Navidad por contrato

Throughout my whole Lifetime (Hallmark too) Christmas film completest quest undertaken namely late last year, an interesting quest but very hit and miss, there was never the mentality of expecting a classic or the film in question to be flawless. Something that was never managed with Lifetime's output. There was always the expectation of seeing a film where one can see at least some effort rather than merely cash-in level. One could see that with enough of Lifetime's work.

Effort that could be seen with one of their better 2018 Christmas efforts. As far as their Christmas films go overall too 'The Christmas Contract' fares favourably, and is a contract worth signing if not quite a must sign. Anybody wanting originality and award winning dialogue will feel short-changed, but anybody wanting to see a film that doesn't take itself too seriously while seriously enough to stop it from being campy or something, a film that charms and warms the heart should find some worth in 'The Christmas Contract'.

As with much of Lifetime's output, it is pretty formulaic and predictable with the final quarter especially being very easy to figure out what happens next and in somewhat too neat a way.

Some of the dialogue, namely early on, is laughably corny and quite awkward. Count me in as another person that found the music too intrusive and over-bearing.

However, the production values still manage to be pleasing. It's not too drab or garish in photography, the editing didn't seem rushed or disorganised and the scenery has a real charm to it. Some of the soundtrack has a nostalgic feel to it. The dialogue does improve, the flow relaxes and it was sweet. Despite surprises being very few, the story still mostly engages and scores high on the charm and heart-warming factors.

Lifetime generally do better than Hallmark at having characters worth caring for, and 'The Christmas Contract' has characters that may not be three-dimensional but have likeability in their own way and don't have any negative character traits exaggerated. Hilarie Burton brings a lot of charm and energy to her role, as does Robert Buckley. They look very relaxed together and their chemistry came over to me as genuine. The supporting cast also do well, nobody overacts and nobody looks bored.

Overall, didn't blow me away but very pleasant. 7/10

It is a refreshing story line for Christmas. No one over acted, they seemed relaxed & comfortable with each other. I kept getting confused--didn't know which was the mother and who were the daughters! They all looked the same age, really! Had to watch very closely to figure out which one it was!

Absolutely loved Danneel, Hilarie and Antwon. And of course the special guest star: the family business beers! Well, of course Tyler Hilton too.

It's easy to get tired of the banal almost formulaic hallmark Christmas movies, but this is definitely one of their best IMO. I loved the chemistry between the 2 leads. Hilarie Burton's eyes literally sparkle when she looks at Robert Buckley, another actor with great charisma. The only 2 negatives that I noticed was, one, although the movie is called, "The Christmas Contract", they never read it before signing and there apparently are no conditions (so why the contract?). Secondly, other than Rocky, there are no Louisiana accents. The mayor in fact sounded like a New Yorker.. But these didn't detract enough from what I would call a very romantic movie and good entertainment.

We're not professional movie critics. We don't watch much television and, as far as I know, this is the first time I've ever watched anything on Lifetime. However, we do have a special perspective to share about The Christmas Contract.

This was a movie about family and Christmas...and they nailed it.

My wife and I watched the movie with our daughters and their families. We all watched each scene in breathless anticipation. With every chair and sofa spot occupied, the little ones were spread out on the floor with blankets and pillows. We paused, replayed and paused again to point out specific details; even the 6-year olds were focused and engaged.

This unusual behavior is explained by the fact that we were watching the movie in the same living room where Jolie showed Jack the Christmas tree ornaments. As our youngest granddaughter (whose middle name is Jolie) cried out when Tim, Jolie, and Jack first drove up to the Guidry family home, "That's Nana and Poppy's house!"

Like most people, we had never anticipated anything like this. Our home was taken over by strangers, lots of them. We were simultaneously excited and dreadful; we built this home with meticulous attention to detail, and now someone was rearranging furniture and taking pictures off the walls. We weren't as much concerned about physical damage as we were about how our home was to be portrayed and the quality of the movie in which it was to be featured.

The outcome could not be more pleasant. Monika Mitchell (director) did a fantastic job molding the actors and the settings to represent a credible reality. We could see ourselves in every situation including playing games on the back porch, making breakfast for visitors, and sharing meals with extended family and friends at the dining room table. Seeing Cheryl Ladd and Bruce Boxleitner with their movie family in our home seemed perfectly natural. The actors were all amazingly approachable and engaging. Hilarie Burton is as genuine as you might hope, and as far as I could tell, there was no difference between the character and the person. Our only regret is that, as hosts, we weren't able to visit and get to know all of them properly.

As natives to Lafayette and the surrounding area, we're also wary of fake accents and hokey stereotypes. Nothing was exaggerated. Downtown Lafayette has quiet streets, cafés, a cathedral, and a courthouse. Joel Robideaux is really the mayor and his accent is 100% Lafayette. Acadian Village is a real treat and we encourage all of our visiting friends to check it out. Rocky's accent was a little heavy, but I know lots of guys with the same.

And to address a prior reviewer's comment; yes, the cicadas are really that loud and this isn't "the South", it's Lafayette.

Biased as it may be, our opinion is that the movie is a home run. This is a Christmas event our family will share for years to come and we sincerely hope you will too.

Roy and Vickie Couvillion

P.S. Sincere thanks to the producer, Daniel Lewis, for the opportunity to share our home with the Lifetime audience, and to the crew members and staff for their professionalism, their respect and their camaraderie.