Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

How sad is this?

As Good As It Gets

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

After suffering a devastating loss, Donna (Faith Ford) and Charlie (Ted McGinley) move to Franklin, Tennessee to open cafe/bookstore The Bridge. It's 2009. Molly (Katie Findlay) from Seattle is looking for independence in the smaller Belmont University instead of following her media mogul father's expectations. He is overprotective ever since losing her mother at the age of seven. Helpful college student Ryan (Wyatt Nash) takes her to The Bridge where they study music appreciation. Kristen returns to see childhood sweetheart Ryan having agreed to take a break until Christmas. Ryan is hesitant about his music dream while Molly does not wish to work for her father.Everybody is all smiles and helpful. It's a very light bright beginning. It's not until Kristen when any drama starts and quite frankly not the highest of drama. Everybody is photogenic and appealing. Tension is left simmering at a low level. This is the first of two parts. This moves rather slowly. It's Hallmark. It's also shot in Canada and has that Canadiana feel. While I like the actors, the film moves too slow. What the father does is laughable and would be simple to undo by the young couple talking frankly. It's very sitcom.

because there is NO ENDING. This is episode 1 of 2, and we have to wait until Christmas 2016 for part two. My advice...wait until Jan 2017 and watch BOTH episodes (and hope that by then, episode 2 of 2 hasn't morphed into episode 2 of 3. There is NO ENDING. This is episode 1 of 2, and we have to wait until Christmas 2016 for part twoMy advice...wait until Jan 2017 and watch BOTH episodes (and hope that by then, episode 2 of 2 hasn't morphed into episode 2 of 3.If this is the kind of "Christian" deception that we can expect from this "Christian Author", I want no more. Karen Kingsbury wraps herself on the fabric of Christianity as an excuse to steal her viewers trust and good will. I will no longer play that game.

Bad movie and then to find out that it is continued Christmas 2016-wth; Poor writing, slow plot and mediocre acting and I have watched 3/4 of it before, I learned of the year long continuation. Bah humbug. Relationship between parents and children are skewered and the main characters are immature and lacking in depth. I could have written this. The entire premise is just naive. Then it just ends with "to be continued!" That is the spoiler. I usually like Christmas movies, but this year they seem to have been written at a level of most modern romance magazine stories. There is no substance and the dialogue is shallow and weak. This one shows people getting over tragedies in life with little effort and acting as role models in a multicultural Nashville, that never was. Characters have no integrity, courage and no insight. Life lesson are just not there and there is nothing that has to do with the meaning of Christmas.

The story is interesting and well done. As a 23 year old, I can attest to the fact that the fear of the future and of change is accurate and well told through the eyes of Molly and Ryan. The movie was well done and well told, that is, until the end... As another reviewer stated, the story is only half told in this installment, a fact which was not made known prior to the film's showing. We have to wait until next Christmas season to find out what happens. Good job, Hallmark. What a ridiculous idea. Then again, Hallmark seems to be expert at ruining things that have potential of late. (Their original series are prime examples of good ideas going terribly wrong.) Were this the pilot to a TV show I might understand it, but waiting an entire YEAR to resolve a story is absurd! Whoever at Hallmark made this decision should be fired. Do I want to know how the movie turns out? Yes. Will I remember that I want to know NEXT YEAR? Doubtful.