A Christmas Break | 2020 Christmas Movies

I had hope that the movies released closer to Christmas would be better. It doesn’t seem to be going that way.

Addison (Cindy Sampson) is a middle school principal. Her school is slated to close after the Christmas break. She turns to Dylan Davidson (Steve Byers), an old school friend who is now a somewhat famous actor. Addison convinces Dylan to direct the school’s Christmas play, which they will use as a fundraiser to keep the school open.

Are there school districts that actually close schools in the middle of the school year? My school district has recently closed a couple of their buildings but it was always done after the school year is over. Why would they close it in the middle of the year? That makes no sense to me. And that isn’t the only weak link.

Unlike Olivia in Spotlight on Christmas, Dylan isn’t a super famous actor. As a matter of fact, he’s having trouble landing jobs. So why is his manager (or whatever Garth (Arnold Pinnock) is supposed to be) following him around everywhere? I’m sure he has other clients that are making him more money. The same goes for the paparazzi. I can’t imagine that anyone would be that interested in his love life.

Beyond the troubles with the plot, the acting is also bland. It doesn’t feel like Addison really wants to save her school. Instead of trying a variety of plans, she hinges everything on Dylan directing the school play. Dylan doesn’t even seem all that interested in his own life. When his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Monique (Samantha Helt), shows up, he just kinda lets her walk all over him and the kids. Grow a set, dude.

If you want to watch an actor-comes-home movie, go watch Spotlight on Christmas. It is a much better movie. A Christmas Break isn’t worth your time or attention.

Swept Up By Christmas | 2020 Christmas Movies

Maybe Hallmark Movies & Mysteries mean the movies are a mystery to me. This is one of those movies that sounds fine on paper but is a little confusing in reality.

Gwen (Lindy Booth) is an appraiser for an auction house. When Alan Hawthorne (Vlasta Vrana) decides to sell his house and everything inside, Gwen gets the job to auction it all. She has to work with Reed (Justin Bruening), who owns the company that will clean the house.

While the main story is about Gwen and Reed preparing the house for sale, the side story about Gwen trying to raise enough money to buy the auction house is weird. Her boss, who I assume also owns the business, seems to want to sell it to her but he also wants to accept the highest price tag no matter who is paying. Of course, this sets it up for Alan to sweep in and buy it all for her, which is also weird. I think this might have ended better if Gwen decided to start her own auction house or appraising business instead of relying on either her boss to give in or someone else to foot the bill.

As for the main story, it’s fine. I wasn’t particularly taken by either of the lead characters but I’m sure there are people out there who think they are amazing. They both seemed very bland to me. I would have liked it better if one of them was a little more excited about things. Gwen kept talking about how she loved appraising things but we never really saw that. Reed kept talking about families and traditions but, again, we didn’t see anything like that.

I wouldn’t recommend watching this. Unless you are having trouble falling asleep. You wouldn’t have a difficult time dozing off while this is on.

The Christmas Exchange | 2020 Christmas Movies

Is it a good sign when a Lifetime movie steals the plot of a 2006 theatrically released movie? Because this movie is totally The Holiday on a budget.

Molly (Laura Vandervoort) wants a whirlwind British romance. Patrick (Rainbow Sun Francks) wants to get away from his hectic life in London so he can start writing his book. The two swap their houses for the holiday season. As they continue to communicate via text messages, Molly and Patrick find themselves falling in love.

I liked this movie for the most part. Both Vandervoort and Francks are good actors. My problem mostly lies with Molly’s character. She spends the entire movie fawning over this one romance novel that was turned into a movie. Though some flashbacks, we learn that she has been reading/watching this for over 20 years! Maybe it’s time to move on. Though, of course, this is why she has totally romanticized London and relationships with British men. I mean, one of the items on her to-do list is “a date with an English gentleman.” Seriously?

Adding onto Molly’s immature view of relationships, her grandmother had told her this romantic story of how her parents met. Unfortunately, her parents had passed away so there was no way for her to verify what her grandmother said. When she’s in London, she meets an old friend of her father’s who reveals that her grandmother straight up lied to her. Molly reacts to this….by losing her mind. She locks herself in Patrick’s flat where she cries her eyes out. I don’t understand why she is so invested in the story. It didn’t seem to make her feel closer to them or anything. The story was just romantic.

Even with Molly’s shortcomings, The Christmas Exchange is a pretty good movie. As long as you can overlook her emotional immaturity, you should enjoy this. At least there aren’t any princes involved!

A Carousel Christmas | 2020 Christmas Movies

I guess carousels are now magical. We had a time travel carousel in Christmas Comes Twice. A Carousel Christmas gives us a wish-granting carousel. Everyone needs to be more careful the next time they go to an amusement park!

Lila (Rachel Boston) and her father, Roy (Stuart Hughes), are hired by the royal family of Ancadia to restore a carousel made by Roy’s grandfather. While there, Lila pairs up with the prince, Whitaker (Neal Bledsoe), to plan a Christmas festival to gain support for an arts academy.

Besides the fact that the carousel story is stupid, there is a lot wrong with this movie. The acting is rather terrible, the rest of the plot is boring, and the conflict is dumb. If I was to look for one redeeming quality, it would be the very subtle budding romance between Roy and Heidi (Jennifer Vallance), one of the royal family’s staff members.

Don’t watch A Carousel Christmas. If you’re looking for a royal Christmas movie, there are so many better ones out there. Or, even better, let’s stop romanticizing royal families. They all kinda suck.

Alien XMas | 2020 Christmas Movies

I wasn’t originally going to include Netflix’s Alien XMas since it isn’t a live action movie but it looked cute and it is a 2020 Christmas film. Besides, it’s only 42 minutes long.

A group of aliens called Klepts steal everything they can find. As a result, the aliens and their planet have lost all of their bright colors. When they come upon Earth, they decide to steal all of the stuff Earth has. The supreme leader, Z (Barbara Goodson), sends the smallest alien, X (Dee Bradley Baker), to set up a machine that will reverse the Earth’s gravity, sending all of their stuff into space where the Klepts can gather it. Since the North Pole is the ideal spot for the machine, X lands in Christmastown, where Santa (Keythe Farley) is preparing for his Christmas journey.

Originally, Alien XMas was intended to be a full-length movie but it couldn’t find funding. You can tell that they tried to jam the same amount of information into a shorter running time. The beginning part of the story where Santa is explaining who the Klepts are is very rushed. I think the movie might have been better if they didn’t spend so much time on why the Klepts enjoy stealing or how good they are at stealing.

The best part of the movie, besides the voice acting, is where X was running around Christmastown. As the little alien ran around town, he was stealing whatever he could. The writers pretty much ripped the page right out of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. But, hey, it’s a story you know that kids like. Might as well keep the formula.

Alien XMas is a cute movie. I’m not sure how it would do with older children but I wouldn’t be surprised if younger kids find it entertaining. There’s puppies and elves and aliens. And, like I said, it’s only 42 minutes long. If you have some time to waste, this is a perfectly acceptable way to do it.

The Princess Switch: Switched Again | 2020 Christmas Movies

Since Netflix loves their royal Christmas movies, we got the first sequel to The Princess Switch. Shockingly, it’s called The Princess Switch: Switched Again.

Two years have passed since Stacy (Vanessa Hudgens) and Prince Edward (Sam Palladio) got married. Lady Margaret (also Hudgens) is preparing to ascend to the throne of Montenaro. When Stacy finds out that Margaret and Kevin (Nick Sagar) have broken up, she races to Chicago to try to get them back together. Once everyone gets to Montenaro, Margaret reconnects with Kevin’s daughter, Olivia (Mia Lloyd). After decorating the palace for Christmas, the group meets Margaret’s cousin, Fiona (also Hudgens) at a party. Eventually, Fiona realizes that she can take Margaret’s money by pretending to be Margaret long enough to ascend to the throne herself. Unfortunately, when Fiona put her plan in motion, Stacy and Margaret had already switched places so Margaret could spend time alone with Kevin. Will Margaret get her throne and her boyfriend back? Will Stacy save her marriage to Edward?

I really could have done without the Fiona character. There would have been plenty of conflict with Margaret and Kevin’s relationship possibly putting her ascension to the throne in jeopardy. We didn’t need a third Vanessa Hudgens to confuse everyone more. Not to mention that Fiona brings her two lackeys, Reggie (Ricky Norwood) and Mindy (Florence Hall), with her and they only bring slapstick comedy to the movie. All three of them were completely unnecessary.

Since the writers felt the need to add the whole Fiona storyline, both Margaret and Stacy’s storylines get a little lost. Margaret loves Kevin but feels her royal responsibilities come before her emotions. Instead of trying to find a way to work through them, Stacy steps in to attend one of Margaret’s functions while Margaret goes on one single date with Kevin. Then there is a super rushed wedding at the end. I think it would have been pretty cool to have the ascension and the wedding happen together since the ascension was already happening in a church.

As for Stacy, we get these hints that there is a problem with her marriage to Edward. She has been distant and he has doubts. But we don’t shown a lot of it. Instead, it comes out when Olivia is trying to keep Edward from Stacy so Stacy can be Margaret. Edward already knows that they had switched places before. There was no reason to keep him out of the loop this time. Then he wouldn’t feel like his wife is intentionally avoiding her. Or, even better, Stacy is currently the princess of Belgravia. And it’s public knowledge that Stacy and Margaret had switched places before. Why doesn’t Margaret pretend to be ill for the event and have Stacy and Edward step in as replacements?

Also, we never found out what happened to Stacy’s bakery from the first movie. I think they insinuate that Kevin had taken it over and moved locations but I’m not positive that is what happens. This time, Kevin marries Margaret and we never find out what happens to THAT bakery! Now that Margaret is queen, she obviously can’t go live in Chicago. I guess Chicago is closing bakeries every couple of years.

In the world of Christmas movies, this isn’t the worst. It’s not great but I guess we’re all invested in this world of Netflix royals now. (Yes, Amber and Richard from A Christmas Prince make cameos here too. This time with their baby.) I guess there will be a third one to this series as well. Who do we think is having the baby?

Just Another Christmas | 2020 Christmas Movies

This is the first time I have included an international movie in the annual Christmas reviews. Just Another Christmas (originally titled Tudo Bem No Natal Que Vem) is a Netflix original movie from Brazil. I almost passed on it. I am so glad I didn’t.

Jorge (Leandro Hassum) was born on December 25. As a result, he hates Christmas. After a particularly terrible Christmas with his in-laws, he is cursed by his grandfather-in-law to learn about the true meaning of the holiday. When he wakes up the next morning, an entire year has gone by and it is once again Christmas day. He can’t remember anything that happened during the year, only what happens on Christmas day. Over the next couple of decades of only experiencing Christmas day, Jorge learns how much his family means to him.

When I first turned on Just Another Christmas, I didn’t realize it was a foreign film. Since my list of movies to review this year is so long, I debated skipping it. Instead, I flipped it to the original Portuguese language, popped on the subtitles, and got ready for what I thought was a comedy. It wasn’t supposed to make me cry!

Throughout the movie, we are shown one day - Christmas - for every year of Jorge’s life. Much like Jorge, we don’t know what happens during the year. He has to turn to his wife, Laura (Elisa Pinheiro), to tell him what has gone on in his life and what kind of man he is. Unfortunately, he makes some terrible decisions in the missing time but seeing the results through everyone else’s eyes is heart-wrenching.

I don’t want to give away too much because I really think everyone should watch Just Another Christmas. There are options for Portuguese with English subtitles or English dubbed. It doesn’t matter which way you watch it, as long as you watch it. You’ll definitely want to hug your loved ones afterwards.

A California Christmas | 2020 Christmas Movies

A California Christmas is barely a Christmas movie. It takes place around Christmastime but there are few references to Christmas until the party at the end. But it’s got Christmas in the title and it’s on the Christmas movie list so I watched it.

Joseph (Josh Swickard) is a businessman tasked with talking Callie (Lauren Swickard) into selling the land her family’s dairy farm is on. When he arrives at the ranch, Callie mistakes him for the new ranch hand. While he takes on the farm’s daily tasks, he finds himself falling in love with Callie.

This is not a comedy. No matter what Netflix or IMDb wants to tell you. This is not a comedy. It is a straight up drama, which is fine. Just don’t sell it as a comedy. Especially when Callie’s life is so sad.

Much like Christmas by Starlight, the lead actress, Lauren Swickard, wrote the script. In addition, the two leads are married to each other in real life. This does give their characters a little more chemistry than most Christmas movies but, to be honest, I wasn’t particularly concerned about their relationship. With all of the suffering in Callie’s life, I was more interested in how she was handling all of the emotional trauma.

Normally, this wouldn’t be the type of movie I would watch. However, if you enjoy watching dramatic movies, you might enjoy this. Be warned - there is a lot of death and sadness. Don’t watch it if things like that bother you.

Spotlight on Christmas | 2020 Christmas Movies

We’re getting close to Christmas but there are still so many Christmas movies to get through. I think Lifetime is beating out Hallmark for the sheer number of Christmas movies they are airing this season. Spotlight on Christmas is another one of their offerings.

Olivia O’Hara (Tori Anderson) is a famous Hollywood actress. When her boyfriend, country singer Ryan Wrangler (Matthew James Dowden), breaks up with her right before Christmas, Olivia goes back home to get her life back together.

Usually, when a Christmas movie character is an actress, she’s a stuck up bitch, expecting the world to stop for her. Olivia, however, is a down-to-earth person that just wants to escape the paparazzi. She’s a little heartbroken and needs her family around her.

Early on, she meets Casey (Victor Zinck Jr), a high school classmate that is now teaching at their alma mater. It brings up another interesting twist that we don’t normally see in these movies. The high school needs a drama teacher so the kids can put on their annual Christmas Eve play. Olivia steps up to help the kids. I loved that they gave Olivia something to do beyond hanging out at home or wandering around town.

Spotlight on Christmas was pretty good. You can go ahead and watch this one. Then make sure you grab a chocolate mint milkshake. They sound amazing!

Midnight at the Magnolia | 2020 Christmas Movies

I am stunned. I may have found a good Christmas romance movie. Let’s get into it.

Maggie (Natalie Hall) and Jack (Evan Williams) have been best friends since high school. Now they co-host a relationship radio show. When they get an offer to syndicate their show, they agree to a New Year’s Eve event where they will introduce their significant others to their parents. Things take a turn for the worse when their partners break up with them. They decide to pretend to be a couple in order to continue with the event.

For the first time, I enjoyed a Christmas romance movie. Midnight at the Magnolia on Netflix has a good blend of best-friendship and romance. Since Maggie and Jack have been friends forever, we get to see both their serious and their goofy sides. In the real world, this is how a lot of long-lasting relationships start. As friends.

To be honest, there isn’t much more to the movie. There is little time dedicated to their jobs, which is actually a good thing. The movie isn’t about their jobs or their troubles. It’s about their changing relationship. And Midnight at the Magnolia handles it well.

This is definitely a movie I can recommend. Especially if you are looking for a good romance movie. There isn’t a ton of Christmas, there isn’t a ton of fluff. It’s just a good romantic story.