There's not much new ground covered in this movie (if any). It's a standard Hallmark Christmas romance, complete with all the usual Christmas scenes, including a snowball fight and cookie baking. The romance is the typical girl meets single dad (uncle, in this case) and falls in love with him and his kid. Throw in the fact that the girl already has a boyfriend who is clearly not a match for her, and you have a complete, paint-by-the-numbers Hallmark movie.
Not that the movie is bad, necessarily. It's certainly predictable, but the performances were good. I especially liked Merritt Patterson as Sophie. She has a charm and a sparkle that light up the screen with every smile of those perfect teeth. Glad that Hallmark is using a few younger actresses like her. She could be the heir apparent for the likes of Lacey Chabert and Allison Sweeney. John Cor is perfectly fine as David. He has a likable, nice-guy charm, though I felt that any number of other actors could have been plugged into the role with no noticeable difference. The two had a reasonable amount of chemistry.
The dialogue was good and the interactions of the characters with each other seemed realistic and believable. I did like how they dispatched with Sophie's unsuitable boyfriend midway into the movie, as well as clearing David's ex as a potential love interest before David and Sophie started flirting and dating in earnest. It's always a little cringe when the protagonist is quasi-cheating on their significant other, bad as that person might be. I also liked the relationship that developed between Sophie and the kid Troy, He was adorable, of course, as all Hallmark kids must be.
This was a nice, feel-good movie with good performances and a decent script. It definitely checked all the expected boxes for the Hallmark faithful. It's good for a pleasant 2 hours of entertainment, though I imagine it would be pretty forgettable after that.
Not that the movie is bad, necessarily. It's certainly predictable, but the performances were good. I especially liked Merritt Patterson as Sophie. She has a charm and a sparkle that light up the screen with every smile of those perfect teeth. Glad that Hallmark is using a few younger actresses like her. She could be the heir apparent for the likes of Lacey Chabert and Allison Sweeney. John Cor is perfectly fine as David. He has a likable, nice-guy charm, though I felt that any number of other actors could have been plugged into the role with no noticeable difference. The two had a reasonable amount of chemistry.
The dialogue was good and the interactions of the characters with each other seemed realistic and believable. I did like how they dispatched with Sophie's unsuitable boyfriend midway into the movie, as well as clearing David's ex as a potential love interest before David and Sophie started flirting and dating in earnest. It's always a little cringe when the protagonist is quasi-cheating on their significant other, bad as that person might be. I also liked the relationship that developed between Sophie and the kid Troy, He was adorable, of course, as all Hallmark kids must be.
This was a nice, feel-good movie with good performances and a decent script. It definitely checked all the expected boxes for the Hallmark faithful. It's good for a pleasant 2 hours of entertainment, though I imagine it would be pretty forgettable after that.