Just to make things clear, whenever a high rating or good review is written for any of the recent festive films from namely last year and this year it is not saying that it is on par in quality with other films and such given the same rating or just a little higher. Or on par with or better than films well regarded but weren't quite as good to me. Sorry if that doesn't make sense, and am aware that the wording is very clumsy. It is purely judging it as its own entity and whether it worked for me or not.
'Small Town Christmas' did work for me. My recent festive film quest, a much needed one, has been very hit and miss, but while none of the films fit my definition of classic there were a fair share of those that were better than expected with a lot of good things and a few bad things. That was the case with 'Small Town Christmas', which was a pleasant diversion for a couple of hours and something that shouldn't be expected too much from. One of the best films from this quest easily.
It does have things that don't quite work. One is two or more steps ahead of the story in what happens next the whole time, from the well set up beginning to the rather too pat end. Some of the dialogue could have had more nuance and not been as corny.
While all the supporting cast are competent and nobody is bland or annoying, nobody properly stands out as such.
On the other hand, 'Small Town Christmas' is lovingly filmed and has a location that doesn't look cheap. Have a thing for good soundtracks, and the soundtrack is suitably infectious and affectionate (which is exactly what one wants from a Christmas film soundtrack). The direction indicated a director engaged with the material and at ease with it.
The script has enough sweet and witty moments, not sounding too awkward or aimless, and while the story is formulaic it is also full of charm and warms the heart in a way that never felt manipulative or schmaltzy. The two leads have a very sweet and unforced chemistry together and both give good performances individually too. Kristoffer Polaha particularly.
All in all, not exceptional but very pleasant and worth seeing. 7/10
