Review of Sister Swap: Christmas in the City

'Sister Swap: Christmas in the City' is the second of a two-part Christmas movie. The two storylines of the films run parallel, each from the perspective of one of the two sisters. Moreover, the sisters are played by the William sisters, who are sisters in real-life. It is an innovative concept, as I noted in my review of the first film. However, the first movie is a disappointment. That is, it isn't very good: the story and acting. 'Christmas in the City' is better, but in the end, it is a mediocre Christmas movie at best. In this story, we follow Meg (played by Ashley Williams) who is planning on going to France, a trip she originally planned with her late Uncle Dave (played by Kevin Nealon). However, before heading abroad, she visits her sister Jennifer (played by Kimberly Williams-Paisley) in the city where she ends up staying and helping with the restaurant's upcoming Christmas competition and party. Will Meg's big ideas help Jennifer's restaurant win the competition? While in the city, she also meets Joe (played by Keith Robinson) who is the new general manager at Jennifer's restaurant. As the two increasingly spend more time together preparing for the upcoming competition/party, sparks begin to fly as they begin to discover the feelings they have for each other. Will Meg find love this Christmas? The story in this one is more coherent than the first. We also learn about elements of the story alluded to in the first in this storyline. Indeed, I enjoyed the intersection of the storylines in this one, as we find out the other side of the story (a little bit of mystery solved in this one). However, Meg's purpose in the city, at the restaurant seemed unnecessary. I understand what the writers were trying to do; that is, using the events at the restaurant as a backdrop while Meg worked out her issues concerning her Uncle Dave, her trip to France, and her future. But this backdrop and even the romance seemed forced. On a more positive note, like in the first movie, the writers do a good job of developing the dialogue between the sisters, which is one of the strengths of both movies. The acting in this one is pretty good. Williams has a corky vibe to her performance. Indeed, she has a lot of energy as Meg who is incredibly chatty, cheery, and wants to help. At times, I found it a bit tiring to watch, if I am being honest. Unfortunately, the chemistry between Williams and Robinson is not very good. Simply put: their performances in this respect are not convincing, I'm afraid. They come across more as friends than anything else. The movie does have plenty of Christmas spirit and festive cheer from cookie decorating and other family traditions to everything else you would expect in a Hallmark movie. All in all, 'Christmas in the City', though better than the first, is an unremarkable Christmas movie. That said, hard-core fans of Hallmark Christmas movies (or the Williams sisters) are likely to enjoy both 'Sister Swap' stories.