griffina

Wonderfully fun movie. A bit treacly? Umh, sure - it's a romantic comedy. I suspect it will become a future guilty pleasure for me.

The dialogue is excellent; there were several times it had me laughing out loud - and I was watching it with subtitles. The banter between the two lead actors reminded me of "When Harry Met Sally" in pace and wit, but earthier.

The actors are beautiful - he carries off a hint of gray and she has a lovely Bohemian vibe - and they have nice chemistry on screen. Nobody is perfect in the movie, and the two exes aren't completely horrible, which makes it all the more approachable.

This film challenged my assumptions about made-for-TV films. Linda Hamilton and an excellent supporting cast do a first-rate job portraying a group of American and German soldiers who take time out from battle in the closing days of World War II to celebrate Christmas and remember their shared humanity.

Nice underacting combined with solid camera work and lighting make this film work. An interesting touch is that throughout much of the film, the German characters speak in German with English subtitles; personally, I found this effective -- amazingly, most of the accents were pretty good. Although it has a happy ending -- it is a Christmas movie, after all -- the film has sufficient pathos to prevent it from becoming saccharin.

This film seems proof again that our northern neighbors seem to have to compensate for a lack of special effects and big names by resorting to acting and plot! Definitely worth watching.