Holiday TV Movies & (Non-Rankin Bass) Holiday Specials - General Discussion

[Artsda]

I saw Merry Swissmass with Jodie Sweetin and I'm used to the city girl/boy gives up job to go small  town, but this one bothered me because of on top of that we had the pushing her to forgive the disloyal best friend.

So the best friend a few months after the breakup gets with the ex and they live together now. Yet the mother and brother don't tell Alex they invited her, the mother acted more excited to see the friends than Alex, then push her to forgive the friend after what she did to her? Alex should have left for Argentina no wonder she rather fly all over alone than with friends and family like hers.

 So she has to forgive the best friend, she can't be angry at the mother and brother who didn't have the respect to give her heads up, she has to deal with the ex showing up, she has to give up her job and she has to move to Switzerland. Great moral of the story, sacrifice everything.

[greekmom]

I saw Inventing the Christmas Prince  today.  Geez louise, lucky this is fake and not real life. The daughter was asking for everything AND the kitchen sink. And of course instead of telling her the truth, Mom had to rope in her crappy (but gorgeous) boss so that the little girl can still believe.

I was looking for one called Merry & Gay. I saw the youtube commercial and it looks as cheesy as the rest of them but I cannot find where they will be showing it.

Help a gal out?

[Makai]

1 hour ago, greekmom said:

I was looking for one called Merry & Gay. I saw the youtube commercial and it looks as cheesy as the rest of them but I cannot find where they will be showing it.

Help a gal out?

Is the first original by a new streamer focused on LGTBQ content called DivaBoxOffice.TV. The service is launching on December 1st. 

[norcalgal]

Giving a recommendation for a movie on Tubi called Destined at Christmas. Except for the one trope of the female lead seeing the male lead with another woman and assuming the two are a couple, I liked this movie. Yes, there were other deus ex machine moments, but I liked the chemistry between the leads, I liked their families and just liked the story as well. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, norcalgal said:

Except for the one trope of the female lead seeing the male lead with another woman and assuming the two are a couple,

Today on Lifetime I caught Well Suited for Christmas (2022), which, thankfully, had zero triangle tropes, and was refreshingly diverse in the casting:

Quote

Sparks fly between a fashion designer and one of the city's most eligible bachelors as she creates a tuxedo for him for a Christmas gala.

In a few minutes Lifetime is airing Santa Bootcamp (2022), which I will turn on because it has Rita Moreno:

Quote

Hired to stage the ultimate holiday gala, an event planner rediscovers the magic of Christmas while searching for the perfect Santa

All the new (2022) Lifetime season-themed movies are starting to air in rotation, with the Rita Moreno one seemingly getting a little more airtime.

ETA: Rita Moreno's wardrobe is fantastic!

Edited November 20, 2022 by shapeshifter

[FortKnox]

On 11/16/2022 at 9:19 AM, Elizabeth Anne said:

Sorry to double post but I am wondering if anyone can help me out here: I am thinking of a Christmas movie that I'd like to see again but I am vague on details.  It's fairly recent, definitely made for TV and it is based on the Groundhog Day premise of repeating the same day over and over until you get it right.  It's set in the city - probably New York.  Anyway I remember really enjoying it, does this ring any bells for anyone? 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Every_Day

[Spartan Girl]

19 hours ago, twoods said:

I enjoyed Spirited, but then again I love musicals. Definitely my favorite from the streaming bunch so far, even though it was about 20 minutes longer than it should have been. Will and Ryan were so good together and it was so much fun being shocked by all the twists. 

I loved Spirited too. Funniest Will Ferrell has been in a long time, and yes, Ryan Reynolds’ acerbic humor doesn’t disappoint. I have “Good Afternoon” stuck in my head.

Spoiler

Was shocked that they killed off Ryan just to make him a new ghost, but whatever, it didn’t ruin the movie for me.

[Runningwild]

On 11/15/2022 at 10:57 AM, Spartan Girl said:

Oh fuck you, Candace. Having holiday movies with same sex couples doesn’t take anything away from anybody. I’d say more but Hilarie Burton did it better.

I did watch Falling for Christmas and it wasn’t any worse than your average cheesy Netflix/Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movie. The outtakes did make me smile, because Lindsay looked so happy to be stable (hopefully) and working again.

I think that makes Hilarie Burton (whoever she is) a bigot for not being supportive of Candace. She just wants to be in movies that are more like her real life. Everyone’s always going on about wanting to see people that look like them in tv and movies. Is that not supposed to include Christians? Yeah, we know the answer. 

All Candace said was she wanted to do more faith-based movies and Christians are wildly underserved. That is completely true. It’s sad to see her attacked for stuff people think she meant but that’s what people do these days  

I enjoyed Falling for Christmas. I thought it was cute. Good to see Lindsay Lohan back. And always nice to see Jack Wagner. And Netflix couldn’t make it through one movie without a gay couple. Lol But at least they sang a Christmas Carol.

I also watched the first two episodes of The Santa Clauses. Also enjoyable. And no, there’s not much Christmas spirit these days. 

Of recent movies, Christmas Chronicles is still my favorite. 

Edited November 20, 2022 by Runningwild

[Makai]

22 minutes ago, Runningwild said:

All Candace said was she wanted to do more faith-based movies and Christians are wildly underserved. That is completely true.

I really disagree that Christians are underserved. We are still the default. 

Beyond that Candace represents one type of Christianity. I am Christian and she doesn’t represent me. She certainly doesn’t represent the nearly 3 million LGTBQ individuals who are also Christian or the majority of Christians in America who support gay rights. 

[memememe76]

1 hour ago, Runningwild said:

Hilarie Burton (whoever she is)

Hilarie Burton was a star in a very successful and long running teen tv drama One Tree Hill, and other shows like Suits. She has also done her fair share of Christmas tv movies. 

[Spartan Girl]

7 hours ago, Makai said:

I really disagree that Christians are underserved. We are still the default. 

Beyond that Candace represents one type of Christianity. I am Christian and she doesn’t represent me. She certainly doesn’t represent the nearly 3 million LGTBQ individuals who are also Christian or the majority of Christians in America who support gay rights. 

Seriously. In my book, real Christians love and support everyone without excluding them in the name of religion. Hilarie is not a bigot for calling Candace out on that.

[Cetacean]

8 hours ago, Runningwild said:

All Candace said was she wanted to do more faith-based movies and Christians are wildly underserved.

Wow, seriously?  How many Hallmark (or any other enterprise) movies embrace any other religion?  Where are the Hanukkah, Dawali, Eid movies?  24/7 Christmas movies for two months is "wildly underserved"?  

[norcalgal]

I know CCB didn’t mention it, but may I expand on this?  Besides traditional marriage, her specific definition of family probably is one man (dad) and one woman (mom) with their biological kids. That’s a very narrow view of what constitutes a “family”.  
There’s lots of half and/or step parents and siblings IRL, but they’re not presented as common in the holiday movies. 

And so too, for me, a family can include anyone who you’re not related to in any way but you still feel a close bond with the person/people: friends, coworkers, hairdresser, etc.

[greekmom]

I watched Christmas Story Christmas last night.  It was meh. Alot of rehashed jokes/situations.  

I also watched Our Italian Christmas Memories.  A bit of  a different story than your usual Hallmark Christmas trope.

[norcalgal]

The synopsis for The Holiday Swap on Up tv sounded like such a great meet cute, but there was so much bad about this movie that I gave up less than half way into it.

• Airline attendant told Ali there wasn’t any more room in the overhead bin on this “small” plane for her one carryon. Then they had a shot of the jumbo jet!  
• Same airline attendant asked Ali if she wanted a glass of wine but didn’t bother asking the other passengers on the same freaking aisle if they also wanted a drink!
• Somehow, the other passengers in her aisle were able to get past a sleeping Ali!?!?  Have the writers of this movie ever been on a plane?  Do you know how hard it is for the middle and window passengers to leave without disturbing the aisle passenger?!
• Ali asks her WORK assistant to help her deal with the airline snafu regarding her luggage. This was a holiday trip, NOT work trip, so why would Ali feel she could have her assistant help, especially when he himself was going on vacation?!  Entitled much?

The acting all around was just bad. Felt so forced, not effortless.  Ali and her supposed BFF Lara never gave off vibes of being BFFs.  More like somewhere between friends and acquaintances.
Not sure if the movie improved, but I just didn’t care anymore.  Serves me right for giving Up channel another chance (I’ve never enjoyed any of their movies - holiday or otherwise).

[Irlandesa]

19 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

The synopsis for The Holiday Swap on Up tv sounded like such a great meet cute, but there was so much bad about this movie that I gave up less than half way into it.

I only made it about ten minutes in.  There's just something about the movies that screamed low budget.  There's the kind of music they use that appears in the background and just screams "no energy."

I keep thinking that there has been an UP TV movie I liked but I can't quite remember when the last time I watched one I like on that network.

On Lifetime, I was hoping Santa Boot Camp would be good. Rita Moreno was terrific but I just couldn't quite get into it, sadly.

[giovannif7]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

(snip)

On Lifetime, I was hoping Santa Boot Camp would be good. Rita Moreno was terrific but I just couldn't quite get into it, sadly.

I enjoyed Santa Boot Camp a lot, mainly due to Rita Moreno - she is so good in everything. With her track suit wardrobe in this, I couldn't help thinking she's being positioned as the new Betty White, whose Hot in Cleveland wardrobe was all about track suits. In any case, she definitely elevated the material. I found the leads attractive, blandly appealing and good fits for the storyline, and I appreciated the incorporation of sign language into the plot without making it feel tacked on.

I was pleasantly surprised to see John Schuck as "Chris" - I was under the mistaken impression that he had passed years ago. I grew up loving his lovable oaf characters in projects like McMillan & Wife, M*A*S*H (the movie), Holmes and Yoyo, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and various Star Trek projects, among many others. It's great to see him still getting roles.

All in all, I found this one of the better efforts this season and one I'd definitely watch again.

[Notabug]

21 hours ago, Runningwild said:

All Candace said was she wanted to do more faith-based movies and Christians are wildly underserved. That is completely true. It’s sad to see her attacked for stuff people think she meant but that’s what people do these days  

I disagree that we Christians are underserved, wildly or otherwise.  About 70% of Americans identify as Christian and that encompasses many different denominations; many of whom are not against birth control, divorce, remarriage, single parenthood, or think that LGBTQ people should never be seen or heard.  Most of them are not concerned that their children will be corrupted and head straight to hell if they encounter someone whose beliefs, religious or otherwise, are different from their own.  They want everyone in this country to be free to be who they are, whatever that means to them, and for all of us to get along.  As a Christian myself, CCB does NOT represent me or my faith and I find her to be intolerant and judgmental, which are not Christian values in my church.

Only 14% of Americans identify themselves as Evangelical Christians which I believe is CCB's religious preference, and many of those would not agree with her strict definition of 'traditional' family.  Meanwhile, about 6% identify as LGBTQ.  

Edited November 21, 2022 by Notabug

[LexieLily]

6 hours ago, norcalgal said:

I know CCB didn’t mention it, but may I expand on this?  Besides traditional marriage, her specific definition of family probably is one man (dad) and one woman (mom) with their biological kids. That’s a very narrow view of what constitutes a “family”.  
There’s lots of half and/or step parents and siblings IRL, but they’re not presented as common in the holiday movies. 

If CCB does have that viewpoint I wonder how she correlates that with her brother and sister-in-law having adopted all (or most?) of their children. 

Even Hallmark has a good amount of dead husband/dead wife movies where the surviving spouse gets with someone new at Christmas. 

[Notabug]

23 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

If CCB does have that viewpoint I wonder how she correlates that with her brother and sister-in-law having adopted all (or most?) of their children. 

Even Hallmark has a good amount of dead husband/dead wife movies where the surviving spouse gets with someone new at Christmas. 

I think CCB probably considers her brothers family to be traditional because he adopted the kids after they married.  Now, if his wife had had a child from another marriage or, even worse, had a child without being married before he met her; chances are, she would never have met his qualifications for a wife in the first place.

I think CCB is fine with remarriage when one of the couple is no longer alive.  I doubt she'd be too keen on some of the Hallmark movies where one of the characters is a single parent because the other parent left, or divorced or never got married in the first place.

At least, that is my understanding of evangelical Christian beliefs.

[greekmom]

Finished Christmas at the Golden Dragon. Surprised that at the end they didn't keep the Dragon open with the son taking over the business and the girl he liked moving back home.

Romy trying all these traditional Christmas activities (snowballing fight, gingerbread house making, caroling) and not succeeding was funny.

[twoods]

Did the yearly MistleTones watch, and now my girls watch it with me since they love it as well. It always puts me in a good mood.

[Clawdette]

I was only half-way watching/listening to The Holiday Swap (I work from home) and I knew who the swapper was as soon as he was introduced.  I did make a point to snap to at the very end to make sure my deduction was correct.  If the script had been better and if the performances hadn't been so flat, but, there you go.

[twoods]

Reindeer Games Homecoming on Lifetime was pretty good. The leads had adult conversations about their feelings and had wonderful chemistry (yay to Grey’s Anatomy reunion). Sarah Drew did a great job writing the script because I liked the mini storylines as well. 

[Bruinsfan]

Ever since Bros (briefly) hit theaters I've been on a Luke Macfarlane Hallmark Christmas movie kick. Some—like Chateau Christmas—have been good, some—like Sense, Sensibility, & Snowmen—have not. The latest, A Magical Christmas Village, was all right in terms of acting and dialogue but the premise could easily have been a horror movie or Twilight Zone episode instead (young girl plays with supernatural holiday trinkets that strip her mother and others of their free will and control their actions and circumstances Voodoo fetish-style, turning them into living puppets!).

Tonight I watched Maggie's Christmas Miracle and the quality of the script and acting seemed really top notch for this sort of movie. It wasn't treacly or saccharine, characters experienced sadness and had believable motivations, and the romance, though rushed, felt like real adults interacting rather than a checklist of tropes.

Edited November 21, 2022 by Bruinsfan

[Justaguest]

17 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

Tonight I watched Maggie's Christmas Miracle and the quality of the script and acting seemed really top notch for this sort of movie. It wasn't treacly or saccharine, characters experienced sadness and had believable motivations, and the romance, though rushed, felt like real adults interacting rather than a checklist of tropes.

That's a top 5 Christmas movie for me. I agree, it's one of the better quality Hallmark movies. (Not all my favorites are actually good.)

[Irlandesa]

I watched a few non-Hallmark movies this week. 

A Show-Stopping Christmas (Lifetime) just got me to stop the show.  The story wasn't intriguing enough and the cast didn't pop.  I liked the poster for it so I wanted to like it but Lifetime's quality has dipped quite a bit the past few years.

Christmas Lucky Charm (UP TV) was kind of cute.  It's based on a book.  The story was a little silly and the lead guy reminded me of Colin Jost but I left it on in the background. 

The Case of the Christmas Diamond (ION).  So ION has decided to lean into mystery Christmas.  This was not good and yet it was different so I watched--a bit flabbergasted.  I especially laughed at the romantic ending. 

Spoiler warning. 

She ends up with a guy who is a gambling addict?  It's just hilarious.  Oooh, what a catch?

Edited November 22, 2022 by Irlandesa

[Jaded]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

The Case of the Christmas Diamond (ION).  So ION has decided to lean into mystery Christmas.  This was not good and yet it was different so I watched--a bit flabbergasted.  I especially laughed at the romantic ending. 

Spoiler warning. 

She ends up with a guy who is a gambling addict?  It's just hilarious.  Oooh, what a catch?

ION TV movies are usually so bad that I've been known to keep watching some of them to see how much worse they'll get until they end.

[twoods]

ION used to have decent movies. One of my favorites, A Cinderella Christmas, was on ION.

[norcalgal]

On 11/20/2022 at 9:07 PM, Clawdette said:

I was only half-way watching/listening to The Holiday Swap (I work from home) and I knew who the swapper was as soon as he was introduced.  I did make a point to snap to at the very end to make sure my deduction was correct.  If the script had been better and if the performances hadn't been so flat, but, there you go.

As I wrote in my post about this movie, I gave up. It was bad all around, but my guess is the suitcase belonged to the male romantic lead?  [The BFF's husband's brother].  Dunno if I'm right, but that's my guess.

[SomeTameGazelle]

On 11/10/2022 at 4:37 PM, twoods said:

I didn’t find it to be as awful as you did. The leads were good actors (it was nice seeing Lindsay Lohan), but her influencer boyfriend was way too extra. 

Aww, Tad's ridiculous over-the-topness was my favourite part. His outfits were mind-boggling and I appreciated the fact that

Spoiler

they did not make him a diabolical villain, and his delight in being rescued by Ralph the poacher was really quite lovely.

The romance with Chord Overstreet was serviceable. (I do not know him but he read extremely young to me.) There wasn't really much of an arc there. I liked Lindsay best when she was with the daughter so probably would have liked to see more time devoted to the daughter and the grandmother helping Lindsay learn how to do things, with maybe some near misses in her being identified as Sierra while she and what's his name were falling in love.

[Vermicious Knid]

Linda Holmes has a Pop Culture Happy Hour discussion on Christmas movies at NPR. Specifically Falling For Christmas, A Gingerbread Christmas, One Delicious Christmas, and Spirited, the Will Ferrell/Ryan Reynolds effort. I hope she also does her full roundup of all the movies.

[absnow54]

On 11/21/2022 at 11:09 PM, twoods said:

ION used to have decent movies. One of my favorites, A Cinderella Christmas, was on ION.

They had one, The Spruces and the Pines, which was a twist on Romeo and Juliet between two rival Christmas Tree farms that I really liked. I stopped checking their schedule after last year's A Christmas Witness. 

[ECM1231]

On 11/17/2022 at 5:36 PM, twoods said:

Cute movie on Lifetime called Six Degrees of Santa. Pretty clever storyline and had the usual misunderstanding tropes but it kept me entertained and the leads were great. I’ve liked most of the movies I’ve see Steve Lund in (Best Christmas Party Ever and Secret Millionaire to name a few) and hope to see more of him. 

Just saw this last night and really enjoyed it.

[shapeshifter]

44 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

On 11/17/2022 at 5:36 PM, twoods said:

Cute movie on Lifetime called Six Degrees of Santa. Pretty clever storyline and had the usual misunderstanding tropes but it kept me entertained and the leads were great. I’ve liked most of the movies I’ve see Steve Lund in (Best Christmas Party Ever and Secret Millionaire to name a few) and hope to see more of him. 

Just saw this last night and really enjoyed it.

I thought Six Degrees of Santa was a really original story line.
Am I wrong and that the concept is just new to Christmas movies?
Does anyone recall a similar story or movie in which Secret Santa-type gifting crosses with Re-Gifting and/or Gift Exchange, whether in a holiday setting or not?

[twoods]

This is a first, which is why I liked it. And I think it could be a really cute idea in the real world- it seems like such a fun concept! I’m too lazy to see if it really exists.

[memememe76]

The Noel Diary is clearly the best Netflix outing. The cinematography was really a cut above, and the chemistry between Justin Hartley and Barrett Doss was undeniable. It falters the last 20 minutes or so, though. You end up unsatisfied. Even the small characters pop—the waitress, the bookseller, the fans at the beginning. I love when Christmas movies are made with real effort. 

[Vermicious Knid]

Yay! Linda Holmes has her overview - Gingerbread! Santa! Moppets! Here's your 2022 holiday movie guide. Sadly, not a brief comment on every one of the 100+ movies as it has been in the past but still very enjoyable.

Quote

There are also outlets involved in Christmas movies now that I can guarantee many of you have never heard of. Did you know there's a Chicken Soup for the Soul streaming service? Their movie is called Meeting Mr. Christmas, which really sounds like a placeholder title where someone forgot to fill the place it was holding. Even our old friend CBS is in on the fun! Their Fit for Christmas (Dec. 4) is, naturally, about a fitness instructor who wants to save the community center, which places it in the great tradition of both countless Christmas movies and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Quote

One way to navigate the flood of offerings? Trust that the movie's name is its name for a reason....there's also Holly & The Hot Chocolate, for instance, airing on (I kid you not) QVC+. It is, of course, about a woman named Holly. And because it's QVC+, you at home will get the chance to buy the hot chocolate featured in the movie. A woman and a consumable product! It's right there in the name! What more could you ask for? MERRY SHOPPING CHRISTMAS!

[norcalgal]

Baking All the Way on Lifetime was a fairly decent movie. Likeable, rootable characters and ok plot and acting (except for Colin Mochrie doing his usual mugging; I forwarded most of his scenes). 
No eye rolling misunderstandings or unrealistic plot points, but still nothing I’d watch multiple times.

[magdalene]

Here to recommend this Christmas movie I watched last night on Netflix, I can't recall the title but it was the no 1 movie on there yesterday.  Famous author meets woman looking for her birth mom while taking care of his mother's estate. They go on a road trip and fall in love. Everything was well above average in this one.  From the acting - even in minor roles - to the writing, to the production values, to the chemistry between the leads.  The couple came across as real people with the kind of emotional problems real people have, a high compliment from me considering the genre. James Remar plays the hero's estranged dad. There is an adorable dog.  This would have been a perfect little movie for me but for the writing faltering right towards the end by giving the heroine non sense cold feet all of a sudden. Still, even with that I enjoyed this one.

[Jaded]

I turned it on Lifetime last night intending on watching the new movie Steppin' Into the Holiday. I had seen a few of the promos for it while watching the Food Network. I was usually half paying attention to the commercials and only saw that Mario Lopez was in it and I thought the dancing angle might be fun. I liked a Hallmark holiday movie awhile back that was about dancing too.

I hadn't realized Jana Kramer was in it the movie though. It's so hard to watch her now and not think about how she went on for what seemed like forever complaining about her now ex-husband's cheating/sex addiction while staying married to him for most of that time. It was hard to avoid for quite awhile when looking at other sites that would report entertainment news.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, magdalene said:

Here to recommend this Christmas movie I watched last night on Netflix, I can't recall the title but it was the no 1 movie on there yesterday.  Famous author meets woman looking for her birth mom while taking care of his mother's estate. They go on a road trip and fall in love. Everything was well above average in this one.  From the acting - even in minor roles - to the writing, to the production values, to the chemistry between the leads.  The couple came across as real people with the kind of emotional problems real people have, a high compliment from me considering the genre. James Remar plays the hero's estranged dad. There is an adorable dog.  This would have been a perfect little movie for me but for the writing faltering right towards the end by giving the heroine non sense cold feet all of a sudden. Still, even with that I enjoyed this one.

I admit to watching this👆 Netflix movie, "The Noel Diary," in its entirety, without anyone else, so I guess I didn't earn the right to say it was awful.
It just could have been much better. 

I imagine the producers of these current Christmas movies have meetings early on with the creative team in which they tell them not to their best work. They probably threaten to lower their pay if it looks like they're making it into a real movie.

In this case, they start with the concept of a famous, wealthy author going back to his home town to empty the house where his mother has just passed. Sounds good.
There's a woman still living across the street who knew him when he was young. Still good.
Then they add: The female lead is the birth daughter of the famous author's former Nanny.
Whoa. Starting to go off the rails. 
And then every member of the famous author's family has a tragic and/or insanity-troubled back story. 
They might as well have thrown in some homeless person living in the attic. 
But they didn't.
But by the end the lead being a famous author was totally irrelevant and unnecessary to where the story ended.

Edited November 27, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Jaded]

57 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I admit to watching this👆 Netflix movie, "The Noel Diary," in its entirety, without anyone else, so I guess I didn't earn the right to say it was awful.
It just could have been much better. 

Were you being sarcastic about not earning the right to say it was awful? I wanted to ask because I was unsure. If you've never been to the Hallmark threads here you should take a peek. The posts saying some of their movies were awful or terrible outnumber the ones where people say they watched a good one or one they enjoyed. The Hallmark movies and ones like them that try to deviate from the usual basic story outline they usually follow have been some of the better ones.

Edited November 27, 2022 by Jaded

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Jaded said:

Were you being sarcastic about not earning the right to say it was awful? I wanted to ask because I was unsure. 

Fair question, but I'm not really sure! LOL

It was sort of like admitting that I am such a sad sack that even my guilty-pleasure moving watching is sad.😉

[Jaded]

25 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Fair question, but I'm not really sure! LOL

It was sort of like admitting that I am such a sad sack that even my guilty-pleasure moving watching is sad.😉

I didn't want to assume anything because I still remember what my Nana said about people who do that too often...😸

[memememe76]

The last 20 minutes does fall apart, the best part was basically the entire road trip. I liked them getting to know each other, and the part where she was reading his book.

[Irlandesa]

I am still hesitant on The Noel Diary because it looked like a sad/serious movie and I actually prefer movies with more lightness to them.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

I am still hesitant on The Noel Diary because it looked like a sad/serious movie and I actually prefer movies with more lightness to them.

“The Noel Diary” is pretty sad/serious, but not the kind that made me cry——which could also be considered a failure for a sad/serious movie. 
But I would have forgiven all of its shortcomings (see above) if it had made me chuckle a few times. 
Or if it had Rita Moreno in more fabulous Christmas outfits than I could have imagined (“Santa Bootcamp”). 😉

ETA:  
Den of Geek gave The Noel Diary a much better review than I did: denofgeek.com/movies/new-netflix-christmas-movies-2022-ranked-best-to-worst/

But then I feel vindicated by Decider, which gave The Noel Diary a SKIP IT, 
and gave Santa Bootcamp a STREAM IT.

Edited November 27, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Avabelle]

The Noel Diary looks a little too earnest and cheesy for me. As said above I prefer lightness. I also hate where these types of movies take themselves too seriously. Given a lot of you have mentioned the last half hour can someone spoiler tag if they end up together or not so I know if it’s a total waste of time.

[Jaded]

Oooooh I just looked at Santa Bootcamp's cast and Emily Kinney is in it along with Rita. The male lead was the first Ben on Days of Our lives and filled in on Y&R during Covid as the husband of his wife's character on the show.  I've never watched an entire episode of The Walking Dead all the way through. One of the episodes I tried to watch was when Negan was introduced with his bat and well I think others who've seen that one know what I mean. 

Emily though was in one of my favorite Hallmark movies Love on the Sidelines from 2015. She made that movie work and it's one that didn't follow the usual blueprint. If anyone has a chance to watch it in the future it's a good one to check out.