Reviews

Nice scenery--fall colors. But the story ... Here we have a young woman who, being a becoming-famous writer, I suppose, thinks she knows best what her grandfather needs--to sell his house and his business and move into a retirement community where he will be surrounded by other old(er) people doing pleasant things, like playing lawn games and walking around smiling. This is what people call putting a person out to pasture. Your useful years are past, so go over into the coral with the other warn out old horses and keep busy doing nothing consequential until you die. He told her before she showed him this pleasant place that she could have no idea what life is like for him until she's there. She should have just shut up and listened.

(I've put enough negative reviews here on Hallmark Christmas movies, so I really need to comment on one that I like.)

By keeping the story small--meaning just the family spending time in the house with the few forays into town--there weren't opportunities for multiple implausibilities. I know that's a negative way to put it, but by contrast with other Hallmark Christmas movies I've seen, this one didn't have so many distractions. Mira Sorvino is very winsome in her role. It's easy to see how this family would come to love her. And Cameron Mathison plays the suitably low-key , gentle, and supportive man a lost woman would be glad to have helping her in such a situation.

Interior designer is brought in by a 13-year-old know-it-all girl who likes to boss her dad around and has so much more wisdom than he does. Designer, who is out to make a name for herself, talks to Dad like it's a done deal that she's going to make over his house, even though he never asked for it, but she'll let him participate in some of the details. Dad huffs and puffs a bit, but of course he goes along; rather than gently telling his daughter that she still isn't in charge and telling the designer to cool her heels for a little bit and let him decide if he wants to do this, he just grumbles a little bit and then says okay. Because this is how it works.

The premise was good but the writing is poor--implausible leaps, sudden shifts in attitudes, silent stares for effects when in the real world the person would speak. It's a shame.

Was there really no one on the set who could tell the actors singing "Angels We Have Heard On High" that the phrase is "in excelsis Deo," not "in ex-celsius Deo"?

This is just the kind of light entertainment you need when you don't want to think about anything heavy. There are some quirky characters that can be kind of amusing. But it's the very typical thing nowadays where you have a man who is clueless and a small band of women who know everything; they are the all-wise ones. If men talked to women the way these women talk to men, Women viewers would be screaming bloody murder about sexism in men treating them like they're ignorant little dopes. But it's not just them. There are the two teenage kids of this man who likewise can see through to the core of everything and know exactly what the right thing is, and so they have to correct and instruct dear old befuddled dad. I do know that women can sometimes see things that men can't and teenage kids have some important insights. But this is a constant theme throughout the show. This man is pathetic. He continually apologizes for things that he did and said that were right. He does so because the all-wise women and his all-wise children told him that he was wrong. It's really sad The daughter is obnoxious; she has no respect for her father. Her behavior can't be excused by, "well she's a teenager; they're all like that." No, they aren't all like that. And when they overstep boundaries, their parents who do know more than they do need to help *them* to understand. The son does have some respect, but he still sees his place as being the one who has got to get his dad on track. So if you can overlook all that, there are some pleasant moments in it. I just can't believe this lasted for 40 episodes.

The show was interesting with its three quirky retired detectives and their supervisor who spent a lot of time handling them rather than working on cases. But with the loss of Brian and Jack and the addition of their replacements, Steve and Danny, the show really went downhill. Steve has no quirks that I've seen, just a problem with a son. Danny is just an arrogant, condescending, know-it-all teacher's pet. There's nothing at all winsome or enjoyable about his character. He ruined the show for me. My rating is for episodes up until Danny came on near the end of season 10.