Christmas films can go either way, which has been my experience watching overtime the festive output of Lifetime and Hallmark. They can either be well-meaning, charming, warm-hearted and don't feel too heavy. Or they can be too over-sentimental, cheesy, contrived and bland. There have been many films of theirs that have fallen in both camps and in the camp where there is a bit of both. And 'Christmas Romance Al Dente' did have the sort of premise where the execution could have gone either way.
Lifetime's 2020 Christmas film batch, like all their previous years, was pretty hit and miss which was not unexpected. 'Christmas Romance Al Dente' is an uneven effort and is neither one of the best or worst films from Lifetime's 2020 batch. Personally put it in the middle category, and thought that the second half is much better than the first. 'Christmas Romance Al Dente' is one of those films where it is understandable why anybody would consider switching off in the first half, being someone who did come close, but there are plenty of Christmas films that have rough starts but get better if one sticks with them and this is one of them.
Am going to start with the not so good. 'Christmas Romance Al Dente' does start off badly, where the writing is very contrived and cheesy, where the story doesn't really go very far and where there were too many uncomfortably awkward and silly parts. The story throughout is a bit uneven, where the silliness can be too over the top and where characters behave in ways that don't really make sense.
The chemistry between the two lead characters takes a while to get there, they seemed disconnected for some of the first half before believably and charmingly starting to blossom in the carriage ride scene. Many of the events are obvious before they even happen and the ending seemed a bit on the tidy side.
However, the second half is on the whole a lot better and there is a good deal to like. The best thing being the winning cast. Anni Krueger is a natural charmer in the female lead role and also has great comic timing. Gilles Marini starts off a little on the manic side, but he is a lot of fun in his role. Once their chemistry gets going and connects more, it is very sweet and has wit too. Emma Myers is a big plus of 'Christmas Romance Al Dente', she is very cute and also an amusing breath of fresh air.
Furthermore, 'Christmas Romance Al Dente' appeals visually. Especially the scenery. Lifetime films can have intrusive and overused music, this was just about avoided here and it has a nice festive atmosphere. The script does flow a lot better later and doesn't get over cheesy or too schmaltzy. The lines intended to be funny luckily are so. The story is predictable but also has a good deal of charm and light-heartedness, leaving me with a warm glow, and the cute factor is not excessive.
In summary, a bit mixed here but am glad about not bailing. 5/10.
