Uriah43

This film begins with an attractive woman named "Maddie Finley" (Lori Loughlin) selling her successful designer shoe company in New York City and temporarily returning to her hometown to spend time with her family before deciding what to do next. Unfortunately, the first person she meets is her old boyfriend, "Carter Allen" (Victor Webster), who broke up with her just before she moved to New York in pursuit of her dreams. As if that weren't bad enough, the two soon find themselves working together to host the traditional high school dance, which forces them to confront issues they would rather not address. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film was released just before Lori Loughlin's university bribery scandal, which subsequently ended her business relationship with the Hallmark Channel. That being said, even though she has appeared in a couple of other films since then, this is the last film made for the Hallmark Channel. As far as this movie is concerned, although she performed reasonably well, there really wasn't much chemistry between her and Victor Webster, and the plot was somewhat predictable as well. In short, although this wasn't a bad Christmas movie by any means, I thought it should have been better, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

This film begins in New York City, where a young woman named "Hanna Muller" (Maria von Tasnady) is informed by the police that her husband has committed suicide in Central Park. Despondent over the news, she soon becomes quite ill, and the doctor is unsure whether she will fully recover. Then one day, she hears a wonderful symphony on the radio that reminds her of her home in Germany, which she left when her husband had to flee because of an embezzlement scheme gone wrong. Meanwhile, at the same time as the radio broadcast, another woman named "Charlotte Garvenberg" (Lil Dagover) is late for a concert being conducted by her husband, "Erich Garvenberg" (Willy Birgel), because of an affair she is having with a man named "Gregor Carl-Otto" (Albert Lippert). She then lies to her husband, telling him she attended the concert, but is exposed by the attendant at the door. This eventually leads to an argument between them, which is resolved when Erich suggests they adopt a child, even though Charlotte agrees only to pacify her husband. As it turns out, the child they eventually adopt is the same one Hanna had to leave behind in Germany, and, because of Erich's radio concert, she has suddenly been brought back to her senses and now wants to reunite with her baby by any means necessary. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I found this to be an entertaining film, further enhanced by the date and location of its production. Admittedly, it is pretty dated, and some people may not care for it because of that reason. Even so, the acting was solid, the plot was tense, and I have rated it accordingly.

Emotionally scarred from a past relationship, "Sloane" (Emma Roberts) has decided to avoid dating until she heals emotionally. Unfortunately, her decision not to date again draws constant criticism from her family during the holidays, when everyone else has a partner except her. Meanwhile, a young man named "Jackson" (Luke Bracey) has also stepped away from the dating scene because his previous girlfriends were all too clingy. That being said, they just happen to meet in the mall one evening and, while discussing their individual situations, decide to date each other, but only during the holidays and without any emotional commitment. At first, everything goes according to plan, as nobody bothers to ask Sloane who she is bringing to a dinner or party on any particular holiday. At the same time, Jackson doesn't have to worry about any commitment or emotional baggage from his companion. What they don't count on, however, is the feelings that begin to grow between them the more time they spend together. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a rather entertaining romantic comedy with both leading actors performing very well in their respective roles. Admittedly, the ending was quite predictable, but I enjoyed it for the most part and have rated it accordingly.