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.
