Christmas Is You

There was a good story here. Liked the lead actress, the male lead was miscast. The secondary characters were good. I liked their story almost as much.

7.0 stars.

'Christmas is You' is a name I don't quite understand for this story, however it's still a nice and relaxing experience. The story is a simple one, and nothing new, about a man who becomes a big music star and the woman who went in another direction. Now they are thrust into a situation where they must be in the vicinity of each other over the holidays. She is (conveniently) a scout for an agency that represents celebrities and musical talents etc. And he just happens to be the big star that has fired his previous agent. She is sent to see if she can convince him to join their agency, but since they dated as teenagers, she's understandably hesitant to overstep. Blah, blah, blah, it's all been done... But I really like the lead actress, she's one of those rare ladies with a very compassionate and kind facade in most of her roles. He seems to be a worn out man, quite rough exterior, but also with what I assume to be very rugged good looks. The chemistry is present, however there is much lacking with the whole blend of this film and the end product wasn't magical. But I was entertained enough to stick with it.

Another save the festival movie. The other half of the story is another common one. Emma is sent back to her home time to connect with an old flame and do a deal so she can earn a promotion.

The way Emma's backstory is revealed is a bit unusual in that it is done by her brother telling her boss.

You can see the conflict coming from a thousand miles away. I don't really understand Emma's hesitance to admit her mission. She has a lot of confusion because one minute she says one thing and the next it's another. I really don't understand Tyler's reaction given what he owes Emma. Things get a bit twisted so maybe that is explanation enough, but not for me.

Emma's boss is way too nice, but totally stupid in what she does.

Tobin looks her mid thirties age and perhaps even younger, but the almost decade older MacCaull obviously isn't the same age which the characters are supposed to be.

There are several performances by Becca Tobin and Matthew MacCaull. There duets are good including what appears to be an original song. MacCaull does OK, but when not doing harmony, he's not quite superstar singer material.

GAC continues to give very decent entertainment for the Holidays. The story is simple, the actors, Becca Tobin and Matthew MacCaull are unspoiled, down to ground, and work quite well together. All characters feel genuine, never offensive, and not conveying subliminal messages. As seen in other GAC productions, the decor of the interiors is rich in colors and tradition, reminiscent of Norman Rockwell's art. You may like it or not, but it seems distinctive and feels comfy. The stars duet, "Silent Night", sung with no frills, goes straight to the heart. It is done exactly as it was created by Franz Gruber and Joseph Mohr in 1818: just simple voices and a guitar. Certainly, one could be critical of this or that detail. Regardless, in my book, simplicity, tradition and kindness go a long way in a Christmas movie.

This was interesting. As a fledgling GAF effort, it got off to a decent start. A former high school couple is reunited when the girl, now working for a management agency is sent to her hometown to recruit her ex, now a major star on the outs with his manager.

I really think actors playing musicians look ridiculous, but Matthew MacCaulley at least appears to know the basic chords, and has a couple of quality (pricey) guitars. He actually does a nice job playing the down-to-earth superstar.

Becca Tobin has toned down the sweet in this movie to good effect, but her character must be the stupidest girl in the world.

They sing a nice duet early on, but the song they perform at the finale is awkward and musically nonsensical. That God for the invisible orchestra!

The supporting cast includes several veterans of Hallmark movies, which helped a lot. This is exactly what GAF needs going forward.

And better writers I'm afraid. This one gets to the easily-avoidable conflict you see coming a mile away and falls apart completely. Well, it's a start.