Ed's Review Dot Com

Andrew Gottlieb Productions, Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions,

Eloise Mumford, Catherine Bérubé, Sean Faris, Josie and Lucy Gallina

Mark (Sean Faris) is trying to get out of a relationship that is going nowhere. He’s the guardian of his sister’s little girl Holly (Gallina twins), who is suffering from the very traumatic, sudden loss of her mother. Holly doesn’t talk anymore, and none of the specialists who have seen her can help at all. So Mark decides to move in with his brothers while he tends to Holly. But he keeps bumping into Maggie (Eloise Mumford) who has just moved to the island. It’s Maggie’s dream to open her own toy store, but meanwhile she’s working on the island at a charming little toy story. But when Holly sees the toy doll house, she falls in love with it.

This is a Hallmark Hall of Fame production which usually means an exceptional film. This one isn’t all that exceptional. The story is rather predictable, and, aside from the Gallina twins who take turns playing Holly and are really charming, the performances are not all that special. There is very little chemistry in what is supposed to be a love story, and it sputters along very predictably to a forgettable ending. All in all, this could have been much better done. This premiered on ABC TV this month and will be repeated on other places, and is available on-line. The story is based on a book that is probably a decent novel, but the movie is more phoned in that put together with loving care. It’s ok, and I don’t see any reason not to watch it should it happen to be on. But I don’t suspect it’s worth tracking this one down.

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Synthetic Filmwerx,

Claire Coffee, Ryan McPartlin, Gabrielle Dennis, Jeff Ward

NYC ad exec Holly Maddux (Claire Coffee) has a dream of perfection. Perfect job, perfect home, and perfect boyfriend. Her job is very stressful, and now she’s on a deadline to come up with a perfect ad before Christmas. On a tight deadline, she passes a store window every day and dreams of the perfect setting in the window. One day she falls and strieks her head, and when she wakes up with a gorgeous man bending over her to try to help. Turns out he’s absolutely perfect. But as the days pass, he may be a bit too perfect. He changes everything in her life, and when she meets his parents, they are just as overbearing as he is. She’s got to somehow learn, that perfect isn’t a great as she thought, and perhaps the flawed co-worker striving to help her with this project is better than her new beau Bo.

This is another new Lifetime movie for 2012. Boy there are a lot of new Christmas movies every year. It’s interesting how many premier one time and disappear and how some repeat year after year after year. This is not a bad film. It has a bit of a twist ending, much like another story about a little girl from Kansas who takes a cyclone ride. The twist probaly is no surprise to anyone, but it is a rather cute holiday film. It’s not very unique in the plot, but every Christmas story that could ever be made has already been made, so like listening to the new versions of the same old Christmas Carols, we get to watch new faces redo the same stories with new faces. But this is a decent holiday tale that’s fun to watch, and just as good as most of the holiday movies. With touches of humor and bits of romance, it’s a good addition to the holiday schedule

The home page for this 2012 Holiday film is here.

The Asylum,

Danica McKellar, Dustin Milligan, Scott Patterson, Brian Huskey, Alexandra Paul, Lea Thompson

Kat (Danica McKellar and Sam (Dustin Milligan) grew up together. Every Christmas they shared a place at the children’s table at Christmas. As they passed through the teen years, they stayed close friends, but when Sam finds the love of his life, Kat is devastated on the inside, but neither wants to admit how they really feel about each other. In this new Christmas Romance we get to revisit the pair each year at Christmas time.

Everybody remembers Danica as every guy’s first love, Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years. She’s still as pretty as ever, and a very good actress, though she doesn’t appear as often as we’d all like. So seeing her in this new Lifetime Christmas movie is a real treat. It’s an enjoyable film, very cute and very Christmassy. The locations are very good, and the soundtrack is decent, and the acting is great, so it’s a winner. Probably not a classic for years to come, this is not Miracle on 34th Street, but it’s a enjoyable time waster. Watch for this premier this year on LifeTime, and watch the sparks fly!

The home page for this Lifetime Movie is here.

Front Street Pictures,

Joey Lawrence, Emily Hampshire, Marilu Henner

Rob (Joey Lawrence) has just broken up with his girlfriend on Thanksgiving Day, much to his mother’s chagrin, and Julie (Emily Hampshire) is tired of her Mom always trying to fix her up with her ex’s. The two of them meet each other on-line and setup an agreement. They promise to attend each other holiday events as a couple with no strings attached. But it’s complicated as he’s Catholic and she’s Jewish, so they have very little in common to work with. Troubles mount as things get more and more complicated.

This is a standard romantic comedy film that just sort of falls flat. There is nothing really unique about this film. This is a brand new film for 2012 for the Hallmark Channel, but one I didn’t really get into. It was much more like a bad TV sitcom than a 2 hour film. It’s slow, it plods, and the funny moments are pretty few and far between. I just didn’t buy this story from start to finish. Waste of time.

The home page for this film which features a trailer is located here.

Bride For Christmas Productions,

Arielle Kebbel, Sage Brocklebank, Peter Benson, Andrew Walker, Jordana Largy

Mike (Sage Brockelbank) is an avid poker player. He makes a bet that he can make a girl fall in love with him, and accept a marriage proposal before Christmas. Jessie (Arielle Kebbel) is a reluctant bride. She’s been engaged three times, and three times she’s run away. But as these stories go, Mike does fall deeply in love with her, and immediately calls off the bet. Naturally she finds out about the bet and trouble ensues in this holiday romance story new from Hallmark this season.

This is such a formula. This has been done over and over and over. But darn it, this movie is just so cute. Arielle Kebbel is just so pretty, and the story is just so perfectly done with Christmas lights and Christmas music, and loads of Christmas cheer, that you can’t help but enjoy it. So I would say, if you’re a fan of romantic comedy Holiday films, grab some hot cocoa, snuggle up, and give this one a shot. You won’t need to concentrate hard on the story to follow the plot. So it’s not an earth shattering new idea for a Christmas film. It’s just good old fashioned fun.

The website for this 2012 Hallmark film is here.

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