Snow Bride
Plot: A tabloid reporter tries to get the scoop on a Kennedy-esque family and their romantic entanglements over the holiday season. Racing to get the story first, the reporter winds up stranded with one of the sons in his cozy mountain cabin while wearing her friend's wedding dress. But when they fall in love, will she publish the story? Or will she let love win the day?
Lovable old person: Patricia Richardson of Home Improvement plays the wealthy family matriarch.
Overacting: 3/5. It's not great acting, guys.
My guilt level: 5/5. I'm watching a movie called Snow Bride. Handsomeness of male lead: 3/5. Eh, he's handsome, but bland.
Overall: 2/5. It wasn't terrible.
The Christmas Ornament
Plot: Kelly Martin is a big dull dud as a recent widow who can't bring herself to put up a Christmas tree. Enter Cameron Mathison, the Star of Christmas (he's in THREE tv movies this year) as a charming tree shop owner. Can he convince Kelly Martin to put up a Christmas tree? And can he give her the confidence to abandon her career as a fledgling bike shop owner and focus on her real passion - baking cookies?*
*Actual plot point
Lovable old person: Not present.
Overacting: 2/5.
My guilt level: 2/5.
Handsomeness of male lead: 4/5. Cameron Mathison is at his most ruggedly handsome in this movie. He wears a lot of flannel, loads heavy trees onto trucks, and even plays hockey.
Most unbelievable scene: In an attempt to be fun, Kelly Martin engages in a highly staged snowball fight with Cameron Mathison.
Overall: 1/5. Kelly Martin spends most of her time moping, and the two leads don't have any chemistry.
Window Wonderland
Plot: Two department store employees compete to see who can dress the store's holiday windows best. Bicker, bicker, fall in love. Cameron Mathison, 2013's Star of Christmas, plays one of the employee's Important Businessman Boyfriend.
Lovable old person: Quick! You need someone to play a luxury department store bathroom attendant. Who's that, you say? Why, Naomi Judd! That's exactly who I thought of, too!
Overacting: 1/5.
My guilt level: 2/5.
Handsomeness of male lead: 3/5. He's not blow-you-away handsome, but he gets cuter and cuter as the movie goes on. Also, they dress him in a variety of holiday sweaters, which helps.
Favorite scene: The two rivals get trapped in the department store overnight, and the guy's phone just "happens" to start playing romantic music.
Overall: 4/5. This was a pleasant surprise! You'll have to forgive a few out-there plot points towards the end, but I found the banter between the two leads charming, and the ending was cute.
Catch a Christmas Star
Plot: Shannon Elizabeth wears this hat as a successful pop singer who reunites with her high school sweetheart, now a widower with two kids. Can two people with such different lives make love work?
Lovable old person: None.
Overacting: 4/5.
My guilt level: 5/5. I almost didn't tape this one.
Handsomeness of male lead: 4/5. He's cute, all right.
Most unbelievable scene: At the end of the movie, the male lead not only makes his way backstage to her Christmas concert by posing as a worker, but then he GETS UP ON STAGE before she comes on for her encore to declare his love in front of the whole stadium. I think it's supposed to be romantic.
Overall: 2/5. Painful to watch at times. Watching Shannon Elizabeth pretend to be a singer is probably the worst part.
Fir Crazy
Plot: A shoe executive (really) gets fired and broken up with in quick succession. Desperate, she fills in at her parents' Christmas tree lot. But when a Scrooge-like executive wants the lot off his property, she finds it within herself to fight for the lot she never thought she cared about. Also, she falls in love.
Lovable old person: Colin Mochrie, such a great improv talent on Whose Line is It Anyway, is stuck in this movie playing the grumpy exec.
Overacting: 4/5.
My guilt level: 3/5.
Handsomeness of male lead: 4/5. He's cute, but dull. Of course he's a teacher who volunteers at the homeless shelter at Christmas time!
Most unbelievable scene: The scene is which she is fired and broken up with all at once, as if this is the first time we've seen this plot point!
Overall: 1/5. This was a rough one, you guys. The main character is mopey most of the time, and not that fun when she finally perks up.
A Very Merry Mix-Up
Plot: Alicia Witt, vying for Cameron Mathison's title (she is in TWO movies this year) stars as a young woman who owns an antique shop from her deceased father. Newly engaged, her Important Businessman Fiance sends her ahead to meet his family while he closes a deal...to take over her antique shop. But when she winds up at the wrong house, falling in love with someone else, who knows what might happen?
Lovable old person: The parents and grandpa at the wrong house are no one famous, but they are cute and charming.
Overacting: 2/5. Mostly the fiance.
My guilt level: 1/5.
Handsomeness of male lead: 5/5. Not super cute at first, but I LOVED him.
Favorite scene: The two have to stay up all night (long story) and end up making cookies in the dark.
Overall: 4/5. I loved this one! A one-point deduction for a left-field, Christmas-magic plot turn at the end. But overall, this was my favorite of the season. Warm and funny.
Kristin's Christmas Past
Plot: Obviously I had to watch this since the main character has my same name! Think 13 Going on 30 meets a Christmas Carol. A fancy exec realizes she's not happy with her life and goes back in time to advise her teenage self to date her childhood friend and reunite with her mother.
Lovable old person: Poor Elizabeth Mitchell, 43, is stuck playing the mother to 35 year-old Shiri Appleby.
Overacting: 3/5.
My guilt level: 4/5. There is a shirtless Santa in this movie.
Handsomeness of male lead: 3/5.
Overall: 2/5. I skimmed through a lot of this one. Not my favorite.
The Twelve Trees of Christmas
Plot: A librarian plans to save her library from demolition. Good thing the heir of a foundation that could save it is handsome and lives in her building! Oh wait, he's not budging? On to plan B....to throw a Christmas tree decorating contest. Now if only the handsome foundation heir wasn't so charming....
Lovable old person: No one famous.
Overacting: 2/5. Not too badly acted, although I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Spice Girl Mel B (Scary Spice) shows up as an interior decorator. This movie obviously had the same casting director as the one who cast Naomi Judd as a bathroom attendant.
My guilt level: 2/5.
Handsomeness of male lead: 3/5. He's actually pretty charming, though he looks kind of goofy in this pic.
Overall: 3/5. More like a 3.5. I was surprised by this one - it was kind of sweet.
2 comments:
This is one of my favorite recaps! Well done! I love hearing about the lovable old people and your guilt rating.
Thanks for the reviews! I finished watching many Christmas shows and I agree that the best one was the Very Merry Mix-Up. I don't know if I would have thought to record it without your notes . . . so thanks!
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