Unlike some of the reviews on here, I enjoyed this Christmas movie. I thought it was quite cute. The story centers around the conversation/dialogue between the two leads as opposed to the events in the story (or any sub-plots), which I found to be a bit refreshing, though I suspect this is not for everyone. However, I was not a fan of the Santa element in the movie, as it seemed a bit too much, I thought. That said, I thought the script - the dialogue between the two leads - was pretty good, well written. It was cute and, on occasions, it made me laugh a little. For example, the scene at the Aunt's house, early on in the movie, where the Aunt says: 'Besides, my nephew is better looking than that man, isn't he?' Then there is this long awkward pause before she (Harper) says: 'Your nephew is plenty good looking'. I had a bit of a laugh here. The changing scene was also fun and cute. The leads, Stephen Huszar as Luke and Jessica Sipos as Harper, I thought, had strong performances. The chemistry between the two worked well on screen, at least, that is how I experienced it. And again, the script allowed them to develop this thru-out. The supporting cast had a fairly good performance as well. Overall, it is a nice addition to UPtv's original Christmas movie lineup this year.
15 Reviews
Not as bad as some
jrbusiness-6449920 November 2020
Meh
Jackbv12316 November 2020
The movie gets off to a horrible start. The acting of almost everyone involved seems like the actors are trying too hard to deliver their lines. The dialogue is a combination of bland and stupid. The whole thing feels like hearing fingernails on a chalk board.
Either the acting got better or I got immune to it, because I stuck with it and I stopped noticing these problems.
The story is mostly predictable. The leads, Harper and Luke are thrown together for almost all of the screen time by a quest to find "magic mistletoe" from Harper's family's legend. Harper is pretty much a grinch, and not at all likeable for the early part of the movie. Being a "scientist" she doesn't believe in magic. It was unconvincing to me why she would spend so much effort for the mistletoe when she hates Christmas. Meanwhile Luke loves it. So you'll never guess what happens with Harper and Luke. OK, yes you will. The story has no great highs or lows, or surprises. Other than the lost mistletoe, and Harper's current absentee boyfriend, there is no tension. The conflict before the climax is even weak.
Jessica Sipos and Stephen Huszar, who as leads, dominate the story despite this website's cast listing showing them way down the list and it lists minor players as the stars. These two leads begin to generate some chemistry fairly late in the movie. Sipos' Harper isn't just uninterested at first, but she is rude and arrogant with Luke. Of course this changes, but I thought it was put off too late into the movie.
There are efforts at humor through exaggeration and silliness which fell flat for me. I did like a musical montage with Sipos trying on different outfits, including some Christmas theme costumes, mostly because she was dancing to the background music in a flirty way.
Either the acting got better or I got immune to it, because I stuck with it and I stopped noticing these problems.
The story is mostly predictable. The leads, Harper and Luke are thrown together for almost all of the screen time by a quest to find "magic mistletoe" from Harper's family's legend. Harper is pretty much a grinch, and not at all likeable for the early part of the movie. Being a "scientist" she doesn't believe in magic. It was unconvincing to me why she would spend so much effort for the mistletoe when she hates Christmas. Meanwhile Luke loves it. So you'll never guess what happens with Harper and Luke. OK, yes you will. The story has no great highs or lows, or surprises. Other than the lost mistletoe, and Harper's current absentee boyfriend, there is no tension. The conflict before the climax is even weak.
Jessica Sipos and Stephen Huszar, who as leads, dominate the story despite this website's cast listing showing them way down the list and it lists minor players as the stars. These two leads begin to generate some chemistry fairly late in the movie. Sipos' Harper isn't just uninterested at first, but she is rude and arrogant with Luke. Of course this changes, but I thought it was put off too late into the movie.
There are efforts at humor through exaggeration and silliness which fell flat for me. I did like a musical montage with Sipos trying on different outfits, including some Christmas theme costumes, mostly because she was dancing to the background music in a flirty way.
Could have done with more magic
TheLittleSongbird12 October 2021
Christmas films can go either way, which has been my experience watching overtime the festive output of Lifetime, Hallmark and UPTV. 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 'Mistletoe Magic' did have the sort of premise where the execution could have gone either way.
'Mistletoe Magic' does have elements of both camps, but actually is not too bad a film. While it is an example of a film that starts off badly and makes one unsure whether to continue, it did for me thankfully get a lot better and turned out to be a moderately decent film. Was not expecting a classic and didn't get that, but did expect in a way an at least average film that didn't have me wrenching my hair and teeth out. Luckily that was the case here with 'Mistletoe Magic'. Not an essential, but there is nothing massively offensive about it either at the same time.
As said, the film does start off very badly. It takes a while to get started and one also has to sit through painfully awkward dialogue, bad acting from the supporting cast and not really investing in any character. The story is very predictable, due to nothing new being done with familiar tropes.
The supporting acting is not always great (leaning towards the over-compensating type), especially that for agreed the boyfriend and the best friend. Very annoying "negative characteristics taken to extremes" characters that are overacted, particularly in the case of the latter.
Luckily, 'Mistletoe Magic' does get better in pretty much every way. Jessica Sipos and Stephen Huszar are immensely engaging in the lead roles, their characters are easy to like, believably developed without being complex and their chemistry is very genuine and always at ease. The relationship also plays a big part in the film and doesn't feel overused or underused, doesn't feel like it goes nowhere most of the time and then has a development just like that and rushes that and basically it develops at just about the right pace. Once the film gets going, the characters are more interesting and the acting generally improve excepting for the boyfriend and the best friend.
Furthermore, 'Mistletoe Magic' pleases visually in particularly the scenery. The music doesn't come over as intrusive, overused or drab, while not enhancing anything it doesn't distract from anything either and there is a sense of occasion. The script does flow a lot better later and doesn't get over cheesy or too schmaltzy. The story is predictable but also has a good deal of charm and light-heartedness, leaving me with a warm glow. The ending is not as easily prematurely telegraphed as it tends to be.
In summary, the early portions are a turn off but improves drastically. Not great but not dreadful on the whole either. 6/10.
'Mistletoe Magic' does have elements of both camps, but actually is not too bad a film. While it is an example of a film that starts off badly and makes one unsure whether to continue, it did for me thankfully get a lot better and turned out to be a moderately decent film. Was not expecting a classic and didn't get that, but did expect in a way an at least average film that didn't have me wrenching my hair and teeth out. Luckily that was the case here with 'Mistletoe Magic'. Not an essential, but there is nothing massively offensive about it either at the same time.
As said, the film does start off very badly. It takes a while to get started and one also has to sit through painfully awkward dialogue, bad acting from the supporting cast and not really investing in any character. The story is very predictable, due to nothing new being done with familiar tropes.
The supporting acting is not always great (leaning towards the over-compensating type), especially that for agreed the boyfriend and the best friend. Very annoying "negative characteristics taken to extremes" characters that are overacted, particularly in the case of the latter.
Luckily, 'Mistletoe Magic' does get better in pretty much every way. Jessica Sipos and Stephen Huszar are immensely engaging in the lead roles, their characters are easy to like, believably developed without being complex and their chemistry is very genuine and always at ease. The relationship also plays a big part in the film and doesn't feel overused or underused, doesn't feel like it goes nowhere most of the time and then has a development just like that and rushes that and basically it develops at just about the right pace. Once the film gets going, the characters are more interesting and the acting generally improve excepting for the boyfriend and the best friend.
Furthermore, 'Mistletoe Magic' pleases visually in particularly the scenery. The music doesn't come over as intrusive, overused or drab, while not enhancing anything it doesn't distract from anything either and there is a sense of occasion. The script does flow a lot better later and doesn't get over cheesy or too schmaltzy. The story is predictable but also has a good deal of charm and light-heartedness, leaving me with a warm glow. The ending is not as easily prematurely telegraphed as it tends to be.
In summary, the early portions are a turn off but improves drastically. Not great but not dreadful on the whole either. 6/10.
Enjoyable enough
MickyG33323 December 2023
7.4 stars.
I really like the two leading actors, but if not for the casting of them and some of the other members, this would be a flop. I've seen other Christmas films similar to this, seemingly a big production, intended to be special and original. This is different in some ways to impact the audience so we feel the film is an instant classic, so we will return to it every year. This one falls short of that classification due to several problems. The editing is not great, the cuts and segues from different shots and angles and scenes is clumsy, and at times doesn't flow. The music is good, but lacking in quantity. I don't mind the quiet scenes without music, but the timing was a bit off for me. I reiterate that I really like the lead actors, she is absolutely one of the most beautiful women in all of Hollywood, I'm not talking about Hallmark and Great American Family movies, I'm talking about ALL of Hollywood. She has the perfect everything, facial symmetry, smile, eyes, hair, curves, everything is just right, and she can act to boot. Alas, even her performance and great charisma cannot elevate 'Mistletoe Magic' beyond a 7.4. I couldn't rightfully give it a 7.5, for that would mean it must be rounded up to 8, and this is not an 8. I can't in good conscious award it something based upon my obvious crush on the lead actress, it wouldn't be pertinent or consistent with my rating system. The entertainment is lacking, although I enjoyed it enough to say it's above average, almost good, but not great. "Good" rating for me is 7.5-7.9, Great is 8.0-8.4, Fantastic is 8.5-8.9, and Heavenly, or out of this world is anything 9.0 or higher. This is just above average/almost good 7.0-7.4.
I really like the two leading actors, but if not for the casting of them and some of the other members, this would be a flop. I've seen other Christmas films similar to this, seemingly a big production, intended to be special and original. This is different in some ways to impact the audience so we feel the film is an instant classic, so we will return to it every year. This one falls short of that classification due to several problems. The editing is not great, the cuts and segues from different shots and angles and scenes is clumsy, and at times doesn't flow. The music is good, but lacking in quantity. I don't mind the quiet scenes without music, but the timing was a bit off for me. I reiterate that I really like the lead actors, she is absolutely one of the most beautiful women in all of Hollywood, I'm not talking about Hallmark and Great American Family movies, I'm talking about ALL of Hollywood. She has the perfect everything, facial symmetry, smile, eyes, hair, curves, everything is just right, and she can act to boot. Alas, even her performance and great charisma cannot elevate 'Mistletoe Magic' beyond a 7.4. I couldn't rightfully give it a 7.5, for that would mean it must be rounded up to 8, and this is not an 8. I can't in good conscious award it something based upon my obvious crush on the lead actress, it wouldn't be pertinent or consistent with my rating system. The entertainment is lacking, although I enjoyed it enough to say it's above average, almost good, but not great. "Good" rating for me is 7.5-7.9, Great is 8.0-8.4, Fantastic is 8.5-8.9, and Heavenly, or out of this world is anything 9.0 or higher. This is just above average/almost good 7.0-7.4.
Another Negative Happiest Time Of The Year Movie
tesswysko28 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I have a steadfast rule, if after the 1st 20 minutes of a movie I'm miserable, and the degree is gaining exponentially, then there's NO reason to torture myself, ESPECIALLY around my favorite holiday! If ever there were a checklist of things that Christmas or romance movies in general to wrong, this movie would check then all! Main character a Grinch. Her family's obsessed with Christmas. Her best friend is off her meds and on too much sugar. She's been too long in a relationship with a guy who doesn't care about anyone other than his own reflection. Family has a goofy off the wall Christmas tradition/heirloom that the world would end if if was lost. Aaaannnnddd through her negligence, if got lost while in her custody! I'm CERTAIN, had I tortured myself further, I would have found: 1. they eventually find said item and after it almost leads her to suicide, it DOES 2. leads her to a really best guy and by some twist of sanity, 3. In the2-3 days they know each other, he proposes, 4. She gets the promotion instead of her ex- which was why he was keeping her away from work before! Yeah, the whole thing is a setup, and painful to watch! I'm gonna bounce!
Far Above Average
rickhickman18 January 2021
This movie avoided the usual, corny Hallmark trademarks. There was no "whipped cream" on the nose scene nor any Christmas cookie baking flour throwing scene. There was plenty of witty dialogue. Jessica Sipos is always natural and always solid. I thought that Alys Crocker was a real find and a hoot.
Celebrates all the wrong things
sub780lime2 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This movie really does celebrate all the wrong things. The male lead wasn't worth anything until he lost 50 pounds, gave up comic books, and started playing water polo. That's the only way he could be attractive to anyone according to this movie. The female lead finds the male lead more attractive every time she finds out something materialistic about him. It's not when she finds out he has a chain of charity thrift stores that she wants to jump him, but when she learns he used to be a lawyer. They also have her flirt to get what she wants (mistletoe) with the bouncer, making things even more superficial. You can add on that the bartender finally was willing to give up the mistletoe only after he learned that the female lead was the famous meteorologist he liked to watch (and, apparently creepily stalks in meteorologist message boards). Oh, we haven't even talked about the female leads neighbor friend that is made to be over the top quarky with the intention of that somehow making her unattractive. She's really the one that should have gotten together with the male lead...the female lead displays no redeeming qualities through most of the movie.
Surprisingly good!
rebekahrox29 November 2020
Boy, was this one cute! Great comedic acting, funny original script, and excellent chemistry between the two leads. Cute and appealing as Harper, the cynical Christmas hating meteorologist whose quest to find her family's magic mistletoe eventually melts her cynicism and Christmas hatred, Jessica Sisbo should be a hallmark regular. Her partner in crime is the owner of a Christmas Thrift store who used to be a chubby nerdy schoolmate of Harper, one of the popular kids. Huszar is excellent in this one, as is not always the case. He has never been one of my favorites, but his comedy and chemistry with Jessica is really special. The only two downsides are the actors who play Harper's bad boyfriend and her super annoying best friend. The director really needed to take her in hand. She was awful. Really over the top. As for the actor who played Brad, this is the second time I have seen him play the bad boyfriend of an appealing attractive lead. Maybe it's just me but I find him very icky. Even though that's kind of the point, He is miscast as a credible heartbreaker.
Anyway this one was a pleasant surprise and a real treat. And I especially loved the surprising little twist at the end. Well Done!
Anyway this one was a pleasant surprise and a real treat. And I especially loved the surprising little twist at the end. Well Done!
Highly disappointed
ISmellSnow17 November 2020
I want to start off by saying that I couldn't even finish this movie. I already know how it'll end so what's the point? I'm a lover of the "cheesy" Hallmark movies and also a fan of Jessica from Chesapeake Shores but this movie fell flat. It's just very bad acting and a weak storyline. Very disappointed. I'll stick to Hallmark.
I guess I blame the director
weniwuna6 January 2022
I watch a lot of Hallmark movies, as well as movies on the UP TV channel, which are very much the same. Even though most of the time they are predictable, when I'm not in the best of moods or I just want to relax and not think too much, they still make me smile. However as much as I usually enjoy them, here I had one major problem - The two leads were quite believable in their roles, but all of the other minor characters were so over-the-top it was like their bodies were on helium. The super annoying neighbor, the aunt, the sister, the lovebirds at the Christmas tree shop, etc. It was like bad acting 101. There was nothing believable the way they interpreted the script and I don't understand why the Director didn't pause and ask them to re-read their lines as though they were honestly happy or honestly in love, and not playing a caricature. I really have never seen one of these similar movies that was so painful to watch the cartoon going on. But like I said, the lead characters were very good, and the storyline kept me watching. I was split down the middle so I gave it five stars.
A very depressive heroine
HotToastyRag5 December 2023
I was excited to see two stars of Chesapeake Shores team up in a Hallmark Christmas flick: Jessica Sipos and Stephen Huszar. The story is a bit thin: she's on a quest to find a magical Christmas bunch of mistletoe that belonged to her family, and she recruits him to help her. Still, since it's Christmas, we all make exceptions for silly plots and just enjoy the positive energy. Unless, there is none. . .
Jessica might be the most depressive Hallmark heroine I've seen. Her energy sucks everyone, including the viewers, down with her, although Stephen gives a valiant effort to buoy himself up. Her incredibly annoying sidekick also tries, but her efforts come off as spastic and mentally off.
They're supposed to be in a huge hurry to find the mistletoe and make it to her parents' house for dinner, and yet they saunter around town remarkably slowly and take breaks in their quest. They drink tea, bake cookies together, shop for presents, and take time out for a fashion show. How much of a hurry are they in? Seriously, folks. Jessica actually models different outfits for Stephen, prances around and dances. Personally, I felt the segment was a little inappropriate for the usual Hallmark fare. She flirted shamelessly and even wiggled her behind while making "cute" faces.
If the mistletoe is that important, why wouldn't they get to the mall as soon as it opens and be the first in line to speak with Santa? Instead, they stroll around at a leisurely pace, stand in line when the Santa stand has obviously been open for a while, then complain about what a long day it's been. It makes no sense. Not only is the plot full of holes and the screenplay irritating and repetitive, but the leading lady is just impossible to root for. She makes you wonder what Hallmark was thinking when it offered her a contract. She's incredibly insincere, with the one exception being when she thinks she's adorable.
I'm also surprised at the part of the script that talks about Stephen's character. He's given two traits: he used to be overweight, and he's a lawyer. It's supposed to be a huge shock that he'd traded fifty pounds of fat for muscle, and as soon as Jessica finds out, she starts looking at him with a twinkle in her eye. Doesn't that make her character shallow? And before she finds out he's earned his law degree, she makes fun of him for owning a thrift shop; afterwards, she accuses him of doing the exact same thing to her. In essence, two traits that show positive things about his character are only used to make her look bad. What an unsatisfying role for Stephen.
Jessica might be the most depressive Hallmark heroine I've seen. Her energy sucks everyone, including the viewers, down with her, although Stephen gives a valiant effort to buoy himself up. Her incredibly annoying sidekick also tries, but her efforts come off as spastic and mentally off.
They're supposed to be in a huge hurry to find the mistletoe and make it to her parents' house for dinner, and yet they saunter around town remarkably slowly and take breaks in their quest. They drink tea, bake cookies together, shop for presents, and take time out for a fashion show. How much of a hurry are they in? Seriously, folks. Jessica actually models different outfits for Stephen, prances around and dances. Personally, I felt the segment was a little inappropriate for the usual Hallmark fare. She flirted shamelessly and even wiggled her behind while making "cute" faces.
If the mistletoe is that important, why wouldn't they get to the mall as soon as it opens and be the first in line to speak with Santa? Instead, they stroll around at a leisurely pace, stand in line when the Santa stand has obviously been open for a while, then complain about what a long day it's been. It makes no sense. Not only is the plot full of holes and the screenplay irritating and repetitive, but the leading lady is just impossible to root for. She makes you wonder what Hallmark was thinking when it offered her a contract. She's incredibly insincere, with the one exception being when she thinks she's adorable.
I'm also surprised at the part of the script that talks about Stephen's character. He's given two traits: he used to be overweight, and he's a lawyer. It's supposed to be a huge shock that he'd traded fifty pounds of fat for muscle, and as soon as Jessica finds out, she starts looking at him with a twinkle in her eye. Doesn't that make her character shallow? And before she finds out he's earned his law degree, she makes fun of him for owning a thrift shop; afterwards, she accuses him of doing the exact same thing to her. In essence, two traits that show positive things about his character are only used to make her look bad. What an unsatisfying role for Stephen.
Missing magic mistletoe mission made me think of magic mike
marcusml-4293126 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
First off we will start with the obvious. The alliteration. It's everywhere in both this film, and the film we are paralleling it with. Which you may have guessed, is magic mike.
As someone who has NEVER watched the latter, I imagine that the Santa clause component of this film embodies Matthew McConaughey's cowboy strip scene PERFECTLY. The scene where it is revealed that Woody Harrelson is the villan all along shook me to the core. They really kept his appearance well concealed in the cast list as well as in the trailer.
Kudos to the sound designer for the best work I have heard in any film to date. This is another point of parallel between this film and what i propose is it's artistic counterpart, Magic Mike. Both films have not one, but six original holiday themed songs. These are with out a doubt available on iTunes RIGHT NOW!
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk
For a more in depth analysis between the complex and allegedly shared worlds of mistletoe magic and magic mike, watch this video.
As someone who has NEVER watched the latter, I imagine that the Santa clause component of this film embodies Matthew McConaughey's cowboy strip scene PERFECTLY. The scene where it is revealed that Woody Harrelson is the villan all along shook me to the core. They really kept his appearance well concealed in the cast list as well as in the trailer.
Kudos to the sound designer for the best work I have heard in any film to date. This is another point of parallel between this film and what i propose is it's artistic counterpart, Magic Mike. Both films have not one, but six original holiday themed songs. These are with out a doubt available on iTunes RIGHT NOW!
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk
For a more in depth analysis between the complex and allegedly shared worlds of mistletoe magic and magic mike, watch this video.
its a ten for me
sherilcarey24 December 2021
There were several things in this that were really particularly well suited to me as if they had me in mind to include those little elements. But I will say that for anyone and everyone this is pretty high level as made for tv movies Christmas movies go. There is no using the Lord's name in vain, no course language or jokes. I could name quite a few more elements that are so common from hollyweird that are all absent here. It just leave the movie elements to stand on their own. And it gives the audience a break from the lowest common denominator distractions that most writers have used as crutches for decades now. How often do we get to see writers willing to work on their craft in all honesty and without garbage & interference material? I'm glad I watched!!!
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