7.6 stars.
A woman wins a free vacation to Jamaica over the holidays, but this trip is not going to be what she expected.
This is one of the most complex reviews to write because this tale really took me by surprise. It started off with some very silly happenings. On the first night when the Reindeer Lodge owners and four guests are toasting at the fireside with milk and cookies, I must admit that was the last straw for me. If I had a toast to give at that moment I would say to all those present: let us toast to the absurdity of this story. It is only 29 minutes into the film at this point, but I realize this movie is uncomfortable and outlandish. One bit of bad luck after another and another...
The strange misfortunes continue, and I'm thinking to myself that this movie is a joke, like some odd comedy Christmas, but it's not funny, it's an imagined tale of fictional woes. The chain of circumstances leading to the realization she must stay in this peculiar lodge with a bunch of strangers over the holidays (all expenses paid) for one more minute...
As the days go by, things go from bad to worse. Everyone is sad, there is nothing but bad news all around, not one of the people in this lodge has good tidings. Only Hallmark can make a depressing story such as this and decide to make it into a movie. And yet I was already invested in this film, something unexplainable kept me around to see what would happen.
By some unknown force the movie takes a complete turn but it's ever so subtle, and romance springs forth all around, and the sad tale transforms into something not so sad, but quite interesting and original in a sense. This is one of the most strange Hallmark experiences for me. I don't know what was in those cookies, but I can only say this was an extraordinary outcome and yet it follows the usual Hallmark formula right down to the fake snow. There is nothing special about this film that I can think of. What was in those cookies??
A woman wins a free vacation to Jamaica over the holidays, but this trip is not going to be what she expected.
This is one of the most complex reviews to write because this tale really took me by surprise. It started off with some very silly happenings. On the first night when the Reindeer Lodge owners and four guests are toasting at the fireside with milk and cookies, I must admit that was the last straw for me. If I had a toast to give at that moment I would say to all those present: let us toast to the absurdity of this story. It is only 29 minutes into the film at this point, but I realize this movie is uncomfortable and outlandish. One bit of bad luck after another and another...
The strange misfortunes continue, and I'm thinking to myself that this movie is a joke, like some odd comedy Christmas, but it's not funny, it's an imagined tale of fictional woes. The chain of circumstances leading to the realization she must stay in this peculiar lodge with a bunch of strangers over the holidays (all expenses paid) for one more minute...
As the days go by, things go from bad to worse. Everyone is sad, there is nothing but bad news all around, not one of the people in this lodge has good tidings. Only Hallmark can make a depressing story such as this and decide to make it into a movie. And yet I was already invested in this film, something unexplainable kept me around to see what would happen.
By some unknown force the movie takes a complete turn but it's ever so subtle, and romance springs forth all around, and the sad tale transforms into something not so sad, but quite interesting and original in a sense. This is one of the most strange Hallmark experiences for me. I don't know what was in those cookies, but I can only say this was an extraordinary outcome and yet it follows the usual Hallmark formula right down to the fake snow. There is nothing special about this film that I can think of. What was in those cookies??