfection. I also loved the few scenes with children in them, especially when Paul's character is fielding questions and he dotes on the adorable little girl (the fairy!). He shines with children, and it's easy to see he was being completely himself in that moment, and also with Bree and Luca (the other children in the movie).

It's possible that the movie could be improved by a little more softness from the female lead; it was hard for me to feel any chemistry at all between the two leads, and this was mainly his doing (getting significantly miffed in two scenes), but she also had a sort of 'edge'. In real life, I would never expect these two characters to really connect romantically.

This is a Hallmark Christmas Movie. It's this time of the year that I come to Hallmark to get out of the "Real World" and stick my head in the Christmas Sand.

The formula is basically the same with each film but THAT IS WHY WE WATCH THESE !!! They make us feel good at Christmas.

There are about 6 or 7 Actors that I'll watch the Christmas Movie without knowing what it is about. In particular, Paul Campbell is one. I used to look for the new Christmas Movies to watch by the current year first. Now I look by Actor's Name AND the current year hoping they've made a new one!

After last year's "THREE WISE MEN AND A BABY", he stuck out. That film is a Hallmark all-time Fave and you don't need to be a Hallmark Fan to love that one.

So when I read negative reviews, I can't help but think "why are you here?". You are getting exactly why you turn on these holiday films to begin with.

No doubt that some ARE better than others and I am a huge Hallmark Movie Fan. I watch with my cuz and we came up with our own Rating System as follows: Fair (7) Cute & Good (8), Very ROMANTIC (9), BIG Feel Good movie that makes us CRY & a Fave (10).

There have been a couple of them that I have stopped watching for 30 minutes bc they have not captured and kept my attention. We warn each other not to bother. They NEVER star one of the big Hallmark Stars.

THIS MOVIE WAS CUTE & GOOD...hardly a flop by any means.

The story is about Harrington, (Paul Campbell) a writer of bestselling Christmas fantasy novels that are based on his hometown of Mistletoe. After the death of his parents he has become a cynical recluse, he no longer believes in the magic of Christmas and views it as just a way for people to make money. He posts his feelings on social media which creates a lot of negative backlash. The timing couldn't be worse because it coincides with the release of his latest Christmas fantasy book. The publishing house sends a publicist, April (Lyndie Greenwood) to do damage control and save book sales and Harrington's career. Her plan is for Harrington to return to his hometown in order to restore his love of Christmas by showing him how much his books mean to his fans and also the town of Mistletoe. Harrington is anything but cooperative, and she threatens him with a lawsuit to make him cooperate. As April takes Harrington on a schedule of events coinciding with Mistletoe's Christmas Festival, she sees a softer side of him, and sees how the town really loves him. Harrington starts to warm up to what Christmas really means and also warms up to April too. However, several conflicts arise due to emotional memories from his past. The question is will Harrington overcome these obstacles and will his love of Christmas and trust in people be restored?

Lyndie Greenwood is a delight as the charismatic and always way too prepared April ( I'd like to see her in more Hallmark movies). Paul Campbell is perfect in the role of the the moody and cynical and wise cracking Harrington. Greenwood and Campbell have great chemistry together and the dialog is witty. The movie is a little slow paced at times, yes it's predictable, and the ending is a bit rushed. But overall, its an enjoyable and entertaining movie.

For me the premise seems common with several others and the story doesn't really stand out. There are no great highs or lows or surprises.

What does stand slightly apart is Paul Campbell. He is not your soft cuddly leading man. "Prickly". Yes that describes Harrington and Campbell fits the part. So the relationship with Lyndie Greenwood's April is not quite typical. It is in some ways, but a little more complicated. The biggest difference is that the antagonism lasts throughout much of the movie. For a while it gets suppressed and things look good. The conflict that all romance stories need comes not so much from secrets or misunderstandings as from the character himself.

I found the movie a little slow at times. Or maybe I should say deliberate. There is a place for that, but in this case, it didn't work for me personally. When the movie's story doesn't have any big hooks for me, I look to the relationship. In fact, in this genre, the relationship is always important. Because of the things I describe above, I didn't get invested in the relationship. Did I really want this for April?

BTW pet peeve: no texts, but at least two significant handwritten notes are too small and too quick to read for anyone without great eyes or without pausing. Why is this fault so common?