The Hallmark Channel,
Natalie Knepp, Michael Rady, Bonnie Bedelia, Steve Bacic, Marc Senior, Chiara Guzzo, David Lewis, Jillian Walchuck, Jordan Ninkovich, Bobby L. Stewart,
Jaime MacLean, Françoise Robertson, Sam Vincent
Rachel Kennedy (Natalie Knepp) is a self help author. She is also a motivational speaker, but due to hardships in her own experience, her message is all about taking care of yourself first. She believes that if you don’t make yourself happy first, you can’t help anyone else to be happy. She is on a book tour to advertise her newest book and takes the opportunity to head the Christmas Pageant in her home town which is an annual event, but secretly her plan is to use it to promote her new book. But as she gets in touch with the people involved, she begins to learn the error of her ways and how spreading love and good will to others can really help her find the true meaning of the season.
This is one final Christmas movie for this season. I have seen a great many new films, some quite memorable, and others that I could easily forget. This one lands somewhere in the middle, I guess. It’s a nice story, and the performances by Natalie Knepp and Michael Rady are very good. Michael is actually really gentle in his role, and near the end, the story spins off track a bit to back fill his story and though he pulls it off, it is a little to sweet even for me, perhaps. Bonnie Bedelia is a surprise character here, as Joy, one who offers her help and puts in her best efforts to make everything a success. Joy is an angel, although not literally, who has been through a great deal in her life. A lot of the story (and Rachel’s final redemption) comes through a big misunderstanding with Joy that brings all the parts of the movie together. All in all it’s a fairly decent Christmas film, though not perfect, a completely adequate addition to the holiday class of 2017. I have enjoyed once again bringing the new Christmas movies of 2017 to you and am looking forward to a great cinema year in 2018. Merry Christmas Everyone.
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