Because our granddaughter is a dancer we have learned quite a bit about the effort and dedication needed to be even a decent dancer and the dancers in this movie are much more than 'decent', they are really good. So on that alone this is worth watching. However, it also had good production values, good dialog, and good acting. This is one we watched on the DVR and did not delete after watching. I'm sure we'll watch it at least once more this season.
16 Reviews
Some what predictable but still entertaining.
joekirbyjr20 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
A young ballet prodigy follows in the steps of her aunt who is helping to raise her after her mother dies. Young Sadie (Sophia Lucia) is becoming the ballet dancer that her aunt Lilly (Amy Ackler) had aspired to be, even making it to the New York Ballet production of The Nutcracker only to drop out when she learns of the death of her sister. After eight years of absence, Lilly finds herself accompanying Sadie to Philadelphia where Sadie is offered the lead in the local production of The Nutcracker. However, the director turns out to be Mark (Sascha Radetsky), Lilly's one time boyfriend in New York, whom have not seen one another in eight years. There breakup had not been a happy one therefore much tension is experienced during the first couple of weeks. In the meantime, hard feelings begin to melt away as the two previous lovers find a mutual interest in Sadie's training. Through several mishaps, the three of them end up with the leading roles in the production. Although at times the story is quiet predictable, the last twenty minutes of the movie brings the rest of the story to a grand ending as the dance company performs a great rendition of The Nutcracker. Throughout the movie there is a simple dialogue that blooms in the end!
Great dancing
jewelch20 November 2020
A Fun Holiday Romance Feature With Actual Dancing Included
tabuno4 December 2020
Headlined by Amy Acker as a ballerina who must face several emotional challenges, A Nutcracker Christmas unfolds as most popular Christmas movies with the rather superior inclusion of actual extended choreographed dance scenes. Unlike the more cult-following ice skating romance feature, The Cutting Edge (1992), a considerable amount of effort as well as physical performance undertaking was required and included in A Nutcracker Christmas with Amy Acker having plenty of opportunity to actually dance. One must assume that an actual Nutcracker cast was used for the last portion of the rousing classic ballet performances. This normally enjoyable romance Holiday movie has the added bonus of its wonderful artistic performances.
Dance reconnection
TheLittleSongbird27 April 2021
Absolutely loved the premise. It is a very relatable scenario for anybody who wants to fulfill a dream, wants to learn a new skill and hobby that makes them happy or rekindle something that you made a career of but had to stop due to unforeseen circumstances. Or even all three, speaking from personal experience. It is also hard to resist seeing a film centered around anything to do with 'The Nutcracker', one of the greatest ballets ever written with a fantastic story and even better music.
Have said more than once about Hallmark's Christmas output being hit and miss. 'A Nutcracker Christmas' is one of the hits. It's not mind-blowing amazing and some of the storytelling is easy to criticise. It does compare very favourably when it comes to ranking Hallmark's output and was executed in a way that did connect with me. So 'A Nutcracker Christmas' came over as a quite good film that far from wastes its great premise while falling short of greatness.
Could it have been better? Sure. Will agree that some of the storytelling is contrived, such as the complete out of the blue and rushed 180 attitude towards nepotism (especially when a big thing was made of it beforehand).
While 'A Nutcracker Christmas' is always pleasant and never offensive, there is very little that's unique here and it does feel too safe. It is basically your standard reconnection story with a small twist. Occasionally the dialogue is awkward.
On the other hand, 'A Nutcracker Christmas' has a lot done right. The scenery has a lovely atmosphere and is attractive to look at. The photography is never drab or garish and always looks slick and never ugly, enhancing the beauty of the scenery and decor. As well as showing how truly graceful and magical dancing is. The music evoked a lot of emotion and fits beautifully in tone and placement, one of the few Hallmark Christmas films where the music wasn't a problem. The dancing is both athletic and graceful and the choreography left me transfixed.
Likewise with the final 20 minutes, which was charming and moving. As well as different for a Hallmark Christmas film. The dialogue on the whole avoids cheese and schmaltz and while the story isn't flawless it has a warm heart and doesn't get too heavy. It is also inspiring and realistically shows dedication, determination and how difficult it can be behind the scenes. The reconnection part of the story is handled nicely. The characters were to me worth caring for and Amy Acker and Sophia Lucia give particularly appealing performances.
Quite good on the whole as said if not great. 7/10.
Have said more than once about Hallmark's Christmas output being hit and miss. 'A Nutcracker Christmas' is one of the hits. It's not mind-blowing amazing and some of the storytelling is easy to criticise. It does compare very favourably when it comes to ranking Hallmark's output and was executed in a way that did connect with me. So 'A Nutcracker Christmas' came over as a quite good film that far from wastes its great premise while falling short of greatness.
Could it have been better? Sure. Will agree that some of the storytelling is contrived, such as the complete out of the blue and rushed 180 attitude towards nepotism (especially when a big thing was made of it beforehand).
While 'A Nutcracker Christmas' is always pleasant and never offensive, there is very little that's unique here and it does feel too safe. It is basically your standard reconnection story with a small twist. Occasionally the dialogue is awkward.
On the other hand, 'A Nutcracker Christmas' has a lot done right. The scenery has a lovely atmosphere and is attractive to look at. The photography is never drab or garish and always looks slick and never ugly, enhancing the beauty of the scenery and decor. As well as showing how truly graceful and magical dancing is. The music evoked a lot of emotion and fits beautifully in tone and placement, one of the few Hallmark Christmas films where the music wasn't a problem. The dancing is both athletic and graceful and the choreography left me transfixed.
Likewise with the final 20 minutes, which was charming and moving. As well as different for a Hallmark Christmas film. The dialogue on the whole avoids cheese and schmaltz and while the story isn't flawless it has a warm heart and doesn't get too heavy. It is also inspiring and realistically shows dedication, determination and how difficult it can be behind the scenes. The reconnection part of the story is handled nicely. The characters were to me worth caring for and Amy Acker and Sophia Lucia give particularly appealing performances.
Quite good on the whole as said if not great. 7/10.
Magical Nutcracker Christmas
bookandcandle4 December 2019
This was one of the most entertaining Hallmark Christmas movies. Lily and Mark dance magically together to The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Sadie dances superbly. Beautiful story, excellent ballet dancing and sets. I will watch this movie over and over.
Sugar Plum Dreams
kz917-14 June 2017
Amy Acker as Lily and Sascha Radetsky as Mark play ballet dancers and former flames that are reunited years later when Lily's niece is cast as Clara in a production of The Nutcracker that Mark is directing. Lily long ago left the ballet world and Mark after the death of her sister. Will they reunite, will the ballet go on? A delightful movie answers all of that and more. Worth a watch!
Sweet as the Sugar Plum Fairy
catfarmer135825 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this for the first time today. It was really sweet. It was totally not what I was expecting and it went beyond the normal hallmark movie plot. Amy and Sascha has freat chemistry and the dancing was beautiful. Would watch again.
The leads are real dancers but the story is too contrived
phd_travel20 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
First off the cast is good. There have been ballet movies with less than convincing looking people acting as ballet dancers. In this movie the main dancing leads are dancers. A familiar face from Center Stage, Sascha Radetsky plays the lead dancer/ ballet director. Amy Acker has a beautiful face and a ballerina look - and her dance sequences are convincing as she is an ex dancer. The little girl her niece can dance too. The two main leads looked a little old for the earlier time period since there was an 8 year gap.
On the plus side, it's good to have a Hallmark movie set somewhere else than a struggling small town with a failing business. The Nutcracker itself was beautifully done.
On the minus side, the story is a little irritating. They were both annoying. On her side, if she wanted to dance it was her choice kind of even though she may have hurt herself. On his side if couldn't she dance another night? There must have been a few performances. After all dancers sub for each other all the time from injury etc. She didn't have to dance on the very night her sister died. Another less than convincing thing is the way the other dance moms were so against the nepotism then changed their minds so quickly at the performance was fake and contrived. These pseudo dramatic episodes can be overly fake in Hallmark movies.
Worth one watch
On the plus side, it's good to have a Hallmark movie set somewhere else than a struggling small town with a failing business. The Nutcracker itself was beautifully done.
On the minus side, the story is a little irritating. They were both annoying. On her side, if she wanted to dance it was her choice kind of even though she may have hurt herself. On his side if couldn't she dance another night? There must have been a few performances. After all dancers sub for each other all the time from injury etc. She didn't have to dance on the very night her sister died. Another less than convincing thing is the way the other dance moms were so against the nepotism then changed their minds so quickly at the performance was fake and contrived. These pseudo dramatic episodes can be overly fake in Hallmark movies.
Worth one watch
Drama with an Element of Romance
glanners-708032 January 2021
This fairly straight drama, with an element of romance, sees Amy Acker's career as a ballet dancer cut short through a family tragedy, only for her niece's similar gifts to bring her unexpectedly back into the world of ballet and to an old acquaintance. It's clear who are the actors hired to dance and the dancers hired to act, but it just about holds up thanks to an impassioned turn from Acker, if you can get past the niece's cute/grating (delete as applicable) voice.
Excellemt Story and Production Values
Dark_Lord_Mark19 December 2016
What can be said is Hallmark produces quality movies. I am new to the Hallmark Christmas movies and holidays in general, but most are very good.
This movie is no exception and I dare say exceptional. It's about love; love of dance and specifically ballet. The story revolves around two people who are torn by a tragedy and lose themselves, lose hope and lose each other. Through events, they meet 8 years later but can they come together and succeed where they once failed? Is a second chance at ballet, a second chance at love possible, and will they take that chance again? We know this is a Christmas movie, but it is excellent and well acted. It has dance scenes and well choreographed moves, at least to the untrained eye. I must give this movie a 10 out of 10. The characters are well played and the story in engaging. MUST SEE and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
This movie is no exception and I dare say exceptional. It's about love; love of dance and specifically ballet. The story revolves around two people who are torn by a tragedy and lose themselves, lose hope and lose each other. Through events, they meet 8 years later but can they come together and succeed where they once failed? Is a second chance at ballet, a second chance at love possible, and will they take that chance again? We know this is a Christmas movie, but it is excellent and well acted. It has dance scenes and well choreographed moves, at least to the untrained eye. I must give this movie a 10 out of 10. The characters are well played and the story in engaging. MUST SEE and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
nice
Kirpianuscus4 July 2018
The first temptation is to criticize it. without mercy. for flaws, for sugar exces, for the story who is not only predictable but ...fake. but the ballet moments are good motif for be lenient. because, in essence, it is only a Hallmark film. not the best, not the worse. with a nice pretext and a not credible plot but that is not the great sin. maybe, the performances are not the most inspired . but the film works. and it is not surprise - the love stories are useful heart for each film of genre.
Turning Point It Ain't
gasket3604 December 2021
It would take a lot to dislodge in my memory the Anne Bancroft/Shirley MacLaine portrayal of how the passion to dance opened a grand story line about deep wounds and profound regrets--life altering critical decisions. Turning Point had an indefinable sharpness and very raw edge to every part of the story line, including sub-plots. A Nutcracker Christmas doesn't even begin to shadow a remake, if that was even subliminally intended. BUT, it's almost as difficult to conceive that Hallmark would actually have the foresight to mount a production of this type. It's not quite as predictable--oh, there's still the boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl in the end--but it just didn't seem as saccharin to me as most of all other Hallmark movies. It would certainly be nice if they could branch out and come up with story lines set in other disciplines of the arts. Find some better script writers who knew what they were doing and then casting appropriately. Also, it was disappointingly lacking in the actual on-stage dancing. I'm reminded of Clare Peller's line: "Where's the Beef"? Except in this case it should be "Where's the dancing?"
USMC: Unbelievably Sloppy Military Content
lynnwengland1 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Why, oh why can't Canadian television EVER correctly portray the US Military? With somewhere between 35,000 and 50,000 homeless veterans on the streets of America, couldn't you at least hire a couple of Marines as "consultants"? They'd probably be happy with a hot meal and a warm place to sleep. They would tell you that:
1. Marines NEVER Salute indoors, EVER!
2. NO ONE makes Gunnery Sergeant (E-7) in eight years. Maybe twelve if they're a hard charger, but not eight. E-5 or possibly E-6,
but not E-7.
3. Dog tags are only worn in combat zones and there are two, not one. One is worn around the neck on a long chain and the other is attached to the long chain by a much shorter one. If you are killed, the short chain and tag are removed and collected/accounted for by a superior. The long chain and tag remain with the body for identification. You do not get to keep you dog tag(s) as a souvenir.
I realize this is a "Christmas" movie but the detail to this very untrained eye looked very authentic for "The Nutcracker". Couldn't you pay the same in respect for the US Military?
This was not worth making
Christmas-Reviewer11 July 2017
BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA
Hallmark seems to make Christmas movies that they can make Christmas Tree Ornaments from. Well this is no exception. What we have hear is a film that is so predictable that there is ZERO suspense.
Now I love "The Nutcracker". Its always a great ballet to watch. Even the worse amateur productions have more merit than this terrible film!
In this film A rising ballet star is ready to take the stage in her dream role when she receives the shocking news that her sister has died. Years later, she has vowed never to dance again, but a chance encounter with an old flame may change her mind.
Now what happens in the first 10 minutes gets mirrored in the last 10 minutes.
A better film could have been made with a same general outline. What it needed someone who could have made this less predictable.
If you want to watch go ahead I can't stop you. Keep in mind you have seen this same story points echoed throughout the years in better films!
Hallmark seems to make Christmas movies that they can make Christmas Tree Ornaments from. Well this is no exception. What we have hear is a film that is so predictable that there is ZERO suspense.
Now I love "The Nutcracker". Its always a great ballet to watch. Even the worse amateur productions have more merit than this terrible film!
In this film A rising ballet star is ready to take the stage in her dream role when she receives the shocking news that her sister has died. Years later, she has vowed never to dance again, but a chance encounter with an old flame may change her mind.
Now what happens in the first 10 minutes gets mirrored in the last 10 minutes.
A better film could have been made with a same general outline. What it needed someone who could have made this less predictable.
If you want to watch go ahead I can't stop you. Keep in mind you have seen this same story points echoed throughout the years in better films!
Hardly features The Nutcracker
HotToastyRag10 December 2020
I was very excited to watch Hallmark's A Nutcracker Christmas, because it starred the fantastic dancer Sascha Radetsky. Since I've seen Center Stage dozens of times, I was looking forward to seeing more of his talent in The Nutcracker. Viewers beware: not only does the movie not showcase his dancing, but there's hardly any dancing in the entire movie! In fact, there's a heartbreaking scene where Sascha tries to dance in a private studio room, but after a few mere seconds, he winces and clutches his knee. I just can't think of him as being over-the-hill, so I'll stick with Center Stage.
The actual plot of this movie is a young woman, Amy Acker, who hasn't danced in years. Her niece gets cast as Clara in a local production of The Nutcracker, and Amy happily watches from the sidelines. But where's the conflict? Do you think the Sugar Plum Fairy might have an accident, and that everyone might beg Amy to step in? As Sascha says in the preview, "If you don't dance the Sugar Plum Fairy, there's no show!" Watch at your own risk and know that very little of the actual ballet is included.
The actual plot of this movie is a young woman, Amy Acker, who hasn't danced in years. Her niece gets cast as Clara in a local production of The Nutcracker, and Amy happily watches from the sidelines. But where's the conflict? Do you think the Sugar Plum Fairy might have an accident, and that everyone might beg Amy to step in? As Sascha says in the preview, "If you don't dance the Sugar Plum Fairy, there's no show!" Watch at your own risk and know that very little of the actual ballet is included.
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