Heart of the Holidays

I like it. For simplicity of story, for the main actors, for the nice dialogue, for fair use of social side and for the relation between characters. But first, for the wise way to be only a story, with familiar end, without demonstrating something, being not pathetic and proposing a story of redefinition of two young people , with a common past, front to new beginning.

Another virtue - the food bank. Yes, not original for a Hallmark film but wise used in this case , because it is just a honest perspective about people, their needs and problems. So, predictable slices and a new breath. And, good start for Corey Sevier at his first try as director.

Throughout my whole Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas film completest quest undertaken namely late last year through to early this year, an interesting quest but very mixed one, there was never the mentality of expecting a classic or the film in question to be flawless. Something that was never managed with Hallmark's output. There was always the expectation of seeing a film where one can see at least some effort rather than merely cash-in level. One could see that with most of Hallmark's output but not all.

2020 was a variable year for the Hallmark Christmas output. 'Heart of the Holidays' is closer to being in the weaker category. It is not a terrible film, it does have good things and it does get better. It is also not particularly good, have seen a lot of Christmas films recently that start off very badly (and even terribly) but improve if given a chance (something that was common with the 2019/2020 output of both Hallmark and Lifetime, and UpTV). 'Heart of the Holidays' is one of those films.

As said, 'Heart of the Holidays' did not get off to a promising start. Pretty terrible in fact, with the storytelling being slow and uneventful, the dialogue being awkward and cheesy and with none of the characters being worth investing in due to exaggerated character flaws. Any conflict could have done with more tension and not tried too hard and the ending is another rushed and too tidy one.

Plot-wise, 'Heart of the Holidays' is nothing special. It is a tried and tested story and the execution can feel tired. Especially in the first half. Corey Sevier has had far more likeable characters than the one he has here, Sevier is a likeable, confident presence in the second half once the character starts to grow but he comes over as too simpering and naive initially.

However, a lot is still done right. Vanessa Lengies is a bit manic to begin with, but she bursts with energy and charm once her character tones down. Sevier has a likeable understated quality to his acting and looks at ease, again once things have settled. Their chemistry is definitely there and grows at a realistic rate. The supporting cast are solid.

It looks nice as a film, especially the scenery. The music has a nostalgic festive atmosphere and doesn't intrude as much as most Hallmark Christmas films. The film is generally light-hearted, charming and heart-warming once it gets going and the dialogue on the whole is a lot better in the second half, it flows more naturally and isn't as corny while occasionally still forced.

Concluding, not great but watchable. 5/10.

Overall this was a nice Christmas themed movie with predictable storylines but still enjoyed it

Sam's new investment job unexpectedly falls apart in New York and she ends up back home for Christmas for the first time in eight years. Sam's boyfriend Will and his partner buyout Sam's new company and she decides she needs some space.

Noah, Sam's high school sweetheart and local cafe owner, and Sam have an awkward reunion...there is clearly more to their story, with tension you could cut with a knife.

"The years fly by but time has a way of standing still."-Bob.

The actress who plays Val really steals the show.

"I'm not sure I really fit in here anymore."-Sam.

This was a decent Christmas movie. The story was nice, the acting was good, and the scenery, props, and sets were festive. It just did not have that 'extra something' compared to some of the other very good Christmas movies this year by Hallmark. For example, I recently saw The Angel Tree; it had great chemistry between the leads. The Christmas House was fun and made me laugh. A Timeless Christmas and Cranberry Christmas had different stories to tell...and so on. In this one, it was not until nearly an hour into the film (the scene where Sam decides to organize the Christmas party at the foodbank) that I started to be pulled in by the movie. The acting was pretty good. I last saw Vanessa Lengies in the Christmas movie, A Date by Christmas Eve, where she had a fun and cute performance. Here she had a decent performance. Corey Sevier had a solid performance as well. He had sort of a gentle and confident feel to his portrayal of Noah, which worked, I think. The chemistry between the two was fine, believable. Not the strongest, but certainly not the weakest I have seen; there have been a few thus far where chemistry was rather lacking. The supporting cast had a strong performance; Hallmark usually does a very good job with casting such roles. As I mentioned above, the sets were very polished and festive. I was impressed with that very large gingerbread house that they carried to the truck; the scene where we saw the first spark between the leads. Overall, it was an average, middle of the road Christmas movie that fans of Hallmark will likely enjoy.