A Christmas Dance Reunion (2021)
Rated: PG
Genres: Drama, Romance
Starring: Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman
Synopsis: A successful attorney, Lucy, is reunited with her childhood Christmas dance partner, Barrett, as the pair give the resort a new lease on life and the passion between the pair heats up.
Review: I believe this will appeal most to High School Musical fans as the two leads are former stars of the series. Their on-screen reuniting parallels that of the characters. There isn’t too much dancing. Just the right amount to enjoy without it overtaking the story. It’s sweet and the characters are likable.
Scoring: 3
Christmas Déjà vu (2021)
Rated: TV-14
Genres: Drama, Family, Fantasy
Starring: Loretta Devine and Amber Riley
Synopsis: A Christmas angel grants a wish to a Christmas hater, to have her life as a singer.
Review: This is another be careful what you wish for movie. Kandi found out that getting what she wanted would make her a person she didn’t like. Loretta Devine, one of my all-time favorites, was able to shine.
Scoring: 3
Christmas Dilemma (2020)
Rated: PG
Genres: Comedy, Family
Starring: B.J. Britt, Brittany S. Hall, and Charmin Lee
Synopsis: A newlywed couple struggles to figure out with whom to spend their first Christmas, but the decision is made for them when both their families unexpectedly show up at their home.
Review: While the movie is, at times, more risqué than a PG rating, in my opinion, it’s really funny. Grammy is the best. She reminds me of my great grandmother who always said to kiss her goodbye because she’d be dead before we’d see her again. (I was 18 when she passed). My grandma, however, never suggested wearing socks during sex or using handcuffs. The unexpected moments and family drama is entertaining.
Scoring: 3
The Christmas Doctor (2020)
Rated: G
Genres: Drama, Family, Romance
Starring: Holly Robinson Peete and Adrian Holmes
Synopsis: A doctor encounters a man from her past who brings with him a revelation that could change her life.
Review: This is a wonderful story. I love the addition of little touches like Luke hitting his head or Zoey counting the days. It’s not a movie full of surprises but it’s lovely. The only thing that I would have preferred was different casting. I just didn’t feel Peete in that part. It may be because I’ve seen her reality show. Other than that it was enjoyable.
Scoring: 3
Christmas Down Under (2021)
Rated: PG
Genres: Comedy, Family
Starring: Justine Kacir and Paul O’Brien
Synopsis: Tightly-wound Ellie flies to Australia and enlists the help of an Aboriginal Tour Guide and a You-Tube-famous Uber driver to find her husband and his eclectic family, and find her true self along the way, all before Christmas.
Review: It’s wacky and weird but also entertaining. I felt there was a negative stereotype of Australians but it did show many of them as kind and diverse. It’s amusing enough but not one I’d watch again.
Scoring: 2
The Christmas Dragon (2014)
Rated: NR
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
Starring: Bailee Michelle Johnson, Paris Warner, and David DeVilliers
Synopsis: A group of orphans goes on a journey to restore the lost magic and save Christmas.
Review: I found this to be mind numbingly dull. Of course, I felt the same way about Lord of the Rings, so this is just my impression. I found it to be working way to hard to be fanciful. It was so hard to sit through.
Scoring: 1
Christmas Dreams (2015)
Rated: TV-Y7
Genres: Family, Fantasy, Musical
Starring: Kevin Sorbo
Synopsis: The Little Drummer Boy and The Nutcracker come together in one heartwarming tale.
Review: I enjoyed the music and the dancing but I think the movie was trying to tell to many stories at once. It included the religious aspect of Christmas, love, poverty versus wealth, family, and even more. I think children will enjoy it and adults won’t mind watching with them. The aspects like dancing gingerbread men will bring enough magic for young ones. I just wish the story wasn’t all over the place.
Scoring: 2.5
A Christmas Duet (2019)
Rated: G
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Starring: Terry’s Rothery, Chaley Rose, and Rome Flynn
Synopsis: During the chaos of planning a Christmas festival and vying for the Top Winter Lodge Award, an innkeeper rekindles her love of music as well as her love for her former music partner.
Review: While there was lots of Christmas activities and Terry’s Rothery was at her best, the movie just seemed to drag on forever. I can't pinpoint exactly why because it was cute enough. I liked the town pitching in for the festival and the characters are likable and relatable.
Scoring: 3
The Christmas Edition (2020)
Rated: PG
Genres: Drama Romance
Starring: Carly Hughes, Rob Mayes, and Marie Osmond
Synopsis: Finding herself at a crossroads, up-and-coming journalist Jackie seizes the opportunity to run a small-town newspaper in Alaska and runs a series of Christmas articles to help the struggling business.
Review: Other than knowing how the movie would go pretty much from the beginning, it was enjoyable. The best part was the townspeople. Their Christmas traditions and spirit are contagious. The casting was the worst part. While everyone is a good actor, together they weaken rather than strengthen the movie. Osmond, I do love her and had her doll as a girl, appears almost plastic with no facial expressions. Hughes and Mayes are both great but they don’t have chemistry. It’s still worth watching.
Scoring: 3
The Christmas Elves (1995)
Rated: NR
Genres: Animation, Fantasy
Starring: Susan Blu
Synopsis: Based on the classic tale of the Shoemaker and the Elves, Hans the shoemaker is helped by a group of mismatched elves who want to work for Santa Claus.
Review: It’s a very entertaining story. The king is so absurd you love to root against him. Even though it’s geared towards younger children, this is one adults can watch and enjoy, or at least tolerate.
Scoring: 3
A Christmas Eve Miracle (2015)
Rated: NR
Genres: Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Starring: Olivia D’abo, Anthony Starke, C. Thomas Howell, and Jonathan Silverman
Synopsis: After wondering what her life would be without children, workaholic Sharon is unexpectedly granted her wish while on Christmas vacation.
Review: This is a sequel to “A Magic Christmas”. You can watch it by itself but you may get more out of it watching the two back to back. Again, the narrator is a dog but it’s not a talking dog movie. It’s a little predictable but I still enjoyed it. The Christmas Magic of Santa made it fun. It also had the message of the importance of family and valuing what you have over what you don’t.
Scoring: 3
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978)
Rated: TV-Y
Genres: Fantasy
Starring: Jim Henson and Frank Oz
Synopsis: Big Bird worries when Oscar tells him that if Santa Claus can’t fit down the chimney on Christmas Eve, nobody would get presents.
Review: For those of us who grew up on Sesame Street, this feels just like that. Probably because of when it was done. I love that the emphasis isn’t so much on presents as it is togetherness and giving. My favorite was Bert and Ernie’s Gift of the Magi story.
Scoring: 4
Christmas Ever After (2020)
Rated: G
Genres: Drama, Romance
Starring: Daniel D. Tomasso and Ali Stroker
Synopsis: Sparks fly during Christmastime when a romance novelist meets a handsome man who looks like the leading character in her books.
Review: I love that the main character is in a wheelchair but that’s not a plot line. It’s just her as a person. Where the movie falls short is it’s lack of focus. There are too many stories here. The father retiring, the son taking over and making changes, the son being a single dad, the writer not knowing love, the writer needing to rewrite her story, and the writer seeing her main character in the son. The sad part is that the inn has all these Christmas traditions but they’re not highlighted enough. Falls flat because you can’t focus on any one thing.
Scoring: 2
Christmas Everlasting (2018)
Rated: PG
Genres: Drama, Family, Romance
Starring: Tatyana Ali and Dennis Haysbert
Synopsis: Lucy has spent years working hard at her law firm and will be made partner after the New Year. However, when Alice, her older sister with special needs, unexpectedly passes away, Lucy returns back to Nilson's Bay, Wis., to attend the funeral and handle her estate. Once back in Nilson's Bay, Lucy meets her old high school sweetheart Peter, and Alice's former attorney, who informs her of the terms of Alice's eccentric will that states in order for Lucy to inherit the family home, she must live there for 30 days through the holidays.
Review: As a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, it has all the expected emotions and drama. There were a few questions that I had because if they explained it the explanation was so brief, I missed it. Besides that, it was a lovely story. It was emotional without being dark. Ali was wonderful. One worth watching again.
Scoring: 5
Christmas Every Day (1996)
Rated: G
Genres: Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Starring: Robert Hayes and Bess Armstrong
Synopsis: Billy Jackson, a miserable 16-year-old, hates Christmas. From his little sister to Joey Mancuso (a local bully), he is not very fond of Greenwood Falls. Until he learns the true meaning of Christmas, Billy must relive this holiday over and over.
Review: This is a watered down and not so well-done version of Groundhog Day. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t enjoy it. There's only so much sullen and unhappy teen I can watch. I think this may appeal more to tweens.
Scoring: 2
Christmas Everyday Of The Year (2015)
Rated: G
Genre: Documentary
Synopsis: We celebrate the great eccentrics for whom Christmas means a whole lot more than just December 25th. Meet a whole cast of Christmas crazies including a man who celebrates Christmas every day, the granny buying baubles whatever the season, Britain’s oldest Father Christmas, and Joshua who designs the perfect lights display.
Review: I should preface this with the fact that I’m a HUGE fan of Christmas. Since you’re reading this on my website you probably already know (LOL). My love is more movies, music, and the feeling. I don’t collect tons of Christmas materials (except for DVDs, of course). Still, these are my people. You’ll probably enjoy the quirkiness and the love of Christmas.
Scoring: 3
A Christmas Exchange (2020)
Rated: PG
Genres: Drama, Romance
Starring: Laura Vandervoort and Rainbow Sun Francks
Synopsis: Sparks fly between a country girl and a London financier who have agreed to swap their residences.
Review: Does it borrow a little of its plot from “The Holiday”? Yes. American trades homes with an Englishman, one is a cottage and one is a modern urban home, and the neighbors are involved. However, the similarities end there. But it’s a lovely romance. I wondered the whole time where they’d end up. Sadly, we don’t know all the details as the story ends without it. The neighbors are endearing. Great acting and a nice story.
Scoring: 3.5