cincy-47983

Kudos to the writers and folks who produced this clever movie. At first blush the concept of 3 wishes seemed overused or even silly but it wasn't at all. Many chuckles were delivered through the great imaginations of the folks who wrote, conceived and produced this movie. I won't state any of the details to reduce spoilers but expect to see many elements of Christmas viewed from very unique aspects.

Sam Page and Rachael Leigh Cook work well together and brought this clever story off nicely and made it seem fun and realistic. And, kudos to the folks who played the elves and Santa. So, if you want a fresh and fun Christmas flick, this is it.

First off - yes, this was a Hallmark Christmas movie but there were absolutely zero typical Halmarkisms here. If I were playing the Hallmark drinking game I would have lost (or stayed sober) as no cliche scenes or moments were put into the film.

The cast, all of them, were great and worked well together. Also, having Bergen as the location added quite a bit. Often, these movies filmed abroad work better than their USA-Canada counterparts. Not sure why, but they just seem fresher.

This was a quality production from start to end and kudos to the acting and production talent. Oh, and this is a biggie - this was rare Hallmark movie which actually wrapped up the story for all characters and we weren't left hanging and wondering how things would work out. Nicely done.

This was an enjoyable movie with several fun moments but, and here is the spoiler...they forgot to film the ending. My wife and I actually laughed out loud the non-ending was so bad. Think of reading a book only to find that the author never wrote the last chapter and that is what you have here.

To me, the actors and production staff did well and, overall, it was a good movie. Yes, there are several traditional Hallmarkish moments but not horribly so. It was just that horrible lack of any ending.

From what we can tell, the lead actress, Sarah Ramos, has continued with her relationship with the lead guy but what about that job she had accepted off in foreign lands?. Did she throw everything away regarding job prospects? Did she take the job and commute back to see lead guy? What? She certainly is not wearing a wedding ring in the last scene so, what gives?

All it would have taken is a very brief scene to explain developments but, nope, it just seems that the producers got tired of making the movie and just stopped, while leaving the audience hanging. Frustrating. Very Frustrating.

Every element is in this movie from comedy to sadness and it all works well. Yes, there are many characters and it takes a while in the movie to learn about them but it works. Kudos to the actors and production staff for pulling together a quality product. Also, there are very few Hallmarkish elements here which leads to a fresh story. About the only traditional Hallmark thingy I can think of is their avoiding use of Interstates as Hallmark seems to prefer back roads, even when it is silly to do so. But, the movie was fun. Every story line for each character worked and the ending, while fairly predictable, also worked and was uplifting. I hope to see more fresh and original productions like this one.

Okay, there were a few standard Hallmarkish plot elements but overall this was a lot of fun. Very creative staging with the hot line girl (Emily Tennant) interacting with Niall Matter and other callers. In some ways it felt like watching a stage play. Creative dialogue from all characters. Yes, toward the end, some of the normal Hallmark components found their way in, and the ending wasn't really brought to a firm conclusion (although a fair ending was implied) but overall it worked well. One great character, in addition to the two leads, was Erik Athavale who played. Emily Tennats boss, his interactions and delivery added more fun. Well done and this added some fun to the season.

Every aspect of this movie was enjoyable and almost none of the worn-out Hallmark plot elements were built in. (Which means that when playing the Hallmark drinking game I would not have much opportunity to take a drink). Loved the cameo and fun interactions with Will Kemp. Fresh script. Great location shots (theoretically in Scotland but some was shot in Ireland). Realistic script and character interactions. It seems that, for some reason, when Hallmark has movies produced outside of the U. S. or Canada that they are just fresher and more enjoyable. So, sit back, enjoy and just have a glass of whiskey brand but don't use the Hallmark Drinking Game as your prompts to enjoy that fine beverage.

Okay - this was an enjoyable movie, until it wasn't. Excellent scenery and production quality. Excellent acting and most story elements are believable. But, why, oh why, oh why does Hallmark insist on the "something will work out" type of ending? The movie builds up to the expected and natural conclusion of the main characters getting together but, well, do they? As near as we can tell, Heidi may or may not be still living in Boulder and may or may not be traveling to Germany just for holidays or, well, is the main guy going to spend time in Boulder or what?

Hallmark, please, pretty please, try to wrap up your stories and not leave so much hanging as you have done here and do so often. The actors and behind-the-scenes talent did their jobs well but leaving us hanging at the end like this just does everyone a disservice.

Setting aside the highly improbable circumstances this was actually a fun movie. The locale and area shots added a lot. Well acted and filmed.

BUT...first if the family and their plane were grounded for all of that time due to bad weather then why was the weather so accommodating for all of that time so they could explore the town and area. It would have been more plausible if the plane simply had mechanical issues.

Then the ending. Really Hallmark? We actually laughed out loud it was so bad. The lead couple resolved nothing other than having fun feelings for each other. She now has her dream job which is based elsewhere and he isn't about to pack up and leave the island so, again nothing was resolved and in all probability the relationship is doomed

Hallmark...you really need to hire someone to conduct reality checks on your films.

From the start to end this was an enjoyable film which was well produced, great acting and good story. Scenery, in St. Johns Newfoundland is also a nice addition.

Yes there are some typical Hallmark components in the movie as the folks at Hallmark just can't help themselves but it is well worth watching. I can only assume that what we saw regarding the guide dogs and how they are trained is realistic as, to me, it was educational. The lead actor and actress were both great, especially given that the lead actor is legally blind for real. The lead actress is charming and added a lot to the show. Nicely done.

Well now, another refreshing surprise from Hallmark. This is about the fourth or fifth recent Hallmark production which has deserved a great rating. Clearly Hallmark must have some new management as their recent batch of movies are far more creative and lively.

In this movie, while most aspects of it were well done, the real star is the ghost, Madeline Arthur. Ms. Arthur really made this movie and added zest and a lot of character. I hope to see her again in upcoming movies.

Probably some folks will have issues with the ghost elements and what the ghost can and cannot do. Okay, maybe this doesn't follow official ghost rules (not that any of us really know) but it really did not detract from the movie.

Love the set/mansion the movie was based in and, again, the acting and production were top notch.

First, a note of surprise... Hallmark must have had a change of creative management recently as suddenly their movies are way more original, creative, fun and believable than so much of what they have produced in the past. This is perhaps the third totally enjoyable movie of theirs I have seen lately.

In Guiding Emily - first a huge kudo to the acting, especially Sarah Drew. Her acting is superb and she goes through every emotion in the book in this movie. Not just Sarah Drew but every actor did a superb and believable job.

Second, while the story could have been a tear-jerker and way dramatic, Hallmark kept this to a minimum and instead focused on Emily's development after becoming blind. And, interweaving the story of Emily along with the story of the dog from a puppy up to adult size was brilliant.

Hallmark, please provide more entertainment like this and will someone please give Sarah Drew an Emmy or similar award for her work on this.

Having a ghost as a major character added to the fun of what would otherwise have been a just so mystery. With the lead woman and the ghost, there were several fun interactions. The only minor negative was the overused Hallmark situation of having two men pursue the leading lady - this happens way too often. And, it doesn't help that neither of them have any chemistry with her. Another fun aspect was the music and how it was being taught to the school group. And, this would be the end of my review except that this program requires that we keep typing and typing to meet their ridiculously long character minimum.

At first, finding a musical episode in this show was off-putting as it seemed so out of character and made me think that the producers had '"jumped the shark" so to speak. But, then I set my expectations and biases aside and found this to be surprisingly fun. I actually watched it a second time.

Actually, in watching this very well produced show/musical it really made me think that this should be a Broadway show. "Star Trek the Musical." With any luck, the producers are considering exactly that.

I looked up a few details and found that the singing was done by the actual cast and, they were excellent. Combine the great singing with great staging and a well-written score and you have a winner.

So, don't be put off by finding that this is a musical. Just change your expectations and sit back and watch. I normally don't like musicals, but this one works.

Okay..a movie about chocolate and Brussels...this combination should make for a great movie. But...the people making this movie managed to find multiple ways to mess it up. Poor pacing. Ridiculous cooking lesson scene near the beginning. Mediocre acting. And so it goes. Laughably bad. One silly example: the lead guy was reluctant to let lead actress into the cooking lesson because class was already starting but, well she was the only one in the class! And it just goes downhill from there. Oh I gave it two stars instead of one due solely to the unintended comedic relief. Another horrible GAC/GAG production.

First...and I have said this in other Hallmark Movie reviews... hire a reality-check team. I will gladly take the job. The photography is great but nothing more. As other reviewers have cited, the movie is wildly historically incorrect - embarrassingly so. And, for the male lead who is theoretically a Native American.... couldn't they actually find a Native American actor to take the role... or would none of them touch this movie. The pacing is very very slow. The relationship evolves at an overly fast pace, and, again, the whole Anasazi thing was a big detraction from what little story there was. Hallmark.... please, please, please, do some research before picking up a camera to make your movies. I like the concept of using National Parks as the background for a set of movies but there just needs to be some care put into the making of them.

Hallmark has definitely improved as several (not all) of their movies for the 2022 Christmas season feel fresh and new and not just the same old formula elements.

Yes, some Hallmark formuliac elements are here but, for the most part, this story feels new and it is an upbeat story. I don't know if the science behind the special glasses is correct and I see some other reviews critizing this but, to me, that was not a deterrent. The show was well acted, well produced and directed. It was a joy to watch from start to end. Would love to see more Hallmark movies with the both of these lead actors, Katrina Bowden and Christopher Russel.

Kudos to Hallmark for starting to provide fresh entertainment. It is way past due.

Okay, I do agree with some negative reviews that there is a bit of history rewriting going on here for the sake of political correctness but, well, so what. This movie was well acted, uplifting, fun to watch and an overall high quality production.

The one downside for me was that the story stopped a little short of what happens after the lead characters first year of dancing. A moment or two at the end detailing what happens later would have been appreciated.

Still - this movie does not have all of the usual Hallmark formula elements which is a huge plus. It does what a holiday movie should do which is to provide fun and watchable story.

I see several negative reviews in IMDB on this title which I really do not get. This movie totally delivered on what a holiday movie should be which is entertaining and uplifting. It doesn't always follow the Hallmark formula elements and there are many parts of the movie which are fresh and fun. Yes, what this little neighborhood does and the people who live there are a bit over the top and unrealistic but so what.

Well acted and well produced with numerous chuckle-worthy moments. Now my only complaint is with IMDB which forces reviews to be much longer than needed so I will keep on writing until the required character limit has been met. Cool, I made it.

This movie stepped way outside of Hallmark's normal formula elements from start to end. Great acting, Great Production, Overall excellent quality and just plain fun to watch. Hallmark and their poor competitor GAC often produce movies which are just plain boring and poorly done and this is not one of them. Several original elements here which I won't go into as they would be spoilers.

Only one small complaint, but not enough to lower the rating -- there are several places in the movie where the soundtrack overpowers the actors making it hard to hear. This wasn't the only Hallmark movie to do this. So, whoever does the sound mixing, please be mindful of not overpowering the dialogue.

Definitely a movie to look forward to watching again.

We quit watching it after two episodes. The lead male character is totally irritating and not funny at all. Some may call it slapstick but not for us. This guy is a total loser who is able to stumble into a few facts to help solve cases but, in the real world, he would not have been hired in the first place, despite the connection with his mother, and if he had been hired he would have been kicked out in short order. At best, the show is cringe-worthy entertainment but that is about it. Marcia Gay Harden is the one bright spot to the show but her talent is wasted on this lame show. Look elsewhere for either a mystery or comedy. This show does neither well.

We were pleasantly surprised with this fun movie. We normally have low expectations for Hallmark movies but this one did not disappoint. Every aspect of this was fresh. Great acting, music, production quality and more. The script had many new elements which added to the pleasure of watching it. Yes, the ending held no surprises but few movies ever do. Another positive was most every aspect was realistic and it would seem that the writers actually have an understanding of what it takes to get discovered and published. Defitely worth watching and we will look forward to seeing it again down the road.

Okay, maybe because the premise has been used several times before I had low expectations for this movie. Luckily I was wrong, In short, it is a fun movie to watch. The producers even did a good job of getting details straight throughout and tried to keep the events plausible. Kudos to the lead actress who was in every scene playing two versions of one character. The movie was fresh and original and there were many funny scenes. It is definitely worth watching again and I can only hope that GAC will do more like this which are not 100% following somesort of Hallmark/GAC formula.

This is the fourth or fifth recent GAC movie that I have watched (or, at least, was aware that it was a GAC production when watching), and they are universally uninspired, slow, lacking in creatiivity, lacking in realism, and just plain dull. Jen Lilly and some of the actors are fine it is just the junk they are given to deliver. GAC has hired away some of Hallmark's best talent, so maybe they should let the lead talent take charge of the story and how it is to be filmed and then fire whoever it is who is coming up with these lame scripts and mediocre directing.

I had hopes that the GAC network, after hiring away many Hallmark performers, would product movies with some new qualities, some life, and fewer overused plot elements. This movie shows how the management and producers have completely wasted an opportunity. On the positive side, the acting talent and overrall production quality are good. But... wow, are there way too many plausibility gaps, way too much use of traditional and overused Hallmark Romance elements and absolutely no spark. Some of the misses with reality elements include (a) their flying back from Maine to eastern Europe on midday Christmas to get to a dinner in Europe... really? - this is physically impossible. (b) the private jet they use is not remotely large enough to have a private cabin which is the main excuse for this plotline to happen, (c) the airport they use totally would not happen except for an extreme emergency - they would use a larger airport like Bangor, (d) there is no way in heck that both cell and landline service would be down for multiple days... which is another theoretical reason for this storyline to happen. (e) oh, and the thing with the semi-magical dog and his bells which can be heard over great distances -- a cute fantasy element but totally dropped as the movie progressed. And... in case I missed it, this movie is dull. Good talent given a bad set of plot points and poor directing. Shame on this pretend-Hallmark producton.

From start to end this movie had many unique elements and it largely stayed away from the Hallmark formula. Great music, dialogue was fresh and realistic. All elements of the production and acting were first class. The mothers are a very fun element. Will definitely watch again.