In Merry Measure

I was so ticked off at the gross unprofessionalism which obviously stemmed from professional jealousy by Adam, that I was very tempted to turn this movie off at the start. Fortunately, I try to avoid that knowing that so often in this genre, the tone of the movie and some character personalities change dramatically by the first commercial or shortly thereafter. I'm very glad I stuck with it.

For one thing, I enjoy Christmas movies that feature extended musical performances usually at the end, but sometimes also along the way. This is such a movie and the last performance is almost worth waiting for strictly by itself.

There are several common themes in the story. Fading musical star, Darcy, goes home for a break. She encounters an old beau, or in this case an old rival, Adam. She gets thrown together with him to produce an act for a contest.

Patti Murin's Darcy has a couple of nice performances and some mild chemistry with Brendan Penny's Adam. But for me the real surprise is Cassidy Reichman as Darcy's niece Megan. Reichman has no other credits listed on IMDb yet her intentional performances were excellent and she was a decent actor as well. I hope this is a rising star for Hallmark much like Joceyln Hudon and Kayla Wallace became.