As has been said more than once, Christmas and winter has always been my favourite time of year. Love the atmosphere, the food, the presents, the family time and traditions, seeing festive films and animations and no school bullies for nearly a month. There are many festive treasures in film, television and animation, and while none of the Hallmark Christmas films fit my definition of treasure there are enough that are surprisingly good and make my uneven Hallmark/Lifetime film quest just about worth sticking with.
Hallmark did do a lot of average or less Christmas/winterfest films and 'Love in Winterland' is one of them. Not quite one of their all time worst, but is closer to being a misfire than a cracker. The premise was very ho-hum but Hallmark have been capable of good things as has been proven a good deal. Also have nothing against any of the cast and Chad Michael Murray has grown as an actor. 'Love in Winterland' didn't do it for me sadly, it has its good points but a lot of bad. And no this review is not going to have any body shaming in sight.
Those good things are going to be started off. Faring best is the scenery, which is absolutely beautiful and at its best there is a magical air about it. Nicely photographed too. The music evokes the spirit of the holiday affectionately and it didn't have a "bombarded constantly" feel, or to me it didn't.
Murray does give his all to his character, didn't like his character in general but Murray does amuse and charm in his acting. Jack Turner gives a nice subtle turn and is likeable and not too subdued. His chemistry with Italia Ricci has moments where it is sweet and genuine.
'Love in Winterland' has a lot of drawbacks though. One of the biggest problems is Ricci, who looks miserable throughout and like she didn't want to be there. Plus her character is close to insufferable, really do not like characters that are devoid of personality and/or have their negative traits over-emphasised and both were the case here. She and Murray have no chemistry together and look completely disconnected and their annoying each other interaction grates on the viewer, is repetitive and doesn't really go very far.
None of the rest of the cast stand out and while Ricci and Turner's chemistry has moments it would have resonated stronger if their subplot was more plausible. While it is more eventful, as the other is painfully thin and dull, it does strain credibility to breaking point too often and can be contrived. Of the characters, Turner's was the only one that was interesting. Everyone else was bland and/or annoying, especially Ricci's. The script is stilted and very cheesy, especially in the more bickering moments or when the film is meant to be funny. The romantic element of the story has very little charm and just feels bland. Too much of the story is pedestrian and there is nothing original in sight, basically recycled cliches executed in a run of the mill way. The direction is at best indifferent.
Concluding, very lacklustre and lacking in much love. 4/10.
Hallmark did do a lot of average or less Christmas/winterfest films and 'Love in Winterland' is one of them. Not quite one of their all time worst, but is closer to being a misfire than a cracker. The premise was very ho-hum but Hallmark have been capable of good things as has been proven a good deal. Also have nothing against any of the cast and Chad Michael Murray has grown as an actor. 'Love in Winterland' didn't do it for me sadly, it has its good points but a lot of bad. And no this review is not going to have any body shaming in sight.
Those good things are going to be started off. Faring best is the scenery, which is absolutely beautiful and at its best there is a magical air about it. Nicely photographed too. The music evokes the spirit of the holiday affectionately and it didn't have a "bombarded constantly" feel, or to me it didn't.
Murray does give his all to his character, didn't like his character in general but Murray does amuse and charm in his acting. Jack Turner gives a nice subtle turn and is likeable and not too subdued. His chemistry with Italia Ricci has moments where it is sweet and genuine.
'Love in Winterland' has a lot of drawbacks though. One of the biggest problems is Ricci, who looks miserable throughout and like she didn't want to be there. Plus her character is close to insufferable, really do not like characters that are devoid of personality and/or have their negative traits over-emphasised and both were the case here. She and Murray have no chemistry together and look completely disconnected and their annoying each other interaction grates on the viewer, is repetitive and doesn't really go very far.
None of the rest of the cast stand out and while Ricci and Turner's chemistry has moments it would have resonated stronger if their subplot was more plausible. While it is more eventful, as the other is painfully thin and dull, it does strain credibility to breaking point too often and can be contrived. Of the characters, Turner's was the only one that was interesting. Everyone else was bland and/or annoying, especially Ricci's. The script is stilted and very cheesy, especially in the more bickering moments or when the film is meant to be funny. The romantic element of the story has very little charm and just feels bland. Too much of the story is pedestrian and there is nothing original in sight, basically recycled cliches executed in a run of the mill way. The direction is at best indifferent.
Concluding, very lacklustre and lacking in much love. 4/10.