Christmas Movie Magic (2021 TV Movie) User Reviews

Stick to it

[Jackbv123 · 7/10 · 8 December 2021]

As of this writing, IMDb page for this movie has a Goof saying Holly Deveaux as Ally delivers her lines in an exaggerated and mechanical way. That statement is totally true in her first scene. Within 2 minutes of her character on the screen, I was ready to turn off the movie. She gets a much better after her first scene.

The story is a cub reporter chasing a big story for a promotion. The story involves an iconic movie star with a secret love affair. They overdo the hero worship a bit. The conflict is similar to all the reporter stories, but also a bit different than some.

The leads had chemistry.

The last scene is an extended song and dance routine reminiscent of old time movies like Singing in the Rain which fans of those movies will enjoy.

Christmas Movie Ordinariness - There's No Chrimbo Magic In This Flick.

[P3n-E-W1s3 · 5/10 · 6 December 2022]

Greetings, salutations, and a seasonal welcome to all you movie aficionados. Here are my considerations and recommendation for Christmas Movie Magic.

Story: 1.00/2 - Direction and Pace: 2.00/4 - Performances: 1.00/2 - Enjoyment: 1.00/2

Total 5.00/10

Welcome to the atypical Christmas movie. There were so many opportunities to make this a memorable and more potent tale that I was saddened at the route the writers took. Though they have the great idea of a small American town celebrating the anniversary of the Greatest Christmas Flick Ever Made, which was filmed and premiered in their town, the writers try too hard to make it memorable. We see the movie's opening sequence and witness the boy meets girl walking a pig on a leash moment. Yeah, you read that right - walking a pig on a leash! It was the moment I found my thumb hovering over the off button. The performers are in super-cheesy mode, which makes it worse. Upon realising it wasn't the primary tale, I retracted my thumb from the button. And, even though the story smooths out a little, it falls heavily into the quagmire of Christmas movies. There's very little new in this picture. Another element that turned out poorly was the twists. The writers attempt to add some intrigue into the narrative in the shape of a secret love. Regrettably, they make this outcome too obvious. No sooner have our lovers found the clue than we, the audience, have guessed who it is - and how it'll bring our two principal players together. Sadly, the cast doesn't make the picture any better. They're not awful, but they aren't exceptional either. Better acting and direction were required to lift the film. The performers are as unremarkable as the narrative. Luckily, the director is a little more on the ball - but only a little. And they add a subtle sense of heart-warmingness and pepper a few decent scenes throughout, but it needed more mirth and merriment.

Because Christmas Movie Magic is un-magical, I'd only recommend watching it should your other entertainment possibilities run dry. And, in this season of joy, plenty of better Chrimbo Pics are on offer - some can be found on the list below.

Please check out my HO! HO! HO! Christmas Belles list to see where I ranked the movie.

Take Care, Stay Well, And Best Wishes For A Merry Christmas.

noble intentions

[Kirpianuscus · 24 December 2022]

I like it fo For the retro air. For the desire to craft a different Christmas movie in Hallmark style. For venerable actors and for the references to classics ( indeed, a pig in leach is not a leopard ).

But the basic sin remains the forced use of pieces. The twist is far to impress. The search and the reaction to article are not very inspired .

Remains the delicate flavors of old times. And a modest, against its ambitions, Christmas film. The beautiful detail - the confession of Margaret Westdale about the romance of youth. So, the gratitude to Jill Frapier can be one of precious gifts of film. Is it enough ? Maybe.

Christmas Movie What?

[tommy5677 · 3/10 · 18 October 2022]

I really enjoyed this movie. At last Mar Vista did a decent thing here. That is until the very end.

The climax of the story actually brought a tear to my eye and I was excited to see such a wonderful story culminate in the MCs love for one another. And then that stupid kiss at the end. What is even up with that? I don't know what's going on with the idea of the camera angles but they're obstructive and they destroy a good thing. Are they afraid I'm going to see a slip of the tongue or actual lips touching? They should be embarrassed.

Well, what did I expect. Whether it's Lifetime or Hallmark, they both have a way of destroying a good story and the really good ones are so rare.

I don't know what they were trying to do with this ending but it was by far one of the sappiest most ridiculous things I've ever witnessed in any of these movies. They took a wonderful story and completely ruined it. I don't even know if I can bring myself to watch another one.

If you want to see decent Christmas romance movies check out Netflix. At least you know the couple's having sex before they even utter those three words and it's a refreshing change to this nonsense.

Sweet

[spartan_cheer · 8/10 · 12 December 2021]

I really liked this one! I loved that it revolved around a hometown mystery and a 1950/s musical complete Let's with a dance routine at the end. As a fan of old musicals especially "singin in the rain" I loved the homages. As lifetime/hallmark Christmas movies go this was one of my faves so far this year.

A Christmas RomCom with a well thought story, good acting & a Magnificent scene with actress Jill Frappier.

[pzghhbas · 9/10 · 4 December 2022]

This Christmas RomCom has writing that is layered, acting that is fun almost goofy and yet the characters are true somehow. Then there is a magnificent scene with actress Jill Frappier. The leads are fun to watch as they give much more than the average RomCom expects and before I knew it I was completely buying into the rose colored Christmas RomCom slow burn. The film sets up and delivers on all it's premisses. After the nice build up it concludes with a very satisfying and unexpected climactic declaration of love(s). I wanted these characters to get together much more than I normally do in most RomComs. But for me it is the scene with Jill Frappier that made me actually spend money to buy the movie. She gave the whole love story(s) themes credibility, even if love rarely reaches the conclusion her character achieves. It's rare for me that an older actor in a supporting role inspires me to want to own a movie but Ms Frappier did just that. I wont spoil anything but do turn on the subtitles for the last quarter of the movie so you can get the full revelation of the setup and the superior writing this lightweight movie. I watch a lot of RomComs and this one is wonderful. But let me be clear it is still a cheesy RomCom, just a very good cheesy RomCom.

Has the necessary magic

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 11 February 2023]

Have been on a roll watching Hallmark/Lifetime etc Christmas films for a few years now. It has been an interesting and worthwhile endeavour, though a very inconsistent one. There was never the mentality of expecting a classic or the film in question to be flawless. Something that was never managed with pretty much all the films seen. There was always the expectation of seeing a film where one can see at least some effort rather than merely cash-in level. The former being obvious in most luckily.

'Christmas Movie Magic' is one of the Christmas films in the former category. 2021 was very hit and miss for Christmas films and for Lifetime, but there were some that were good and more and 'Christmas Movie Magic' is in that category and very much at the top even. It may not start off great agreed, but it was a lot of fun, immensely charming and very affectionate to the musical and old Hollywood eras. The necessary magic is very much here.

As said it doesn't start off great, with an awkwardly written and mechanically acted opening scene in particular that is enough to make one conflicted as to whether to continue watching.

Luckily it turned out that sticking with 'Christmas Movie Magic' was the right decision and well worth it. Despite a shaky and very robotic start, Holly Deveaux is on the whole very winning in her role with the right amount of perkiness and charm. She has very genuine and effortless chemistry with easy going and charismatic in a subtle way Drew Seeley. Both their characters are easy to like and the supporting cast attack their roles with enthusiasm without going over the top.

Production values are pleasing. It's not too drab or garish in photography, the editing didn't seem rushed or disorganised and the scenery has a real charm to it. The music has infectious character and sticks in the head, while not feeling too much, set to spirited choreography. The dialogue has flow and doesn't get too cheesy or too schmaltzy. The homaging and referencing evokes a lot of nostalgia, and the whole film felt like an affectionate love letter to Old Hollywood and musicals. The ending is magical and to me one of Lifetime's most satisfying endings, not just because of its emotion but because it's different and not the pat ending usually gone with.

In summary, really liked it. One of Lifetime's best that year. 8/10.

Highly UNDER-rated

[iaindormer · 9/10 · 14 December 2021]

Considering how many bog-standard Christmas movies get ridiculously high ratings on IMDb, it's astonishing that this refreshingly different, well written and thoroughly engaging film can only muster a 6.

Sure, it's not a masterpiece, with some slightly below par acting in places and the usual missteps that this type of movie tends to have now and again, but its strengths far outweigh its deficiencies. It dares to be bold, reasonably intelligent and thoughtful, and by the end actually has some of the real sparkle which the old Hollywood movies it's referencing had.

Trust me, you can do many far worse things than spend 90 minutes watching this. And, I suspect, you might even enjoy it!!!

This Christmas movie has magic.

[gfrasmd · 9/10 · 8 December 2021]

Once in a while, Lifetime forgoes its mission to indoctrinate the viewers and remembers how to create entertainment. And comes out with a charming production which is original, entertaining, and rich in meaningful motives. New romance is entwined with enduring love and respect for traditions, in a contest of 50ies nostalgia and a pinch of magic. Would I want to see it with a few changes? Sure, like taming the newspaper director, perhaps unnecessarily harsh and villainous, but all quite minimal. The movie is good, as is. And,.... it does bring a little magic to our Christmas.

New Hollywood meets old Hollywood

[romancemoviefanatic · 9/10 · 3 January 2022]

New Hollywood meets old Hollywood in this movie. Bravo. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Especially the last 10 minutes of it!

Alli is a newspaper journalist who is looking for a winning article to land a promotion. While researching an old movie and its origin, Alli finds a love letter and she embarks on a mission to find out who was the real love that inspired the song in the movie. It also happens to be the anniversary of the movie so the grandson of the owner of the theatre where the movie premiered helps her investigate the mystery, as well as makes plans to celebrate the movie in hopes of resurrecting some life into the old theatre and the town.

This movie was so different then your typical Hallmark/Lifetime movie. It combined new Hollywood with old Hollywood and did it so well. The first 5 minutes of the story, and in particular the first introduction of Alli (Deveaux) is brutal, but if you can get through that then you will embark on an amazing journey. True there are some other things you need to look past, like some mediocre acting, but overall this movie will not disappoint you. The plot is so unique and they intertwine present day with the 50s so well, even in the last scene which amazed me. The movie gave me old Hollywood vibes and I loved it. True the mystery was obvious to me quite early on but that didn't bother me.

Chemistry between Seely and Deveaux was pretty good albeit some scenes seemed a bit forced but I kind of pushed that aside once they entered the last 10-15 minutes of the movie. It was then that they shined and did what they did best. Seeley just busted out in song and for the next 10 minutes you were immersed in a singing/dancing routine reminiscent of 50s complete with costuming. Honestly this is where Drew Seeley shined for me as he was in his element. He looked like he was born to live in the 50s. He seemed at home in the suit and hat, dancing and signing like Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain. This 10-15 minute escape really made this movie spectacular. In fact they could have honestly just done more of these segments, made the entire movie a musical and I would have probably made this a 10 star movie.

Honestly this movie is worth the watch. Even if you just watched the last 10-15 minutes of the movie you won't be disappointed. I know I've watched that at least 20 times by now.

Real Movie Magic

[FridayGal · 9/10 · 8 December 2021]

The movie starts typically - Journalist Alli is stuck in covering entertainment news but pushes her boss for her Big Break into real news. Her boss - doing a great Perry White imitation - agrees to consider the move if she covers the 65th Anniversary of the movie classic, "Christmas is You," in the small town where the movie was originally filmed. Alli is cynical of Christmas and the false magic of movies until she is caught up in the mystery of the movie's famous song. Did the former leading man write the song for the soul mate he met while filming the classic? Is his broken heart the reason for his reclusive lifestyle? Who is the real woman behind the song? The ending of this movie was quite a surprise - a happy and pleasant surprise - with memories of Astaire, Rogers, Kelly & Charisse. I especially enjoyed the editing of the "movie" scenes with current day scenes. Nicely done.

Sweet and Lovable

[mikereynolds-65837 · 10/10 · 21 December 2021]

While I can agree with some of the other comments on picking this movie apart for its rough spots, all in all, this is a very sweet and Lovable story. I just loved it, and, I thought that the song and dance at the end was beautiful. It was very nice to see a Christmas movie that wasn't just another boring, repetitive version of the typical Hallmark movies, which for me, have become nothing more than elaborate layouts for Folgers coffee and Hallmark's products. This little movie is in a class of it's own, loved the singing voices and the song. Good job guys!