The film starts as your middle of the road romantic Christmas movie... you think okay, here we go, some über-sweet predictable Christmas film for the next 1 hour something: let's relax. Of course it is more or less predictable, but after a while it is all starting to become really refreshing (!) ... it shakes off the standard hallmark-ish style and all of a sudden some real quality is peaking through. 'What's this?!', I thought 'I wasn't prepared for this' My brain had to adapt... even so much that I feel there's an award winning film in here. Almost! But not yet perfect enough. But as said a really well made, well directed film! I sense the director's quality and the talent he clearly has to direct his actors. They clearly had fun together, they were relaxed and there's some real good director of photography at work and editor. There's also some really good casting going on: the kids for example are excellent actors! I then mean: really really good! Class A. And the music is really, really good with a gorgeous final Christmas song, which I really want to listen to outside of this film. Jeremy Sumpter is a real talent to reckon with, Carla Jimenez has a small part but she displays a really strong character, which also elevates this film. Brooke Shields is giving one of her best performances of the last years, with believable accent and all. I feel that director Shaun Paul Piccinino could be a real big Hollywood director. I just feel it. There are moments where this film shines like a diamond. At times I feel a 'Fame' (1980) like quality, or even some real good cinematic (social) drama. The script isn't perfect though.... The Scarlet story line could have been avoided without losing any of the dramatic arch, it would have been even more dramatic and would have added to the quality feel of this film. And there are more rough edges to be polished. Annelise Cepero has a lovely voice and, like the film, has moments where she is a diamond. She starts out as this light weight Christmas movie character but she has her real strong moments and together with the superb other cast members and the really good energy they apparently had together while filming this film, she grows as an actor. But I predict that within 5 years Shaun Paul Piccinino will win an Academy Award for a superb film. Go see this film, it is a nice feel good film but also very interesting because the film, the director and the production really surprise you as a viewer;. I think we saw the birth here of many new careers (of the director, the director of photography, the editor and probably all of the actors). Brooke Shields has shown her versatility in here and I am sure she's (back) on the radar of many very good Hollywood directors and producers.
Review of Holiday Harmony
