The story is OK but no real surprises. This is another movie where the community center is in jeopardy and the mini-mystery isn't too surprising. There is a lot of angst with Jackie's bitterness that her father was gone too much. I found it very strange that he had time for the community center but not for family on Christmas when Jackie was young. This didn't make sense the way it was played. To me, it was all the more reason for Jackie to be bitter, but when she learned it, she barely reacted. Another old standard plot device was the workaholic current boyfriend, Rand(y).
James Brolin was pretty good. The other acting was nothing to write Santa about. I didn't see a lot of chemistry between Mena Suvari and John Reardon, but some of that was lack of screen time. Giselle Eisenberg was a pistol. This was another case of the little girl having the apparent maturity of a 40 year old, but it added to the humor. The dog was also a good source of humor.
The Hallmark ending was no surprise but typically over-the-top. If you like this kind of Christmas movie, you will find this one something between OK to good. If you aren't into that, then you might find the humor worth it, but probably not.
James Brolin was pretty good. The other acting was nothing to write Santa about. I didn't see a lot of chemistry between Mena Suvari and John Reardon, but some of that was lack of screen time. Giselle Eisenberg was a pistol. This was another case of the little girl having the apparent maturity of a 40 year old, but it added to the humor. The dog was also a good source of humor.
The Hallmark ending was no surprise but typically over-the-top. If you like this kind of Christmas movie, you will find this one something between OK to good. If you aren't into that, then you might find the humor worth it, but probably not.
