A Cheerful Christmas (2019 Hallmark)
Cast: Erica Deutschman and Chad Connell
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Synopsis (via Hallmark)
Lauren and her best friend Colleen think they have landed their dream job – giving people the best and most magical Christmas ever as their personal ‘Christmas Coaches.’ This holiday season promises to be their biggest ever when they land a royal client, the Anderson family, who has moved from England. When Lauren meets James, the eldest son, he wants nothing to do with planning Christmas as he’s busy negotiating a big acquisition for his father’s company. But Lauren won’t be thwarted in helping this royal family embrace the true spirit of Christmas. The more she prods James about their family holiday traditions, the more he opens up. Sparks start to fly, but she faces competition in the form of an old childhood friend and business colleague of James. Now Lauren must win his heart while giving the Andersons their best Christmas ever.
Thoughts
Two event planners (no, wait, Christmas Coaches? They look exactly the same. Lauren and her friend Colleen are hired by a royal family named the Andersons. They go to the mansion and talk to a stuffy house caretaker who isn’t into their stupid ideas. (Make a Christmas playlist? Homemade shortbread instead of store-bought? Who is paying these women to do this?) Lauren meets James Anderson, and this man is SO fine. (Wow!) He seems to think what they do for their business is pretty straightforward. (Because it is.)
The Anderson family doesn’t celebrate Christmas and has abandoned their traditions since moving from London to America. The family has lost its Christmas spirit. Lauren is determined to give them new traditions, whether they want them or not. I would venture to say Lauren is a Christmas bully.
James starts to come around and give Lauren tips about how he remembers Christmas from his childhood. They make snowmen together, and he names and assigns gender to them. Afterward, they drink hot cocoa and talk about Lauren’s business and dead mother.
Lauren gets stuck with selecting Christmas presents for the whole family. She is a professional and very good at choosing the perfect gift. James joins her for some shopping and explains each family member to Lauren. He is very grateful for her help, impressed by her skills, and somehow not annoyed by her unrelenting cheerfulness. (Which is borderline manic.)
They chop down and decorate a Christmas tree together and then sneak cookies. The vibe here is genuinely bizarre. Lauren speaks to James as if he were a child, and her mannerisms are overdone and forced. I’ve seen Erica Deutschman in other TV movies and thought she was okay. I think the director is to blame here for letting her be too broad in the performance.
Lauren and James spend more time together. They go ice skating on a river and dance in a ballroom. I feel bad for Colleen; why isn’t she more involved in the biggest client they have ever landed? Why is Lauren getting to fall in love with James?!? Colleen doesn’t even get to be in the same room and is relegated to Skype calls.
Since James is super British, he plays polo, and we get to see a real live game! (Which is exciting and different.) Lauren cheers on the sidelines and is still annoying. After the game, Lauren is invited to an afterparty. Lauren yells “HI JAMES!” and waves like an idiot. He is standing 2 feet away from her.
The Andersons come back into town, and they are excited for all of Lauren’s ideas. Especially having the Christmas party in their ballroom. The party happens, and everyone is dressed up very fancy. They all put envelopes in the tree, which has some meaning to the Andersons. Lauren gets sad (for the first time in the movie) when she sees James dancing with a brown-haired lady who keeps switching between a British accent and another. James isn’t into the brown-haired lady and just wants to be her friend.
James runs after Lauren and thanks her for everything. He has found his Christmas spirit by donating lots of money to charities. He also gives a gift to Joyce, the housekeeper. It is a flight home to visit her sister.
With the event over, Lauren goes back to Colleen and her family’s house for Christmas. Lauren’s dad makes it back for Christmas, and Lauren is happy to have her wish come true. She annoyingly starts planning Christmas things that they can do together. James stops her from going insane and tells her she made his Christmas so special, and they kiss. Then they go outside and kiss while it is snowing.
Side Note
Written and directed by women.
Makeup in this movie was off. Everyone looked exhausted and yellow-tinted.
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*Photo Credit: © 2019 Crown Media United States, LLC
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The lead character, Erica Deutschman, has got to be the worst actress ever. She is an awful “actress” and annoying in every way imaginable. I found myself cringing and actually embarrassed for her “performance” and lack of acting chops. If she was asked to play a character who was a terrible actress, she could not even pull off that role. Erica Deutschman cannot act herself out of a paper bag. Dump her, Hallmark! It was painful to watch! Erica Deutschman, Cindy Busby and Jessica Lowndes should never be hired again – At least not where the job description requires acting.