Unlike some of the reviews here, I liked this Lifetime Christmas movie. The story and dialogue were a bit cheesy and unoriginal, but the film engaged me; i.e., it pulled me in from the start. The script draws heavily from the plots of two classic romance movies: The Holiday and You've Got Mail (though it is thru their mobile phones instead of desktop computers). The story centers on Molly Cooper (played by Laura Vandervoort), who recently lost her job at the local newspaper. As a fan of British-based romance novels, which she enjoyed reading with her late grandmother, Molly sets out to find her true love (a dashing British prince) and (potentially) a new job by swapping her farmhouse (in a quiet, small-town) with Patrick Kensington's luxurious London apartment (played by Rainbow Sun Francks), who has also decided to make some lifestyle changes. If you have seen The Holiday and You've Got Mail, then you can figure out the rest. If you are looking for depth, this movie is not for you. The story is fun and cute, and though the dialogue isn't very deep, I did find myself laughing a bit throughout the film. What made this work for me was the acting. Vandervoort was great. She had this sort of sweet and determined vibe to her performance, which I enjoyed watching on screen. I was a fan of the TV series Bitten, so that helped, I suspect. Though I wasn't as impressed with Francks's performance, he did eventually grow on me as the movie progressed. The supporting cast was excellent. Gilmore Girl fans will no doubt be happy to see Yanic Truesdale (as Andy) in this one. He and Martin Roach (as Jim) were fun to watch. Rachael Crawford too had a very 'drama' like performance as Jules the novelist. The movie does instill some Christmas spirit and festive cheer; the music was pretty good too. All in all, it is not in the same league as The Holiday or You've Got Mail, but for a made-for-TV Christmas movie, it is pretty good, nonetheless. Simply put: it is fun, cute, and engaging.
22 Reviews
You've got festive mail
TheLittleSongbird23 April 2022
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 'A Christmas Exchange' 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 when one takes the circumstances into account, though a better standard than 2019's generally. 'A Christmas Exchange' managed to be one of the high middle ones once it settled fully, despite there being a medium sized gap where there was some uncertainty of whether to continue or not. While there is not much exceptional here, much of me is glad of sticking with it.
'A Christmas Exchange' has faults. It does start on the slow side story-wise and the dialogue is somewhat cheesy to begin with. The photography could have done with more polish, the film is occasionally a little cheap.
Did feel that a few aspects felt rushed. Especially the out of the blue and too neat ending and even the whole final quarter. Really do wish that the central relationship was developed more and wasn't so underused, with too little face to face interaction that added to the rushed feeling of the ending and such a drastic decision made after too short a time.
Much is done well though. It is worth seeing for primarily the effervescent performance of Laura Vandervoort, who really brightens up the screen and makes her character likeable. Sun Francks also has the likeability and charm factor once he settles and relaxes, he looks comfortable after the first quarter (where he was a little uptight) and doesn't take any flaws with his character to extremes. Do wish that there was more of them together but they charm when they are. Yanic Truesdale is amusing in his role.
Furthermore, a great job is done with the Christmas atmosphere, where it does feel like Christmas and in an affectionate way. Some lovely Christmas touches and there are some very sweet, but not sickly, scenes. Was not crazy about the script early on, but it did have a nice mix of funny and poignant lines. The story may be thin but has a warm heart and charm and doesn't take itself too seriously. The scenery is typically lovely and the music is overdone in tone or placement.
In summary, decent but not great and inconsistent. 6/10.
Lifetime's 2020 Christmas film batch, like all their previous years, was pretty hit and miss which was not unexpected when one takes the circumstances into account, though a better standard than 2019's generally. 'A Christmas Exchange' managed to be one of the high middle ones once it settled fully, despite there being a medium sized gap where there was some uncertainty of whether to continue or not. While there is not much exceptional here, much of me is glad of sticking with it.
'A Christmas Exchange' has faults. It does start on the slow side story-wise and the dialogue is somewhat cheesy to begin with. The photography could have done with more polish, the film is occasionally a little cheap.
Did feel that a few aspects felt rushed. Especially the out of the blue and too neat ending and even the whole final quarter. Really do wish that the central relationship was developed more and wasn't so underused, with too little face to face interaction that added to the rushed feeling of the ending and such a drastic decision made after too short a time.
Much is done well though. It is worth seeing for primarily the effervescent performance of Laura Vandervoort, who really brightens up the screen and makes her character likeable. Sun Francks also has the likeability and charm factor once he settles and relaxes, he looks comfortable after the first quarter (where he was a little uptight) and doesn't take any flaws with his character to extremes. Do wish that there was more of them together but they charm when they are. Yanic Truesdale is amusing in his role.
Furthermore, a great job is done with the Christmas atmosphere, where it does feel like Christmas and in an affectionate way. Some lovely Christmas touches and there are some very sweet, but not sickly, scenes. Was not crazy about the script early on, but it did have a nice mix of funny and poignant lines. The story may be thin but has a warm heart and charm and doesn't take itself too seriously. The scenery is typically lovely and the music is overdone in tone or placement.
In summary, decent but not great and inconsistent. 6/10.
So, basically The Holiday with low budget.
MIssM1917 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Kind of. Same concept. Strangers change houses, one in the US, the other in London. Patrick wants to write a book and live his life, Molly wants to have a date with and Englishman and work as an editor in a British publishing.
I like the concept, when my excitement died pretty quick. I got bored halfway through it. I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I do appreciate the diversity in the cast, the LGTB+ characters and most of the actors were people of color, so kudos for that.
Look, i've had my share of these movies, but the leads had TWO scenes together, and a few messages between each other and he just mentions her as "the love of his life". There wasn't enough time between them for me to believe that "love". Also, the final moments didn't make much sense? He flew to London, and then back like it was a commute of 10 minutes instead of 7 hours? And besides, he went back to her place? I MEAN?
I did like that they added a post-finale scene so that we could see what they were up to.
I like the concept, when my excitement died pretty quick. I got bored halfway through it. I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I do appreciate the diversity in the cast, the LGTB+ characters and most of the actors were people of color, so kudos for that.
Look, i've had my share of these movies, but the leads had TWO scenes together, and a few messages between each other and he just mentions her as "the love of his life". There wasn't enough time between them for me to believe that "love". Also, the final moments didn't make much sense? He flew to London, and then back like it was a commute of 10 minutes instead of 7 hours? And besides, he went back to her place? I MEAN?
I did like that they added a post-finale scene so that we could see what they were up to.
Hollywood must be indifferent
willraye21 June 2021
About great scripting because a great script guarantees a hit, no matter the budget. If all the scripts were great Hollywood wouldn't think twice about the budget because of all the hits. Maybe Canada forces great scripting because the government is willing to foot the bill and they have a limit. Here is a great script. The actors are great and everything works.
Better acting than most of the genre and funny 'London'!
stratfordrachel12 December 2021
Actually enjoyed this one despite or because of the fact that the Canadian perception of London is very different to the reality. Pubs don't look like that and thank goodness. It looked as if they had thrown together a bar in someone's lounge. I get that it's all budget linked and I didn't hold it against it. Enjoyed the main actor's Idris Elba influenced accent and the fact he was easy on the eye of course didn't hurt.
HOLIDAY FEEL GOOD MOVIE.
larryanderson25 December 2020
Terrible
trashmail-1221912 December 2021
British accents sound Australian, London looks like Glasgow, and no one in England has ever drunk Coffee before and we only eat Fish n Chips. Had the producers only ever seen old British black and white movies from the 50's.
Cute and fun
christmasfilms21 December 2020
I agree with some of the other reviewers: this is a cute and fun Christmas movie. Sure, it is a low budget made-for TV movie. Sure, it draws maybe a bit too much from other films. Sure, it gets the Brits all wrong. But it was entertaining, and I enjoyed it.
Absolute tosh!
elliefromessex12 December 2021
And I thought Dick van Dyck's English accent was bad!!! This lot are dire!!! They even blatantly use film of Glasgow, with a Glasgow Airport bus in the shot, trying to pass it off as London. I'm from Essex, I'm a bit common if truth be told, but the actors put even my accent to shame! Authenticity level 1/10! At least The Holiday was filmed in the right places! I may seem a bit Grinchy, but hey ho, I'll live with it!
Low budget can still be good
Jackbv12320 December 2020
Obviously this movie borrows from the house swap movies, especially The Holiday, and from You've Got Mail. But it's not like most of the other "same old stuff" out there on all the Christmas channels. It's quirky and I don't think it's meant to be taken with a serious attitude.
Molly, played by Laura Vandervoort, is an emotionally messed up woman. He grams just died leaving her at loose ends. One thing she shared with her grams was an obsession with Romance novels. That's taken to an extreme here but it helps add to the quirkiness. Molly is not only hopeless emotionally, but she's also a little bit of a klutz.
Patrick is a rigid as Molly is quirky, but he changes more quickly. Part of that is being dumped by his girlfriend for not paying her enough attention. Rigid Patrick climbs (literally) into Molly's house and is immediately hit by Molly's totally different lifestyle and friends. He finds it endearing.
Laura Vandervoort and Rainbow Sun Francks have great chemistry. Since quirkiness and exaggeration are central to this movie, it's hard to say much about supporting actors. They fit right in.
I wish previews and the synopsis for this movie didn't give so much away, but the lack of viable candidates to match with the two leads makes it pretty obvious who is going to end up with who. Most house swap movies end up with two couples, one in each location.
This movie makes an excellent change of pace from the majority of the Christmas movies running at this time of year, but only if not taken in a serious manner.
Molly, played by Laura Vandervoort, is an emotionally messed up woman. He grams just died leaving her at loose ends. One thing she shared with her grams was an obsession with Romance novels. That's taken to an extreme here but it helps add to the quirkiness. Molly is not only hopeless emotionally, but she's also a little bit of a klutz.
Patrick is a rigid as Molly is quirky, but he changes more quickly. Part of that is being dumped by his girlfriend for not paying her enough attention. Rigid Patrick climbs (literally) into Molly's house and is immediately hit by Molly's totally different lifestyle and friends. He finds it endearing.
Laura Vandervoort and Rainbow Sun Francks have great chemistry. Since quirkiness and exaggeration are central to this movie, it's hard to say much about supporting actors. They fit right in.
I wish previews and the synopsis for this movie didn't give so much away, but the lack of viable candidates to match with the two leads makes it pretty obvious who is going to end up with who. Most house swap movies end up with two couples, one in each location.
This movie makes an excellent change of pace from the majority of the Christmas movies running at this time of year, but only if not taken in a serious manner.
Dire - what happened to 'London"? What were those accents?
Janet161216 December 2021
Predictable, bubbly gum movie. The acting wasn't the greatest and the characters not believable. The actor playing the lead kept forgetting his London accent and kept reverting to Canadian/American, which was hilarious. The lead actress looked like she needed a good meal - yes it's the fashion industry but do they really all starve themselves?
What did it for me were the 'LONDON' scenes. It was a lazy way of attempting to show a great city and its inhabitant. The film I watched was actually called 'Christmas in London', you'd have thought they'd at least make the London scenes authentic.
The pink plastic telephone box was hilarious, as was the very un-UK like shop which had Union Jack's outside - those shopping in London/UK - know where they are and don't need flags everywhere to promote the fact they are a UK sweet shop! The other thing was the lovely London pub - which looked great outside, but inside was a complete contrast NO CHARACTER! The 'pub' had a low bar, no pumps, no glasses, and looked way too sterile, no character OR HISTORY at all - just the plain, boring counter of a restaurant. Whoever did the research, or thought they could pass off these ridiculous scenes as London, needs sacking. As for the barman saying 'oh my stars'!!!
As for the 'London' scenes being shot in Scotland, (1) why and (2) they certainly didn't look Scots either.
What did it for me were the 'LONDON' scenes. It was a lazy way of attempting to show a great city and its inhabitant. The film I watched was actually called 'Christmas in London', you'd have thought they'd at least make the London scenes authentic.
The pink plastic telephone box was hilarious, as was the very un-UK like shop which had Union Jack's outside - those shopping in London/UK - know where they are and don't need flags everywhere to promote the fact they are a UK sweet shop! The other thing was the lovely London pub - which looked great outside, but inside was a complete contrast NO CHARACTER! The 'pub' had a low bar, no pumps, no glasses, and looked way too sterile, no character OR HISTORY at all - just the plain, boring counter of a restaurant. Whoever did the research, or thought they could pass off these ridiculous scenes as London, needs sacking. As for the barman saying 'oh my stars'!!!
As for the 'London' scenes being shot in Scotland, (1) why and (2) they certainly didn't look Scots either.
Pure agony
garzamom29 December 2020
Giving me all the feels!
pollyebeel28 January 2021
Unfair exchange is daylight robbery
frukuk18 December 2020
(Broadcast in the UK as "Christmas in London".)
Cor blimey guv'nor, where did they get those accents from? Have they been watching too much Towie (The Only Way Is Essex)? Their accents are completely Pete Tong.
Perhaps this might have worked with a much bigger budget -- so they could actually film in London -- and a very much tighter script, but this meandering effort is really not worth your time. I gave it 45 minutes, but that was much more than it deserves. A very un-fine romance.
Cor blimey guv'nor, where did they get those accents from? Have they been watching too much Towie (The Only Way Is Essex)? Their accents are completely Pete Tong.
Perhaps this might have worked with a much bigger budget -- so they could actually film in London -- and a very much tighter script, but this meandering effort is really not worth your time. I gave it 45 minutes, but that was much more than it deserves. A very un-fine romance.
Mood
kejjr-2708029 December 2020
I must be in a sappy mood because I really liked this as a Christmas movie. Yeah, they always end up together. But I think it was a good Christmas production, nice scenery, good characters, even if predictable and unrealistic.
More body weight on the actress Or believable plot
defaithgirl24 December 2020
I love the movie the writing good however can you please please please use actresses that I have a little bit more weight on them. It's hard to watch a movie with someone that looks like they have a eating problem no. I mean no disrespect whatsoever it's just that when somebody is super super skinny little ill and it's hard to get into the plot of the movie. The actress was extremely pretty just need a little bit more weight on her body to make the movie believable.
So totally poor - nobody should waste ANY time on it. Do not watch, go for a walk
iranu-7419519 December 2020
What on Earth did they think they were doing? This is what you get if you have little money, no idea, no care, no script, no energy, no talent. This was an impossibly apalling film with zero redeeming features. It is very rare thing when EVERYTHING is rubbish. Lets get the obvious out of the way: the Male Lead could not act, period. The supporting cast were just furniture. The sets were Rooms on a Lot. All the "pretty" women must have had an eating disorder as they were skeletal in nature and just moving shadows. All the UK actors were partially asleep. All the US actors just did not care anymore.
I would say the Lighting Cameraman did OK, shots were framed fine, sort of. Finally, the script: DID NOT REALLY EXIST. There was no conversation of any value between any character - it was just random words from a printer. Ridiculous.
Then there's the insulting levels of cheapness...this film turned into a forensic investigation for me. I'm Anglo-French but have spent plenty of time in the USA, so I looked and looked for any hint that anyone was actually shot in the UK or the USA, at all, even for a second. They were not. I believe everything you see is on a lot in Canada. So, everything you see though plastic windows is green screen (maybe just paper posters - they would not pay for green screen) Everyone and Everything is in a Commercial Barn.Once you realise that everything is Sheetrock, paper, and paint, the sadness doubles. One scene involved coming through airport immigration when you realise it was some glass doors and some extras, in a barn, in Canada.
The script was so underwritten, that the cast often just "did something" to fill time. The "English Accent" Actors were totally lazy and borderline stupid- it's surprising that they even got dressed for their day's shooting.
A bunch of people, apparently with some skills, turn up in a barn with some money. They then proceed to slowly melt into a cartoon of themselves. The resut is edited- and then someone has the flat-faced nerve to actually broadcast this utter garbage. It wasn't even "funny because it was bad". An insult to any audience.
A bunch of people, apparently with some skills, turn up in a barn with some money. They then proceed to slowly melt into a cartoon of themselves. The resut is edited- and then someone has the flat-faced nerve to actually broadcast this utter garbage. It wasn't even "funny because it was bad". An insult to any audience.
One of the best if 2020
voxxrocks8 January 2021
I'm a lover of all things Christmas and that includes Christmas movies. I watch as many as I possibly can every year. Because of the pandemic, I started watching in October and this was the last movie I had taped. What a pleasant surprise! This is a fun, building love story. No animosity between the protagonists, just a good old fashioned love story with Christmas as a backdrop. Molly and Patrick are both longing for a new life and find it by swapping homes for Christmas. After texting and emailing for days, they start falling in love. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and am adding it to my favorites list.
Where was the tension.
dstump-0070731 December 2020
I though the acting was ok. Laura Vandervoot was decent like she was in V, Botten, and Smallville....not great but decent. What was missing was a plot. Did I miss something? Why did Patrick even lie about who he was? I though I had fallen asleep snd missed the part where we learned that they were enemies, rivals, related or some other reason why he felt compelled to lie about him being Patrick. No. They exchanged properties for the holidays. They exchanged emails. Got to know one another snd then met. That's it. The dog was very good in the show considering that he went hours upon hours without Patrick ever taking him out. I guess he went on the script and that was the issue.
One of the best Christmas movies of 2020
Pete-Claus24 December 2020
I really enjoyed this Lifetime Christmas movie. It was engaging, lighthearted, and entertaining. It kept moving, and it made an improbable plot believable. I cannot understand the overall 5+ rating. For me this was one of the best Christmas movies of 2020.
Could have been good!
adamjohns-4257511 November 2022
Christmas In London/A Christmas Exchange (2020) -
The closest this film got to London was a jar of Hartley's Jam snuck in to a shot of a sweet shop. It was absolutely the fakest London I've ever seen and that includes the one shown in the 'Austin Powers' films.
And the British accents were all over the place and I don't just mean that they were a collection of various local dialects, but some of the actors couldn't work out whether they were from one end of the country or the other in just one sentence, Jules Blossoms being the worst offender of them all.
And some of the actors were way over the top, which wasn't the only thing that made them awful to watch.
It was like watching yet another version of 'The Holiday' again. I really enjoyed 'Trading Christmas' (2009?) and of course 'The Holiday' (2006), but this was so poorly made that it just couldn't get away with being such an obvious rip off.
Because it all moved too fast as well, before I knew it days had passed and whole chunks were missed out. I felt like I'd skipped out on whole conversations between the two leads.
And so much of it just didn't make sense, all the connections were absent, friendships formed and developed without showing how and there was too much information that just wasn't provided. Perhaps the original novel delivers it better, which wouldn't be hard.
I couldn't buy the connection between the leads or how Molly and Patrick got to know each other so quickly, because frankly I've had more interaction with people on eBay.
The addition of Molly's back story was totally unnecessary too, adding an extra dimension about her parents that was too much for such a short film, where it should have been focussed on their relationship. It felt like they'd taken the book and cut out all of the wrong bits, leaving in the side stories that were really quite irrelevant, which was a shame, because given another half an hour, a decent budget, some better actors and an actual trip to the U. K. the concept could have been very sweet.
I also didn't exactly feel that Rainbow Sun Francks was much of a leading man, but he did somehow just about work. If he'd had better direction and a clearer script, he would have been just fine, but I know that there are others out there who could have shined in the role regardless. I suppose that Laura Vandervoort was okay too, it was just that her character was a bit wet and annoying.
The constant soundtrack in the background was off putting too. There needed to be some moments with silence to give more balance.
I did like the final scene and not just because it meant that the film was ending, but because it seemed to be how the rest of the film should have been made. Even then I couldn't understand why she bothered to put her coat and hat on, leaving him in the snow waiting. It was all of those little details that were wrong with it. They just didn't bother with the polish or the thoughtful elements that do make a difference in this genre.
There were so many moments that made me want to turn it off, yet for some stupid reason I kept going. I will not be making that mistake again though.
3/10.
The closest this film got to London was a jar of Hartley's Jam snuck in to a shot of a sweet shop. It was absolutely the fakest London I've ever seen and that includes the one shown in the 'Austin Powers' films.
And the British accents were all over the place and I don't just mean that they were a collection of various local dialects, but some of the actors couldn't work out whether they were from one end of the country or the other in just one sentence, Jules Blossoms being the worst offender of them all.
And some of the actors were way over the top, which wasn't the only thing that made them awful to watch.
It was like watching yet another version of 'The Holiday' again. I really enjoyed 'Trading Christmas' (2009?) and of course 'The Holiday' (2006), but this was so poorly made that it just couldn't get away with being such an obvious rip off.
Because it all moved too fast as well, before I knew it days had passed and whole chunks were missed out. I felt like I'd skipped out on whole conversations between the two leads.
And so much of it just didn't make sense, all the connections were absent, friendships formed and developed without showing how and there was too much information that just wasn't provided. Perhaps the original novel delivers it better, which wouldn't be hard.
I couldn't buy the connection between the leads or how Molly and Patrick got to know each other so quickly, because frankly I've had more interaction with people on eBay.
The addition of Molly's back story was totally unnecessary too, adding an extra dimension about her parents that was too much for such a short film, where it should have been focussed on their relationship. It felt like they'd taken the book and cut out all of the wrong bits, leaving in the side stories that were really quite irrelevant, which was a shame, because given another half an hour, a decent budget, some better actors and an actual trip to the U. K. the concept could have been very sweet.
I also didn't exactly feel that Rainbow Sun Francks was much of a leading man, but he did somehow just about work. If he'd had better direction and a clearer script, he would have been just fine, but I know that there are others out there who could have shined in the role regardless. I suppose that Laura Vandervoort was okay too, it was just that her character was a bit wet and annoying.
The constant soundtrack in the background was off putting too. There needed to be some moments with silence to give more balance.
I did like the final scene and not just because it meant that the film was ending, but because it seemed to be how the rest of the film should have been made. Even then I couldn't understand why she bothered to put her coat and hat on, leaving him in the snow waiting. It was all of those little details that were wrong with it. They just didn't bother with the polish or the thoughtful elements that do make a difference in this genre.
There were so many moments that made me want to turn it off, yet for some stupid reason I kept going. I will not be making that mistake again though.
3/10.
ONE OF THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES!!!
susanmnorth18 December 2020
There is a lot to love about this movie!!! With so many Christmas movies having similar themes and 'feels', this one stands out! The leads and the supporting actors are all fabulous!! The story is fun, funny, smart and heartwarming and in the hands of the very talented cast it is a must see. Bravo!
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