Christmas Movies: Hope at Christmas

The film review for people who love happy endings and Christmas loveliness

So Christmas movies are an absolute favourite of mine - I use to look forward to November because the Hallmark (or equivalent) channel started kicking off their Christmas catalogue - it makes for a great weekend relax… especially with tea (or wine!) and a cracker and cheese or two. They of course are entirely predictable in terms of a happy Christmas ending but like the romance genre there are some magical ingredients that make a great Christmas movie.

In a great Christmas movie I look for chemistry between the male and female leads. It can be really hard to watch if the actors are thinking more about how they look than their connection with their leading partner, or if they are trying to hold that romantic moment… ouf it is tedious when that happens.

I also look for how I feel - am I smiling as I watch the movie? Do I laugh a little with the characters, and am I forgiving little details because I am enjoying the vibe so much? It might be intangible but I think the magic is in the combo of happy delights.

Hope at Christmas has the two actors Scottie Thompson and Ryan Paevey play the main characters Sydney and Mac, supported by Erica Tremblay playing the daughter of Sydney. They are a lovely combo. I keep thinking Thompson is going to be not that great, but she keeps stepping in - it’s like she was having a tough time behind the scenes and once she steps into the character we see the happy magic that she can embrace on the screen away from real life.

Paevey is classically handsome to look at, so it seems most likely that he’ll deliver that ‘I’ve been told I’m handsome my whole life’ delivery… but there is something lovely there - his voice is beautifully smooth and deep, it helps a lot to show hes not ordinary. And he is always on with the connection with Thompson. They both hold it - just! I can’t help but think they could both bring more of themselves into the character - there’s a light there shining in their own selves that could come through… maybe I’m expecting too much though!

I enjoyed the movie and Colleen Winton’s character Bea brings a lovely tying together of the story, and she plays the wise Aunty figure just as you’d like one in real life. I wish I had a Bea with a bookstore!! And the story of the connection between Syndey and Mac builds nicely without overly dramatic storylines, just lovely flow throughout. Nicely done director Alex Writer!

Worth a watch? Yes for sure, on an evening that you just want calm and loveliness… and a Christmas charm - go with this. It was released in 2018 but doesn’t feel like it at all… its charm is holding the test of time ✨🙌💛