gmead-933-493078
Joined Dec 2010
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Reviews11
gmead-933-493078's rating
A pretty conventional HM movie, with beautiful people. Can't say I'd be as willing to forgive the father for cheating (at least once?) in the competition as the son is. But overall a good movie.
But the "big diamond"? I'm a geologist, but you don't need to be a geologist to know that the 30 carat "diamond" was an obvious quartz crystal, and not even a particularly good one. I personally own nicer looking crystals. And in the interests of veracity, why not at least have a clear, fake diamond? The producers must have had at least one expert consultant. Didn't that person at least point out how obviously, painfully, wrong that was? It's like having a movie about veterinarians who call a dog, a cat. It was embarrassing to see that.
But the "big diamond"? I'm a geologist, but you don't need to be a geologist to know that the 30 carat "diamond" was an obvious quartz crystal, and not even a particularly good one. I personally own nicer looking crystals. And in the interests of veracity, why not at least have a clear, fake diamond? The producers must have had at least one expert consultant. Didn't that person at least point out how obviously, painfully, wrong that was? It's like having a movie about veterinarians who call a dog, a cat. It was embarrassing to see that.
The movie started with a lot of promise. The leading couple, Anuja Joshi and Benjamin Hollingsworth were young adults starting out in their careers and had good chemistry, and the development of their relationship from their surprise meeting years after graduation, up to the proposal was reasonable, warm, and believable. I had high hopes for the movie at this point.
... and then we met the parents. With the possible exception of the bride-to-be's (Asha) mother, the parents were, to put it mildly, unpleasant. They were stereotypes of a suburban WASP couple and an immigrant couple. They expected absolute adherence to their own personal or cultural standards, and were unwilling to see the other side in any way. They were utterly competitive in their quests to win some kind of Christmas decoration prize. They portrayed the worst of inlaw characterizations.
This has been done before, with sensitivity and humor. But in this movie, it came off as bullying and was so unpleasant to watch that this was one of the few Hallmark movies that I simply turned off without watching to completion.
One last thing, Why was the movie called "Christmas with the Singhs"? It could have just as easily be called, "Christmas with the O'Briens".
... and then we met the parents. With the possible exception of the bride-to-be's (Asha) mother, the parents were, to put it mildly, unpleasant. They were stereotypes of a suburban WASP couple and an immigrant couple. They expected absolute adherence to their own personal or cultural standards, and were unwilling to see the other side in any way. They were utterly competitive in their quests to win some kind of Christmas decoration prize. They portrayed the worst of inlaw characterizations.
This has been done before, with sensitivity and humor. But in this movie, it came off as bullying and was so unpleasant to watch that this was one of the few Hallmark movies that I simply turned off without watching to completion.
One last thing, Why was the movie called "Christmas with the Singhs"? It could have just as easily be called, "Christmas with the O'Briens".
I confess I didn't see the whole movie - I found it while flipping channels. At first, I didn't think that the leads were all that appealing, but as I watched I felt a good chemistry between them. Ginna has a real girl next door vibe and, well, Jordan was kind of dorky in a Clark Kent way. They grew on me, though.
Then they started to sing. Wow. This is not a classical musical in the way that the characters spontaneously break into song, but where the singers are characters doing their jobs. Doesn't matter, they have great voices and I hope that Hallmark casts them into similar roles in the future.
I see some of the other reviews complaining about the 3rd corner of the triangle, and I can't disagree, but it makes more sense than the many Hallmark movies where a (usually female) character dumps a long term, perfectly nice partner for a guy she's just met. I thought that Gino's character was just annoying enough to deserve the dumping but appealing enough not to appear actively evil or mean.
Then they started to sing. Wow. This is not a classical musical in the way that the characters spontaneously break into song, but where the singers are characters doing their jobs. Doesn't matter, they have great voices and I hope that Hallmark casts them into similar roles in the future.
I see some of the other reviews complaining about the 3rd corner of the triangle, and I can't disagree, but it makes more sense than the many Hallmark movies where a (usually female) character dumps a long term, perfectly nice partner for a guy she's just met. I thought that Gino's character was just annoying enough to deserve the dumping but appealing enough not to appear actively evil or mean.