User reviews

We live in a society that rewards lying and cheating. But I really don't like most movies that are based on characters who lie and cheat to get ahead. Aside from the ethical questions, it's always really cringey when they get found out, and they always do get found out. At least the fake date movies involve characters who, arguably, don't hurt anybody other than family, and are ostensibly set up to prevent family criticism (or allow grandma to think everything is fine).

But here, somebody who told the truth didn't make it in the competition because Jen posted a fake video entry that got picked instead. Ironically, everything else that Jen says in her videos is usually quite "genuine" and it seemed possible that she could have made it to the final 20 and final 10 and maybe even the final 3 by being completely honest.

But having gone down the wrong path, with sales in her struggling business going up, Jen asks rhetorically:

"Why do I think this is going to spiral out of control to my detriment?"

Because it will.

And, for much of the movie, we are forced to watch Clare Bowen (effectively) make Emily look like the most miserable and emotionality distraught person on the planet. She constantly looks like she's seen a ghost or just watched her ice cream fall on to the sidewalk. I get it; she's really damaged by the loss of her dad when she was a child and by her resentment of a mom who looked for love elsewhere and wasn't there for her. And she's guilt ridden over the fake life she's living. But watching that nonstop pain, angst and anxiety is not the most enjoyable experience. Especially when stretched out over the better part of two hours.

I kept waiting and wishing that she would just let loose and enjoy Max who, inexplicably, has loved her for years. It's Hallmark, so everyone knows where they will end up, but in a good movie, as in life, the focus should be on the journey not the destination. Here, the journey was painful.

I did like watching Anna Van Hooft, who played Emily's sister and business partner Ali. I'd like to see her in more Hallmark movies and maybe even in a lead role.

I grade Hallmark on a curve, but I can see why I never saw any commercials or trailers for this movie.

Usually I can't stand these types of Christmas movies, but this one actually has a decent script and two leads with...chemistry? Gasp. Not only that but they had personalities and showed realistic signs of human quirks. To top it all off, it wasn't a story about a rich person going back to a small town and learning to love to build snowmen or something, it actually had an interesting storyline. Maybe I'm a fan of home decor instagram, but I'm also a fan of the concept that home decor influencers can be full of hot patootie at times.

A+ transaction IMO.

OH and that baby better be a paid actor, because it tried to steal the scene a few times.

6.8 stars.

First, this movie is somewhat entertaining, and dramatic. The musical score is great, the atmosphere is good, the acting is good. There is not much romance, but for me it was enjoyable, mainly because I could connect with the characters. There are a bunch of wounded people in this story. She gets caught up in a small lie that blows up into a whole charade of cover up after cover up. Will she end up sabotaging what remains of her dwindling success?

How many of us relate to this movie? Probably a lot of us. This movie is about family baggage, and the struggles and trials that accompany a dysfunctional relationship with a parent. Our protagonist female has nothing but leftover shadows from her past, and this story is about her personal conflicts to overcome the darkness and come into the light. In spite of her misfortunes as a child, due to problems with her mother, she managed to follow her dream. She is a creator of artistic beauty, and owns a store with her sister which showcases her talents. In contrast are all of the past issues that haunt her and are a barrier to her taking the next steps toward self-fulfillment. Everyone around her sees her potential, but she can't see past her insecurities. Waiting just beyond the horizon is the opportunity of a lifetime, and a chance at great love.

This movie is very effective at displaying a dramatized version of many hurting and injured individuals in the world today, and I hope that narcissistic parents can fathom the destructive impact they have on their children. Emotional abuse creates narcissists, and narcissists proliferate emotional abuse. Listen to Dr. Phil and let us end this tragic cycle.

I guess it merits praise for not being as bad as it could've been.

Given the obvious, I was not expecting '#Xmas' to pack any sort of punch - that title is an immediate red flag. Though, to be fair, it's actually an averagely fine festive flick for television. I will say that I did enjoy Clare Bowen in the lead role, nothing special granted but she's likeable.

Brant Daugherty leads the rest of the cast OK, Lillian Doucet-Roche and Sebastian Stewart are alright too - even if their supposedly split relationship was a tad too one-sided against Doucet-Roche's character in my opinion.

Overall, I think the film is just a little bit too forgettable - like, I don't dislike it but what really actually happens? Nothing memorable, unfortunately.

I love Hallmark movies. I watch ALL of them. This is one of the worst movies in their 2022 catalog because of the character of Jen and the actress who plays her. She is one of the most unlikable female leads and sadly one of the worst actresses. Jen does nothing except wallow in self pity and act like her life is terrible. She is so mean to her mother, and to Max, played by the charming Brant Doughtery. I literally liked every character in this movie except Jen and she is so one dimensional. Maybe it was the writing, maybe it was the actress, maybe both. By the end of the movie I cringed at every gesture and vocal inflection she made. I cannot recommend this one.

While the entire story is not bad, Hallmark has a huge collection of christmas movies but many are so badly acted that you what a few minutes and then turn it off. This particular one - that actress went about as if she was under an electric shock. Terrible acting. Who is she? The guy I am familiar with and he was not bad. The actress who played her sister was far more likeable and jenu-ine and the character of a her mum was good but one bad actress can ruin it for all. Sometimes Hallmark movies are so over done it and this was one of them. It is a pity as the story was an interesting angle but I think they should have gone with another actress.

How about calling it "theater"? So many Christmas movies have a "white lie". But Jen and her cohorts know that this is more deception than a white lie. False pretenses are necessary to enter the contest and their store needs the exposure, so it is OK, right?

Deception aside, this story is good. It has some fresh angles. It has energy, It has suspense. The situation keeps building. There is a twist that is heavily hinted. Clare Bowen and Brant Daugherty have great chemistry and good comedic timing. Karen Kruper slightly overplays the meddling mom, but it works. There are some great lines. I loved the conversation that comes in the bedroom the night after the gingerbread house video.

There is an interesting theme where the real Jen thinks she is the opposite of Jen T. She has real self-esteem issues. The trolls among her online followers really hurt her. She also has a strong aversion to marriage. This movie does an amazing job of developing this character, and this character is real. What is especially interesting is how her personality as Jen T shines a light on who the real Jen is.

The relationship between Jen and Max doesn't get as much screen time as many of these movies, but it makes great use of the time they have. I enjoyed watching this relationship as much as many I can think of.

To portray a character like Jen takes some good acting. Like the character, Bowen may not have been perfect, but she showed us a real person. I don't think Max's character had the layer of depth, but Daugherty was outstanding in this part.

I am amazed that I want to give what is basically a fake marriage movie 10 stars. But also I can't ignore what I said in the first paragraph. Of course, the truth comes out and has consequences, and the audience expected it. So 1 star deduction for real deception because I am a dinosaur who still believes honesty is a virtue and it has become to easy to blur the lines between fake and real.

The featured review is unnecessarily uptight and unforgiving, just like this rating app which keeps telling me I have too many or too few characters. The point of such plot lines is to demonstrate how any degree of deception can blow up in your face. I mean this is a Hallmark movie; it shouldn't be comfortable to watch for all kinds of reasons, not the least the general "C" quality of them.

There is supposed to be a moral somewhere, not a sleigh ride to goodie, goodie all the way.

Claire Bowen was charming in "Nashville," I am willing to give this film some breathing room.

Her costar is believable as a guy who had had to hold his heart in abeyance for years.

We only started watching because of Brant Daughtery. Finally Hallmark gets a good leading guy for a holiday movie, but leaves him mostly in the background. Astoria and Portland Oregon are not places that have snow (Astoria has an average of less than 1/4 inch of snow a year.) The premise of the movie is untruths, is this the new standard for Hallmark? Lies upon lies and too many to keep track of. Definitely full of family drama with bad family dynamics. Not sure it makes the best Christmas movie, but better than most Hallmark has done this year overall. Hope they decide to do more films with Brant.

When I say this movie is very different, I don't mean it dodged ALL of the normal Christmas movie tropes. It didn't. In fact, this is the SECOND script this season to feature a local business with a fake online profile. However, this one was MUCH better done than the first one we saw.

Most of this style of plot are take-offs on Barbara Stanwick's old standard, Christmas in Connecticut.

First of all, we had many audible chuckles and one laugh out loud moment. The dialogue between the sisters is clever and surprising. Clare Bowen's portrayal of a worried, uncomfortable, neurotic female lead is entertaining, convincing, and funny. Her takes in response to certain situations and dialogue are constantly amusing. A movie with lines this smart and funny is worth your time, and we'll be watching it again in coming years.

I've been watching Hallmark Christmas movies since the very first ones and look forward to them every year. I basically love all of them even though the are all mostly cheesy, predictable, repeated plots with just different actors and actresses. I have the Hallmark channel on 24/7 from Thanksgiving till New Year's Day EXCEPT WHEN THIS ONE COMES ON!!! It is THAT bad! The lead actress is horrible!!!! I literally couldn't watch her with all her weird facial expressions and goofy looks and I couldn't make out half the things she was saying because of her annoying mumbling. She was so obnoxious and watching a grown, independent, business owner still whining about her mother and childhood was just plain embarrassing. Her sister on the other hand, was actually enjoyable to watch.

The one thing that doesn't make sense is why didn't she just make the video with HER husband and HER OWN baby????? Of course there wouldn't be a movie then but that's EXACTLY MY POINT!!!! Hahaha

The lead actor was great and very handsome and there's just NO WAY in reality someone like him would be following her around everywhere like a love sick teenage boy!! TOTALLY UNBELIEVABLE!!!

And don't even get me started on the conceited, narcissistic wife of the famous tv couple!!! The way she treated her poor husband was absolutely sickening!!

Please please PLEASE do better Hallmark!!!!

This movie is very social media based, even the opening credits, which is clever and annoying in equal measures ... but I had to give up when they crept about to not wake the baby, whilst jabbering away at each other in loud voices. Like the internet, there were so many words swirling around, most with no real meaning. I'm sure the movie probably gets better, but there was too much setting the social media feel and not enough connecting with reality for me to get into it. In a way that felt fake, but sadly it happens too much in life - all to often we get so distracted by the digital world and forget what's going on right around us.

I really liked this movie. The cast was great with Clair Bowen, Brant Daugherty, Anna Van Hooft and Karen Kruger all superb in their performances.

Clair Bowen, for me anyway, stole the show. Loved her hair, loved her voice, her expressions, and her mannerisms. I was not familiar with her from any previous roles, but hope to see her again. She had great chemistry with Brant Daugherty. He always gives a stellar performance like his role earlier this year in A Royal Runaway Romance. I also always like Anna Van Hooft and she was solid here. The mother was played to perfection by Hallmark great Karen Kruger.

I thought the speeches near the end and the final scene were the perfect way to end the movie.

Some great films this season from Hallmark, please keep them coming.

I don't even know where to begin. Lets begin with the horrible storyline. Let's lie and think it's ok, as long as it gets us what we want and think it won't come out in the end. It irritates me to think we would buy into that plot. Horrible acting - overdone or amateurish. Timing was off - long, weird pauses between sentences, script was lame, no chemistry between lead characters. Should I go on, or do you get the point? Hallmark is really going downhill fast. Values and morals do make a good story. Hallmark needs to fire the writers and go back to what made them loved. I wouldn't spend your time watching this as it was wasted time that I can never get back.

#Xmas (2022) -

I have said it a lot lately and while some of it may be in jest, a lot of it is too true, these girls just aren't good enough for these guys and I don't know if it's a bad script, bad actor or bad direction, because the characters and portrayals of the men constantly outshine those by the leading ladies. Obviously I wouldn't have mentioned that if this film wasn't a prime example of a character that was incredibly flawed and almost beyond redemption. And quite often the leading couple in this one didn't even seem suited to each other either. Max was way out of Jen's league, because Brant Daugherty (Max) might possibly be the hottest man I've ever seen? He did seem a bit more like a Gay Best Friend to start with though, because I really couldn't see them together as anything else.

I would certainly struggle to fall asleep if I was lying next to him on a bed and I wouldn't freak out if he kissed me, I'd melt in to his arms instead. I certainly felt that his heart was more in it than hers too. She didn't even seem to realise that there was an attraction on either ones part.

But who thought that the tartan jacket would look good on him?

It was clear that Like Mother, like daughter, Jen was quite frankly a B!tch.

I preferred her online persona Jen T, who at least appeared a bit more normal.

She put up obstacles for everything, just because her dad died decades before. I mean get over it! She was properly broken and awkward, whiney, annoying and selfish.

I did like the step dad though, he was natural and kind, a pleasant character, although his role was quite small.

With regards to the plot, I found it farcical, as these pretence ones always are and their attempt to create massive events in just hours was more than a little bit hard to believe.

It didn't help that they were trying to impress Zoe and Charlie, an internet sensation and a couple who were clearly doomed from the start. Mostly because Zoe was vile too, but also because they were obviously mismatched.

Anyone who knows me will not be surprised that I only watched it all the way through because of Brant, without his strong leading and kind character, the film was just a couple of annoying sisters and their Mum, which you can see on any day, in any town, in any Primark.

5/10.

What I loved most about this film...all the great curly hair styles! It really was the best thing about the film. I enjoyed seeing Anna Van Hooft, who played the new mom and very tired sister Ali. I think she and the supporting cart did a wonderful job.

I really had trouble with the storyline. I don't understand the attitude of the main character...nor her hang ups and all because her mom remarried after her dad died?!?!? She doesn't want to have her photo taken yet everything she does is on social media. Her voice didn't ring true. She wants people to know that no one is perfect and she goes about that by pretending to be perfect and then decides she likes that "perfect" life. Weirdest mixed message ever.

The other problem was the strange frenetic energy and the way the lines were delivered by the lead. If I was Max, played beautifully by Brant Daugherty, I would have run the other way. He could do better and deserves someone who loves and treats him like he treated Jen.

Jen Z, gag! I am sure someone thought that was funny...but it is a miss for me.