From make-believe relationships (e.g., Holidate, Midnight at the Magnolia, Happiest Season), princess switches and royals incognito (e.g., The Princess Switch: Switched Again, A Royal Christmas Engagement), to fake five-star bed and breakfast staff (Five Star Christmas), deception and mistaken identity have been a very popular plot device in this year's Christmas movie lineup. Here again, in this film, we see this plot technique in use, though, arguably, having less of an impact than some of the movies listed above. Indeed, this movie fell flat a bit, I thought. Do not get me wrong, the story was pleasant, and the script/dialogue was decent (with some positive underlining messages). The acting was strong too. However, I felt this one lacked that 'something extra' as, for example, The Angel (which had great chemistry between the leads), A Timeless Christmas (which told a different story), Five Star Christmas and The Christmas House (which made me laugh), and The Christmas Waltz (which had some lovely dancing). Thus, I would describe this one as 'good enough'. That said, the acting overall was good. Candace Cameron Bure, a Hallmark regular, had a convincing performance. Her scene at the end, for example, when confronting Glenn about his deception was strong. Warren Christie's portrayal of Glenn was good, believable. The chemistry between the two was OK. Not the best I have seen this season, but certainly not the worst. The supporting cast had a strong performance. I enjoyed watching Brenda Crichlow (as Winona, the CFO) and Robert Markus (as Riley, the art instructor). The scenery, props, and sets were well-polished and festive, classic Hallmark. There was not as much focus on Christmas traditions in this one, which is not necessarily a bad thing (not another gingerbread house scene please). Simply put, this is an ordinary Christmas movie. Worth a watch if you have time to kill or if you are a fan of Candace Cameron Bure's Hallmark movies.
Review of If I Only Had Christmas
