The Christmas Shepherd

Hopes were not high for 'The Christmas Shepherd'. Count me in as another person who found the premise ridiculous in concept. Saw it anyway though because of my love of Christmas and my appreciation for festive films. The film's biggest name cast name is Teri Polo, who as an actress is somewhat hit and miss. my first exposure to her being the 'Criminal Minds' episode "I Love You Tommy Brown" (one of that show's worst episodes of the season it was part of) where she didn't particularly impress me.

Generally found 'The Christmas Shepherd' to be quite charming and with its heart in the right place. Also not quite as ridiculous as it sounded on paper. 'The Christmas Shepherd' fares quite well as a romantic drama, not amazingly done but pleasantly enough. Dog lovers are likely though to not enjoy the film as much and instead watch it in frustration and annoyance, that aspect of the story could have been done in better taste as has been said already.

Will start with the good. Despite the lack of authenticity, the locations are lovely to look at and overall 'The Christmas Shepherd' is appealing visually. The festive feeling is captured well in the soundtrack. It is scripted with much sincerity, flows quite well, has cohesion and the dialogue doesn't feel too shallow or fake.

Despite also being flawed, the story is mostly engaging, is very sweet and charming, with its fair share of heart-warming and touching moments. Definitely a film that had its heart in the right place, and it didn't come over as too dark with generally the right lightness of touch. The pace didn't come over as dull or rushed and while the acting didn't blow the socks off and is not perfect, it tends to be better than average. The dog is cute as is the romance, which does sparkle, and the portrayal of dating is done with sensitivity.

Some of it though came over as overwrought and melodramatic, with Polo having instances where she tries too hard which can be seen in some of her facial expressions. 'The Christmas Shepherd' can be too cheesy in spots and too sentimental in others.

Others have mentioned the subplot with the dog, which is one of the film's biggest failings. Even for anybody who is giving the premise a fair chance and not take it too seriously, the execution of it here shows a complete lack of research and realism and came over as face-palming and in a tasteless way instead even for those who aren't dog owners. A shame as other aspects of the story are sensitively handled and are realistic, namely with the dating.

In summation, nice and well-intentioned but not great. 6/10

It's about a selfish father and daughter that refuse to return a dog to its rightful owner.

Most of these Hallmark stories are not for rocket scientists but are just pleasant holiday fare. And I always see mistakes. This movie was supposedly set in Massachusetts and its environs. The woman lived an hour from Boston. But when they were "in town" buying a Christmas tree you could see huge sheer cliffs and ocean in the background. Clearly NOT Massachusetts. I wish the producers would give viewers more credit for intelligence and pay more attention to details like this. My other objection is that the credits at the end are squished into about a #2 font so that you cannot read them. This is the fault of the network. I like to see location and music credits and even some of the other actors' names but it is impossible when they reduce the credits to practically nothing. Many of the channels do this and I find it frustrating.

If you're looking for Anna Karenina or something cerebral, look elsewhere. If you're looking for an enjoyable holiday movie with decent acting and a nice story, pull up a chair. You do have to suspend your ideas about dog ownership rights but it's not really a crisis. I don't think Hallmark was making any kind of a political statement. I wasn't looking for a bullet proof plot and so I don't think it bothered me much. I chocked the little bit of fluff up to setting up the story. It's an entertaining little movie... just don't take the premise too seriously and enjoy it for what it is. I thought the acting was fine, especially the lead female.

This is one of the Hallmark Channel Christmas movies for 2014 -- they have been producing twelve of them every year for the last few years. It's one of their dog-centered pieces, as a German shepherd plays the go-between for the two romantic leads, Teri Polo and Mark Cummins and the effect is well done, with a nice, quizzical beast in the title role.

I have some issues with the production. It is supposedly set in Massachussetts in November, although there are several outdoors shots with trees wearing their summer leaves. There isn't much to it except for the central cast: widowed Teri Polo and her dog, widower Mark Cummins and his daughter, played by Jordyn Ashley Olson. It's a sentimental woman's movie that should please its intended audience of adult women and dog lovers.