This movie was reasonably good. It was a Hallmark Christmas romance, full of the tropes we have come to expect from Hallmark Christmas romances, including the widower with the adorable kid, the Christmas-phobe girl who gets a good dose of Christmas from said widower and kid (not to mention their whole extended family), the standard Christmas activities like snowball fights, snowman building and making snow angels, etc. But it delivered what we expected.
The actors were pretty likable and engaging. Brook Burns as flight attendant Sydney was cute and fun, and her winning smile graced nearly every scene. Tom Everett Scott was great as widower Jonathan, coming across as more of a relatable, down-to-earth, Bill Pullman-type character than a chiseled hunk. And, of course, Sophie Neudorf as the daughter Leah was adorable, as all kids in Hallmark movies must be. Was there chemistry there? Definitely between Sydney and Leah. Between Sydney and Jonathan, not so much. There should have been more opportunities for them to interact and build a romantic relationship. The whole mystery thing, with them trying to figure out how Sydney's parents met, was supposed to provide that one-on-one time for them, but sadly, I think it just detracted from the romance. The big reveal about how her parents met was kind of a letdown too. Not that exciting. That whole plot point could have been eliminated, in my opinion.
The scenes with Sydney interacting with Jonathan's extended family were very warm and satisfying. I wish they had showed better the contrast between that and Sydney's normal life, and had her realize just how empty her life was, jetting around the globe to fantastic destinations but missing out on the joys of family. She does eventually get that message, but through the whole movie, she never seems that dissatisfied with her normal life, so it doesn't really ring true. I never really believed that she would sacrifice her dream job in Rome to be with this family who she liked, but had only known for a few days. A better scenario might have been for her to take the Rome job but stay in touch with Jonathan and Leah, and after, say, a year, decide that she had the wanderlust out of her system and that she wanted to settle down in Chicago and be with them. There also needed to be a much stronger romantic connection between her and Jonathan to make such a life-altering decision.
On the whole, I'd say this was probably in the upper half of Hallmark romances, but more toward the bottom part of the upper half. It was fun and enjoyable to watch, but I doubt I'll remember much about it a year from now.
The actors were pretty likable and engaging. Brook Burns as flight attendant Sydney was cute and fun, and her winning smile graced nearly every scene. Tom Everett Scott was great as widower Jonathan, coming across as more of a relatable, down-to-earth, Bill Pullman-type character than a chiseled hunk. And, of course, Sophie Neudorf as the daughter Leah was adorable, as all kids in Hallmark movies must be. Was there chemistry there? Definitely between Sydney and Leah. Between Sydney and Jonathan, not so much. There should have been more opportunities for them to interact and build a romantic relationship. The whole mystery thing, with them trying to figure out how Sydney's parents met, was supposed to provide that one-on-one time for them, but sadly, I think it just detracted from the romance. The big reveal about how her parents met was kind of a letdown too. Not that exciting. That whole plot point could have been eliminated, in my opinion.
The scenes with Sydney interacting with Jonathan's extended family were very warm and satisfying. I wish they had showed better the contrast between that and Sydney's normal life, and had her realize just how empty her life was, jetting around the globe to fantastic destinations but missing out on the joys of family. She does eventually get that message, but through the whole movie, she never seems that dissatisfied with her normal life, so it doesn't really ring true. I never really believed that she would sacrifice her dream job in Rome to be with this family who she liked, but had only known for a few days. A better scenario might have been for her to take the Rome job but stay in touch with Jonathan and Leah, and after, say, a year, decide that she had the wanderlust out of her system and that she wanted to settle down in Chicago and be with them. There also needed to be a much stronger romantic connection between her and Jonathan to make such a life-altering decision.
On the whole, I'd say this was probably in the upper half of Hallmark romances, but more toward the bottom part of the upper half. It was fun and enjoyable to watch, but I doubt I'll remember much about it a year from now.