A Magical Christmas Village

source: A Magical Christmas Village

Normally I love anything with Alison Sweeney and Luke MacFarlane, but this one missed the mark. The plot was almost nonexistent and there was never enough at stake to make you feel any sort of connection to the characters or sympathy for their situations. The actors did fine with what they were given, but their talent was really wasted with this one. And was the village magical or not? I don't mind a Christmas movie with some supernatural elements, but you have to commit to it. All in all, it was a very boring movie and one that is easily forgettable. I hope Alison and Luke get something better to work with next year!

As staples of Hallmark movie casts, Sweeney and Macfarlane deliver solid acting and are the draw for the movie. It's great to see Marlo Thomas in a supporting role that is actually more developed than Luke Macfarlane's (which is unfortunate). Yes the plastic surgery is a distraction at first, but she's looking pretty darned good for 85! I really want to rate the movie higher because of these actors, however it just feels there's something missing in all the other characters' development. There are plenty of choices each year for new Christmas movies. A Magical Christmas Village is entertaining enough to be worthy of 90 minutes of your attention and should make the cut.

The Good A well executed plot, not quite original but plausible The Bad Why has Marlo Thomas let herself go? The cosmetic surgery results are a distraction if you're like me and are old enough to remember 'That Girl' The Plot (3/5) As I stated the movie plot and script were decent, and plausible. The Acting (3/5) Alison Sweeney is a professional at the 'Filmed in Canada, Hallmark Christmas TV Movie" and this one was no exception. Despite her looks, Marlo gave a good performance as always as did Luke Macfarlane. While I realize she's young, I was not impressed with Maesa Nicholson's acting. This is one of her first three movies so hopefully she will improve. Overall (6/10) The movie is watchable and enjoyable, and a decent example of the Hallmark Christmas TV Movie genre. Nothing extraordinary here, but nothing cringeworthy either. 10-15 years ago, a lot of these movies made me cringe when watching them, but today, out of the 30+ movies Hallmark ships out every Christmas, only 2-3 make me feel that way now.

I wanted to love this movie because Alison and Luke, are two of my longtime favorites on Hallmark Channel. Add in Marlo...I thought it would be great but to me, it fell short. While the movie had some good moments, it won't be a favorite Sweeney or MacFarlane movie for me. The over the top family drama took away from the movie being a magical and heartwarming movie. The cast deserved a better written storyline. It's also a shame if this is Luke Macfarlane's last Hallmark movie. He had limited screen time in the movie and Hallmark didn't put him on the movie poster...the guy has delivered many successful Hallmark movies and just made his big screen debut.

Favorite scene with Summer Ashby (Alison Sweeney) - Telling Ryan how she Feels about him in a Victorian Costume in front of a Crowd. BTW #1, Alison Sweeney Rocks! She is one of my Favorite Hallmark Channel Heroines Ever! She is The Girl Next Door! BTW #2, I Loved this Movie! BTW #3, I Love Luke Macfarlane! He is So Dang Charming and So Dang Funny! He is one of my Favorite Hallmark Channel Heroes Ever! BTW #4, I Loved Marlo Thomas! She was So Dang Adorable and So Dang Funny! BTW #5, This Movie had Charm, Heart, and Magic! - The Perfect Ingredients for a Hallmark Channel Christmas Movie! Set in Colorado.

The script is rough and the acting was very sup par for actors who usually bring a lot of charisma to their roles. There's very little focus on the magic of the village while we sit and watch the most awkward relationship play out. Then there's the crazy hippy grandma who has the biggest Deus Ex Machina when she suddenly remembers her dead husband has a pension. It's one thing to believe in the magic of Christmas but it's another to be dependent on it. It's frustrating to see how she ignored all responsibilities but still gets everything she wants and all her problems swept away by simply "believing in Christmas." They should've focused more on how the village plays a role in the holiday magic.

I'm a devoted Hallmark movie lover and I typically grade all their movies on a curve. I usually find something to appreciate in just about every one of their movies. Two recent glaring exceptions include Road Trip Romance and Christmas CEO both of which I absolutely hated. But most of the time I find Hallmark movies to be quite enjoyable. I didn't hate this movie, but I didn't like it and, judging from the first batch of reviews, most of which I agree with, it didn't work for others either. It was just too weird. Too much "Trust the Universe". And "don't worry, there are no consequences to being irresponsible, magic fixes everything". I'm OK with a little magic, but only when it reinforces good values and acts more like a nudge or a mechanism of enlightenment, as opposed to something that wipes out free will Alison Sweeney and Luke Macfarlane were fine, although I didn't really think there was any chemistry between them. Marlo Thomas did her best with the script, but her character was frustrating. And, as others have pointed out, she is yet another cautionary tale when it comes to plastic surgery. Yeah, I get that it's hard for beautiful women to handle the aging process, but I sure wish so many didn't feel compelled by society to go under the knife looking for an extreme change, only to come out looking like plastic mannequins with duck lips. It's simply not flattering. Quite the opposite. But hey, their bodies, their choice. Plus, Marlo Thomas is 85. She handled what she was given with aplomb, but 85 is a bit old to be playing Allison Sweeney's mother (although I suppose she could've had her when she was 44). But not many women become mothers at that age. Part of me hates saying anything negative about Marlo Thomas because she has done so much good in the world. Her work for St Jude's Hospital is truly amazing. My kids used to set up cookie and lemonade stands and we'd send the proceeds to St Judes. And it's never a good sign when the ending is terrible. I hated the ending. Without spoiling it, I'll just say that the characters showed a complete lack of awareness, concern or care for the other people in that scene. And those people were children. "I don't care what you're doing, my needs are more important " Ugh. Sometimes, an uplifting and powerful ending can kind of fix the problems that preceded it. But here it was just yet another example of the movie's problems.

The story strongly implies that the family's Christmas village set has magical powers that intervene in the lives of the story's main characters. One thread of the story is the developing romance between Allison Sweeney's Summer and Luke MacFarland's character. Another thread is the family struggles that center around Marlo Thomas' Vivian. I am more than happy to imagine how Chloe can use the village's magic to find romance for her mother whom everyone says over and over is controlling. As controlling characters go, I found Summer to be not nearly as bad as many in this type of movie. I resent that the movie implies that there is something wrong with a woman who is financially responsible and works hard to accomplish the tasks before her through her organizational skills. Summer has rules for Chloe and holds to them, but in a reasonable way balancing carrot and stick in her parenting. Vivian seems to think that overdue bills will be taken care of by the Universe in its own good time. Even Summer's sister recognizes her mother's challenges. She and Summer have a running joke about whether a discussion about mom is a "five alarm" discussion. Yet she seems to take mom's side when these differences create conflict within the family. This entire premise in the movie turned me off to what could have been fun. Sweeney and MacFarland have chemistry. The dialogue in the movie is good, although not as sparkling as some movies. The acting is good.