"You Light Up My Christmas" is a hard film to review primary because so little happens that you cannot remember much of it. I watched this film just last night and initially struggled to recall the title. What I did remember was the general plot thread involving a Christmas light company and a bankruptcy in a small town.
Kim Fields and Adrian Holmes portray the leads of Emma and Ben. Emma returns home from Phoenix where she works as a real estate agent. Her colleague has offered her a chance to establish a business with him. At home, her father's business is now being operated by her childhood crush, Ben. The rest of the movie is a series of scenes of Emma and Ben interacting in various locations with various minor characters we learn nothing about. These characters fulfill various stereotypes such as zany best friend, friendly romantic rival and sweet elderly couple.
Fields is an energetic actor with a lot of charisma. She is bubbly even when she is supposed to be sad. Her performance is very fitting for an uplifting Christmas film which this really isn't. Adrian Holmes isn't nearly as good. He appears to sleepwalk through the role while always wearing some kind of toboggan even while indoors. The actor is virile and handsome so at least he's pleasant to admire.
This movie desperately needed a villain or some source of drama. The business partner and romantic rival could have served as villains if the film had wanted to commit to having someone be bad. Instead, each of them is too supportive and capitulates too easily. There is a reference to a competing Christmas light business that gets no character. It's a throwaway reference. Why not have an employee of the CEO of the business show up in a major way? Instead, a new product Emma and Ben create becomes a sensation and saves the town.
The film gives the impression that the script was rushed out the door for the purpose of having another movie to show for Lifetime's 2019 Christmas marathon. Even the required reference to winter storm Megan is just a lazy side bar.
Kim Fields and Adrian Holmes portray the leads of Emma and Ben. Emma returns home from Phoenix where she works as a real estate agent. Her colleague has offered her a chance to establish a business with him. At home, her father's business is now being operated by her childhood crush, Ben. The rest of the movie is a series of scenes of Emma and Ben interacting in various locations with various minor characters we learn nothing about. These characters fulfill various stereotypes such as zany best friend, friendly romantic rival and sweet elderly couple.
Fields is an energetic actor with a lot of charisma. She is bubbly even when she is supposed to be sad. Her performance is very fitting for an uplifting Christmas film which this really isn't. Adrian Holmes isn't nearly as good. He appears to sleepwalk through the role while always wearing some kind of toboggan even while indoors. The actor is virile and handsome so at least he's pleasant to admire.
This movie desperately needed a villain or some source of drama. The business partner and romantic rival could have served as villains if the film had wanted to commit to having someone be bad. Instead, each of them is too supportive and capitulates too easily. There is a reference to a competing Christmas light business that gets no character. It's a throwaway reference. Why not have an employee of the CEO of the business show up in a major way? Instead, a new product Emma and Ben create becomes a sensation and saves the town.
The film gives the impression that the script was rushed out the door for the purpose of having another movie to show for Lifetime's 2019 Christmas marathon. Even the required reference to winter storm Megan is just a lazy side bar.