Austin Stowell, Kayla Ewell, Brett Rice, Bryant Prince, Carol Anne Watts, Danny Glover, Michael Harding
Trey Cole grew up in a very small town, but always had a problem with his ex-military Dad who was never around, and after his Mom left, he left town and never spoke to his father again. Trey went into the city and became a famous singer, but walked out in the middle of a performance to go back home to reconnect with Charlie Shuffleton (Danny Glover) who was the substitute father figure to him, and who was the town barber. Unfortunately, Charlie had passed away just a couple months before. Trey decides not to stay, but once he met his brother’s little boy, he forms a bond and is tempted to stay. Trey has a lot to learn about family and forgiveness and the need to have other people in your life.
This Hallmark Christmas film is a very worthwhile movie and is true to the Hallmark commitment to bring high quality family movies to brighten the holidays. Though back from 2013, this is an excellent movie and is available for streaming on Netflix. Though good any time of the year, it’s especially nice around the holidays, and there is a lot of holiday cheer in it as well. This is one that deserves to be remembered.
Perfect World Pictures (Beijing), Universal Pictures, Will Packer Productions,,
Kimberly Elise, Danny Glover, John Michael Higgins, Romany Malco, Mo’Nique, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Omar Epps, Nicole Ari Parker, Jessie Usher, DC Young Fly
Walter (Danny Glover) is the father of a big family who are all grown-up and moved away, and he’s suffering the loss of his wife and it’s 5 days until Christmas. Walter has asked everyone to come together and his only wish is for the whole family to get together for 5 days without it all blowing up. Of course that’s a lot to ask of this bunch, and though Walter’s obsessed with getting his wife’s Sweet Potato Pie just right, the rest of the gang from Aunt May (Mo’nique) all the way down to the grandchildren are all about to kill each other. This is a typical dysfunctional family survives Christmas films.
Almost Christmas is certainly a well covered topic, with the frustrated Dad trying to keep his kids from tearing each other apart story line, but due to the excellent acting from Glover and Mo’Nique through JB Smoove, Gabriel Union, and right on down the line, the talent helps to make the story come alive. There are some hysterical moments that are really well done including one of the best dining room table bits that I’ve ever seen. This film is not going to be classic enough to gain cult status, but it’s really pretty well done and though it does jump from sad to silly and back quite fast, still it’s a highly enjoyable film and one that makes us feel good because our families are not near as bad as this clan. Or are they? That’s something you’ll be wondering about as you enjoy this charming Christmas Movie.
Tara Holt, Sam Page, Ta’Rhonda Jones, Emily Peterson,Phillip Edward Van Lear, Stacia Crawford, Dan Brown, Sam Guinan-Nyhart
Tom (Sam Page) is the ultimate Christmas shopper. The call him Mr. Christmas. He’s approached by a friend Paul (Sam Guinan-Nyhart) who is a workaholic and really loves Jenny (Tara Holt) but doesn’t have a clue what to give her for Christmas. Tom agrees to find the perfect gift for Paul to give Jenny, but the more he digs into finding what Jenny is all about, the more Tom finds himself falling for her. One of the rules of his business is not to be personally involved, but she seems like the perfect person for him, and she is able to drag him into her world more and more until something has to break.
This is one of the early premiers that will be repeated all season in 2017. This is a very typical Hallmark Christmas Movie with the usual triangle issues. The plot is not all that complicated, and the movie really dind’t resonate a whole lot with me. That doesn’t mean that it’s not a nice movie, and the cast is really good. They speak their lines and do the best the can to make the script work, but it’s just has nothing to reach out and grab you. There are a lot of twists and turns, but it’s all in order like A, B, C, 1, 2, 3. I didn’t dislike the movie in the least, and they did a good job with it, but it’s not top of my list. Watch them struggle and really enjoy the Chicago landscape, and turn off the critical thinking part and you won’t be disappointed.
Marc Blucas, Erin Boyes, Brooke D’Orsay, James Rha, Luke Roessler, Taylor St. Pierre
Miss Christmas Holly Kuhn (Brooke D’Orsay) is responsible for the Christmas Tree for Chicago’s Radcliff Tree Lighting. But this year an accident made the tree unusable. But she’s on a mission to find a last minute replacement. A letter from a little boy Joey (Luke Roessler) may be the perfect tree, but when she heads out to find it, she finds the little boy’s father Sam (Marc Bulcas) is dead set against it for very sentimental reasons.
Erin Krakow, Niall Matter, Wendie Malick, Michael Kopsa, P. Lynn Johnson, Aliyah O’Brien, Nevis Unipan,
Last year’s premier of Finding Father Christmas [Click here for Ed’s Review] brought us the story of Miranda who lost her Mother at Christmas, and spent the last film looking for her father who turned out to be a famous actor. Miranda met his family, and spent last Christmas visiting with them. It was a lovely story. A year has passed, and Engaging Father Christmas brings us right back to where we left off with Miranda spending another holiday with her secret father’s family, but the man she met last year has decided to propose to her. But a sinister plot that might reveal the name of her famous father sending scandal to the family who took her in may ruin everything unless Miranda and her fiance Ian (Niall Matter) are able to figure out who is behind the reveal of her secret, and try to stop him to protect her new found family who have been so kind to her.
Last year’s film was one of the highlights of the season and a great Christmas movie. This year’s sequel is like a welcome friend since we know the background and the characters from the previous film, and they were so likeable. This is probably not as good as the first film, and it’s a little bit contrived, to be honest, but it is nice to visit the friends from last film. Nobody is quite that upset about a star having an affair in this day and age, but it is a small town in Vermont and he is revered there. Wendie Malik reprises her role as the widowed wife of James Whitcomb, Miranda’s famous father. She is excellent and certainly very charming as the lady of the house. all in all this is a pleasant continuation of the first film. I enjoyed it very much.
Trey Cole grew up in a very small town, but always had a problem with his ex-military Dad who was never around, and after his Mom left, he left town and never spoke to his father again. Trey went into the city and became a famous singer, but walked out in the middle of a performance to go back home to reconnect with Charlie Shuffleton (Danny Glover) who was the substitute father figure to him, and who was the town barber. Unfortunately, Charlie had passed away just a couple months before. Trey decides not to stay, but once he met his brother’s little boy, he forms a bond and is tempted to stay. Trey has a lot to learn about family and forgiveness and the need to have other people in your life.
