Wonderful character development!

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Review Date 7/1/2018I Have Reviewed OVER 500 Christmas MOVIES. On all Christmas movies BEWARE OF FAKE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. Many reviewers have only have ONE REVIEW. When it's a POSITIVE REVIEW chances are that the reviewer was involved with the production. If its a negative review then they may have a huge grudge against the film for whatever reason. I am fare about these films.In this film A struggling actress cast in an off-Broadway show contemplates quitting the business and moving home. However, she has second thoughts after discovering a renewed passion for her craft. But when the historic theater where they perform loses its lease and the show is set to fold, she and her castmates need a Christmas miracle.This film is almost a chore to finish. It has some attractive leads but no great story to make this film worth remember.

I am a big Maggie Lawson fan from Psych and was excited about her being in a Christmas movie. I also love Brennan Elliot. They were both a delight throughout the movie. The first 30 minutes of the movie was pretty good. The movie lacked something in the execution of the story. The story was actually pretty good in which an actress gets her big break by starring in a Christmas play as a female scrooge. Wish they had included more of this play dynamic. The movie was not dull (stayed awake and engaged the whole time). A bit of a disappointment here but I hope Maggie keeps up the Christmas movies.

(Minor spoiler only, below.) This movie is a pretty typical Hallmark Christmas romance, but particularly light on Christmas themes. Christmas really is just when it happens to take place, Christmas is set dressing. But given what we do find out about the theater production, I guess that's a good thing. The movie centers around an actress and an off-Broadway NY theater production of A Christmas Carol. The movie is NOT a retelling of the Dickens classic, though, and thank goodness. The minute or so they spend on an audition scene reveals that Scrooge laments the time she spent in the office, now alone with her laptop on Christmas eve, with her name merely on a cubicle where no one will see it. She concludes that she will remember the lessons of the spirits and work to achieve her goal of having her name in lights! Yes, really. Scrooge actually learned to focus her narcissistic selfishness. So it's a great thing that we only see one more brief scene from their "modern take" on the Dickens classic. Now, "work to achieve your dreams" is an OK message, and it mirrors the main message of this movie well enough, but Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men, it ain't. Since they picked A Christmas Carol as their production, it would have been nice to have a message concerning Christmas. Christmas movies often miss the true message of Christmas, but this one doesn't even find the generic non-spiritual ones, like the joy of giving or getting cool presents. But nonetheless, there are reasons to watch. Maggie Lawson was great. She's always enjoyable to watch, and did the best job here of anyone, although all of the performances were very solid. I did feel like they could have focused more on relationships with her character's mother or friends, though. Or maybe the theater folks, who were under-utilized and seemed interesting.

There's nothing wrong with this movie, but there is also nothing really great about it. The story revolves around putting on a production of A Christmas Carol, which is pretty well used. (But the story itself is not patterned after Christmas Carol.) There is the additional plot device of they're-going-to-close-our-theater-we-have-to-save-it. That's also well used. It picks up some sentimental points with an underdog-makes-it-big story. And of course the romance. There aren't any really exciting plot twists.The acting was good. Maggie Lawson is charming and optimistic and energetic. Brennan Elliott is his usual being a regular in the Hallmark romance stable. He's maybe a tad old for Agostino. The rest of the cast was also decent.It's pretty typical Hallmark, so if that's what you like, you should like it well enough. If that's not your cup of tea, this one is probably not for you.