Happy Christmas in July! I’m revisiting a series of reviews that were originally posted on social media and are now archived here on the blog.
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Happy Holidays! I will be watching and “reviewing” 25 TV Christmas Movies, for the 25 days till Christmas! (Mostly Hallmark and a few other channels, but all will be 2016 releases.)
I’m watching them, so you don’t have to! If you have seen them, please share your thoughts and comments. I love/hate these movie, please join me this holiday season!
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Falling for Christmas
Starring: Leah Renee, Niall Matter, and Lisa Whelchel (Blair From Facts of Life!)
Synopsis
An injured figure skater is sent to the mountains to recover from an injury. Once there, she meets an ex-hockey player and his young daughter and begins to realise that something is missing from her life.
Thoughts
Claire Venison (Leah Renee) is the Michelle Kwon of figure staking, except white… because it’s TV! She is all skate and no fun, and she is always getting silver instead of gold. Claire is injured because her mean coach (Julian) keeps pushing her! Eventually she gets pushed too hard and vaguely injures her… ankle? achilles? is sprained? Broken?
In rehab, Claire meets Luke. She stupidly walks but a DANGER THIN ICE sign to skate on her (torn achilles?). While spinning and skating on the ice, Luke sees Claire and runs out on the ice. The ice cracks and Clare’s good foot falls in. Luke rescues her and brings her home. She designers that Luke is a widower and has a daughter because it is Christmas Movie LAW.
They spend most of the remainder of the movie doing winter things and bonding as a fake family! Claire broken ankle seems to not be a factor when she is skiing and sledding and teaching ice skating to the daughter.
Claire’s mother, Blaire from Facts of Life shows up at rehab. Basically to rudely remind Claire that her dad is dead and it is Christmas. They also sing by the fire for no reason. Julian (mean coach) also shows up at rehab to make sure Claire isn’t getting side tracked from her “Recovery” and just be a big meanie!
When Claire decides to stay with Luke instead of competing for Nationals, he tells her to go. (He doesn’t want to hold her back!) She does a mediocre routine to an instrumental version of “All I Want for Christmas is You.” To win the gold!!!
Side Note
This is NOT a Hallmark Christmas Movie it is UP (A channel that I only vaguely notice at Christmas time.) Besides being much lower in quality, the biggest difference is the suffocating underscoring. Generic twinkles and strings accompany every scene and no Christmas songs that are played have words sung in them. (Most likely due to royalties)
The figure staking scoring system in this movie was completely incorrect!!!
I was inspired to watch an UP movie by a friend, Carie.
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Overall rating
🎄🎄 (2 Christmas Trees)
🍷🍷🍷🍷(4 glasses of wine required)
*images via: UP TV
