The best way to describe a 'Christmas CEO' is: it's good enough. It is not as bad as some of the reviews suggest. Sure, it is not one of Hallmark's best, but to be fair, it is certainly not one of their worst. I think one of the main problems was casting. The story follows Christmas (played by Marisol Nichols), aka Chris, a hard-working CEO of a small toy company who gets an offer of a lifetime: a merger with one of the most successful toy companies and, more importantly, she will become its new CEO. However, there is a catch. She needs her former partner/friend Joe (played by Paul Greene) to sign off on the merger. The problem is, they haven't spoken in years. Joe agrees to sign if she is willing to help him with his charity this Christmas. And so, our journey begins as we watch these two mend the past, rediscover what they truly want and, maybe, just maybe, find a future together. At face value, the plot was decent for a Hallmark production. The writers do a pretty good job with the dialogue, especially those scenes where Chris and Joe reminisce about their past together. These were heartfelt and nicely written. The problem, however, is that the two don't feel like a good match. The writers could have done a better job of convincing us that they actually are. The casting in this respect did not help. Simply put: there seemed to be a disconnect between Nichols's performance and her character. They did not line up, I felt. The chemistry between her and Greene was not bad, but the idea that these two would end up together took away from this element of their performance, I'm afraid. The sequel to this one would have to look like the plot shakeup in this year's 'The Nine Kittens of Christmas'. Leaving these issues aside, Greene had a very strong performance, I thought. His charisma and charm really shine on-screen. He (and Nichols) had some nice scenes with Chris's niece Emma (played by Veronica Marin-Estrada). She had a lovely performance. The movie also had a wonderful Christmas vibe to it. There was plenty of Christmas spirit and festive cheer in this one, which I did enjoy. Hmm...I am not sure about the reindeer race game. All in all, it is a decent Christmas movie with a couple of bright spots that shine through here and there. If you are a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies, then you might want to check this one out.
40 Reviews
Disappointing
Jackbv12327 November 2021
The premise has been done, sort of. Joe holds Christie's business hostage so that she has to help him with a charity gig.
I didn't see a lot of Chemistry between Nichols and Greene. As much as I loved Nichols' last Christmas movie, I don't think she was cast right for this one. Christie's personality is too hesitant for a CEO, not only in action but in the harried, almost frightened look she has most of the time. She is supposed to start out as totally numbers driven, the brains behind the business side, but it just doesn't fit.
Joe is the opposite. He is scornful of not just making a profit, but of even considering economic reality at all. I can't like this matchup in the long run.
The niece is a breath of fresh air in the movie.
I didn't see a lot of Chemistry between Nichols and Greene. As much as I loved Nichols' last Christmas movie, I don't think she was cast right for this one. Christie's personality is too hesitant for a CEO, not only in action but in the harried, almost frightened look she has most of the time. She is supposed to start out as totally numbers driven, the brains behind the business side, but it just doesn't fit.
Joe is the opposite. He is scornful of not just making a profit, but of even considering economic reality at all. I can't like this matchup in the long run.
The niece is a breath of fresh air in the movie.
Not the best but also not the worst
Saving2130 November 2021
This movie was generic hallmark production, there was nothing unique in the movie to
Make you focus. And yet it wasn't totally awful. The story while it was generic was cute and enjoyable. I'm not sure the actors had really good chemistry between them but the actors had fun and you could feel it. Paul greene shines trough every hallmark movie and this movie is no exception. Ok movie nothing more.
Rather Average Hallmark Film
atlasmb12 July 2022
This Hallmark holiday romance lacks chemistry between the two romantic leads, but follows an unsurprisingly plot to be a moderately entertaining story. The part-owner of a toy company hopes to merge with a larger company, but needs the signature of the other owner of her company, who is now estranged from her.
One highlight is the young actress Veronica Marin-Estrada, who is debuting in this film.
The story wraps up much as expected, but never delivers the emotional satisfaction of many other Hallmark films.
One highlight is the young actress Veronica Marin-Estrada, who is debuting in this film.
The story wraps up much as expected, but never delivers the emotional satisfaction of many other Hallmark films.
Utterly ridiculous
toncincin27 November 2021
The only thing she's ever wanted in her life - to be CEO of a toy company... THEN why does she basically give it up for a guy? Hallmark - you missed the mark on this one. Casting was off too. Paul Greene's character was annoying and he was kind of a jerk. Not a good look for the "nice guy of Hallmark movies." Marisol Nichols was too tentative to be a CEO of ANYTHING. The niece was good though...LOL.
Christmas CEO
JoBloTheMovieCritic11 December 2021
The 1950s Are Calling...
spikeluvr29 November 2021
Hallmark, the 1950s are calling and they want their movies back. This is the second Hallmark Christmas movie where the man is always right and the female gives up everything she's worked for just to please him. She tells herself she's wanted it all along but at no point in the movie does she give any indication that she's doubting herself and her drive for success. They wasted a great cast on a lousy and boring storyline.
He ruined it.
adamjohns-425754 January 2022
The Christmas ToyMaker/Christmas CEO (2021)-
Usually I say that it's the lead male that's too good for the female, but in this I would say that it's definitely the other way around. Although Paul Greene does have his very nice chest out at the beginning, he's just a bit too much and has no right to knock her choices and career.
He's also actually quite obnoxious and a bit kooky and camp.
I couldn't force myself to watch it all the way through, because he was just too weird, which is a shame, because I liked Marisol Nichols in her role. I'd like to see her opposite someone worthy of her like Luke Macfarlane or Cameron Mathison instead.
It was also very obvious how things would go and just too twee to put up with.
Unscored as Unfinished.
Usually I say that it's the lead male that's too good for the female, but in this I would say that it's definitely the other way around. Although Paul Greene does have his very nice chest out at the beginning, he's just a bit too much and has no right to knock her choices and career.
He's also actually quite obnoxious and a bit kooky and camp.
I couldn't force myself to watch it all the way through, because he was just too weird, which is a shame, because I liked Marisol Nichols in her role. I'd like to see her opposite someone worthy of her like Luke Macfarlane or Cameron Mathison instead.
It was also very obvious how things would go and just too twee to put up with.
Unscored as Unfinished.
Wow have we gone back in time
sanaipatel25 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
What a sad little man who can't see himself in a relationship with a woman who's a ceo of large company. How pathetic that they had to make her give that up to be with him. What a rotten deal. Why did this woman even agree to do this movie. She was a bad ass as hermione lodge.
So surprised about the negative reviews!! I don't get it!\
smithduke13 February 2022
I feel like I'm in bizzaro world this Christmas season 2021 for Hallmark movies. It seems that I like the movies that get bad reviews and vice versa. This movie was enjoyable and worthy of watching. Joe (Greene) was trying to show Chris (Nichols), that she's lost the dream they both once had of making toys that bring children pleasure. Chris, the CEO of the toy company she once had with Joe, was about making profits and in turn, she lost all the joy of the holidays and has been missing time with family for the sake of the business. Her niece even made her realize that not all the toys her company sold were fun and instead said one was "lame"! Chris had no clue!
This is a Hallmark Christmas movie for crying out loud! What were some negative reviewers expecting? One reviewer wrote about him trying to hold Chris' business hostage. Some said Greene's character was juvenile. I personally found the character of Joe very logical and kind. Sometimes Greene can be goofy in his roles but not in this one.
The few cons... Santa was just odd and the person who played Joe's father looked the same age as Joe. Lol. Greene is almost 50 and his father looked 50+.
If you do watch this movie, try not to get caught up in the business aspect of it.
PS I love Chris' niece. Nice addition to the story.
This is a Hallmark Christmas movie for crying out loud! What were some negative reviewers expecting? One reviewer wrote about him trying to hold Chris' business hostage. Some said Greene's character was juvenile. I personally found the character of Joe very logical and kind. Sometimes Greene can be goofy in his roles but not in this one.
The few cons... Santa was just odd and the person who played Joe's father looked the same age as Joe. Lol. Greene is almost 50 and his father looked 50+.
If you do watch this movie, try not to get caught up in the business aspect of it.
PS I love Chris' niece. Nice addition to the story.
Slow and monotonous
MickyG33314 November 2023
6.4 stars.
Take a basic plot of two adults who were childhood best friends. They went their separate ways due to irreconcilable differences, because she had a specific vision for their toy company and he couldn't live with it, so he walked away.
Were they in love all those years ago? Judging from her body language, the answer is a big fat NO. And so she now runs the business very successfully. He has been absent from her life for 7 years. She has the opportunity for a business merger, but requires his signature since he's technically still co-owner of the company. It appears from their falling out that this will be a difficult task to accomplish.
The story requires her niece as a catalyst for them to reunite once again, or at least be civil for a short time. Can she get his signature? Even more, can they be friends again? Maybe they could be business partners too, or maybe the relationship will crash and burn.
Lackluster performances from everyone, intermingled with a creepy Santa, much awkwardness, and bad timing. 'Christmas CEO' misses the mark by a long shot.
Take a basic plot of two adults who were childhood best friends. They went their separate ways due to irreconcilable differences, because she had a specific vision for their toy company and he couldn't live with it, so he walked away.
Were they in love all those years ago? Judging from her body language, the answer is a big fat NO. And so she now runs the business very successfully. He has been absent from her life for 7 years. She has the opportunity for a business merger, but requires his signature since he's technically still co-owner of the company. It appears from their falling out that this will be a difficult task to accomplish.
The story requires her niece as a catalyst for them to reunite once again, or at least be civil for a short time. Can she get his signature? Even more, can they be friends again? Maybe they could be business partners too, or maybe the relationship will crash and burn.
Lackluster performances from everyone, intermingled with a creepy Santa, much awkwardness, and bad timing. 'Christmas CEO' misses the mark by a long shot.
Horrible writing!
isabelros27 November 2021
The actors were great so I gave 2 stars. The characters and storyline are garbage. The main guy was unrealistic, unaccepting and unyielding. He loved her but only if she gave up all the main parts of her that he wasn't broad enough to understand or accept. No compromise, no balance. Become who he says you are or leave. In the end, she gave herself up.
Worst for Hallmark so far this 2021 season
jenrn-0972228 November 2021
The writing in this one was just plain awful. I agree with other reviewers. Who thought this drivel was romantic? The female lead gives up all her dreams to make a very unlikeable male lead happy. This movie made no sense. In the real world, a successful woman would have walked away from that guy after the first conversation where he berated her for being ambitious and put her down for working to make their company - that he walked away from - successful. His character came of as a pompous jerk who resented her drive and work ethic. Why would the female lead be drawn to that guy? He seemed to have no ambition at all, just delusions of grandeur. She deserved better. Not worth watching.
I nearly quit this movie half way through
breemoria27 November 2021
I don't know if it was the actor, Paul Greene, the writers or the director, but i found his character very unlikeable. Paul was stiff and unrefined. His character was narcissistic and crude. The other characters gave good performances and were the only reason i finished the movie. Marisol Nichols was especially good. The ending was unrealistic & unsatisfying.
Hated this one
LtlHippo1 December 2021
I stuck with it hoping it would get better. It didn't. No chemistry between the 2 leads. And what the heck was with him carrying a teenager up to bed like she's 5 years old????? That was so cringeworthy. This is the worst Hallmark I've seen so far this year.
Huge Paul Greene Fan and loved Christmas CEO
MovieDarling760027 November 2021
I strongly disagree with some of the bad reviews! Paul Greene and Marisol Nichols were great together! Christmas CEO had all the good feels and charm in making this Christmas movie! We are super big fans of Paul Greene (Carson shepherd of When Calls The Heart) and love all of his Hallmark movies and this movie was nothing short of wonderful! If you love Christmas and love a sweet romantic movie please watch this sweet movie.
incel belittles and disrespects successful businesswoman until she falls in love with him
daaaaaaaaale30 November 2021
Supremely disappointing. Main character is great and very well acted; a fortunate trait because absolutely no one else is. Chris is a remarkable woman considering how she manages to stay positive despite being surrounded by constant toxicity and criticism from friends, family, and street Santa's foisting unsolicited business advice. I won't give away spoilers but I will say that the ending had my whole family screaming angrily at the tv.
If you hate feminists, you're gonna love this movie, cause it takes the movement back a few decades.
If you hate feminists, you're gonna love this movie, cause it takes the movement back a few decades.
Unrealistic
youngwilkie1 December 2021
Don't waste time with this one. She gives up her dream for a man who only wants to be with her if she fits into who he wants her to be. He didn't want her if she followed her dream, only if she followed his. Found this to be a sexist script, bordering misogynistic.
Horrible writing!
isabelros27 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I don't review often but this show was horrible. I gave it 2 stars because Paul and Marisol did the best they could with it.
2 people start a Company together. They split because he can't understand why a Company can't make toys that lose them money and has no concept of a business needing to make money to stay in business. He loves her but only if she ignores the business side of her that gets it. In the end, she denies a merger to make the Company more successful. I get that one, more work - no. She also gives up the successful Company that she already runs to start a new business with him, his way. Apparently, we are to believe that she has the sole say in the decision to merge Companies but 0 say in the toys made at the Company she already owns and runs (that she Quality approves). There was no compromise or balance found. The main character gives herself and her life up completely to be with a man who refused to see outside of his view of what she should be. I'm not a fan of the over reaching Me Too movement but this show was garbage.
2 people start a Company together. They split because he can't understand why a Company can't make toys that lose them money and has no concept of a business needing to make money to stay in business. He loves her but only if she ignores the business side of her that gets it. In the end, she denies a merger to make the Company more successful. I get that one, more work - no. She also gives up the successful Company that she already runs to start a new business with him, his way. Apparently, we are to believe that she has the sole say in the decision to merge Companies but 0 say in the toys made at the Company she already owns and runs (that she Quality approves). There was no compromise or balance found. The main character gives herself and her life up completely to be with a man who refused to see outside of his view of what she should be. I'm not a fan of the over reaching Me Too movement but this show was garbage.
Hallmark No Longer Cares
DVK123428 November 2021
I remember when Hallmark Christmas movies were cute and there was a little bit of an attempt at a story line. Now that they churn out so many movies each Christmas season, Hallmark really doesn't care if there even IS a story line.
Intro of movie shows main characters Joe and Christmas (no, I didn't make this up, that's her name 🙄) selling homemade toys as children. It's 1999. Fast forward 22 years which would make Joe and Chris between 35 to 40 years old. Joe and Chris, although they have aged better than most, are clearly not between 35 to 40 years old. Chris always wanted to be CEO of a toy company. For some reason, Joe does not share in Chris' enthusiasm of having a profitable business, so he abandons the partnership of the toy company and disappears. They haven't communicated in seven years. When Chris gets an offer to merge their company with another, she quite easily locates Joe exactly where you would presume he would be, but for some reason, a random Santa Claus had to give her that information.
Joe and Chris meet up. Joe tells his dad he always had feelings for Chris, but never shared them. Her zeal for success was a real turnoff for him. Typically for Hallmark, there is usually another love interest that provides some drama in the story. This, however, didn't happen in Christmas CEO. There really was no plot, no conflict. It left me wondering how tired the writers must have been when they slapped this script together.
The obligatory child was thrown in to this story, in this case, a teenaged niece of Chris. My daughter and I were in tears when Joe lovingly scooped up this sleeping adult-sized "child" to put her to bed. Super cringey.
Truly disappointing as I set my PVR to watch this one as I am a Paul Greene fan and have enjoyed some of other movies, especially Anything for Love. I didn't like the female love interest.
Intro of movie shows main characters Joe and Christmas (no, I didn't make this up, that's her name 🙄) selling homemade toys as children. It's 1999. Fast forward 22 years which would make Joe and Chris between 35 to 40 years old. Joe and Chris, although they have aged better than most, are clearly not between 35 to 40 years old. Chris always wanted to be CEO of a toy company. For some reason, Joe does not share in Chris' enthusiasm of having a profitable business, so he abandons the partnership of the toy company and disappears. They haven't communicated in seven years. When Chris gets an offer to merge their company with another, she quite easily locates Joe exactly where you would presume he would be, but for some reason, a random Santa Claus had to give her that information.
Joe and Chris meet up. Joe tells his dad he always had feelings for Chris, but never shared them. Her zeal for success was a real turnoff for him. Typically for Hallmark, there is usually another love interest that provides some drama in the story. This, however, didn't happen in Christmas CEO. There really was no plot, no conflict. It left me wondering how tired the writers must have been when they slapped this script together.
The obligatory child was thrown in to this story, in this case, a teenaged niece of Chris. My daughter and I were in tears when Joe lovingly scooped up this sleeping adult-sized "child" to put her to bed. Super cringey.
Truly disappointing as I set my PVR to watch this one as I am a Paul Greene fan and have enjoyed some of other movies, especially Anything for Love. I didn't like the female love interest.
Christmas CEO is a keeper!
BurberryGal28 November 2021
I really look forward to Hallmark's Holiday movies every year, I was excited when I saw some of the previews. So far I've really enjoyed Kiss Before Christmas with James Denton and also Christmas CEO with Paul Greene. This movie also costars Marisol Nichols who some may know from Riverdale or the recent Spiral/Saw movie. The story is about two childhood friends who started a toy business together, who then grow up to become adults. Who seem to have a different idea of how their toy business should be run. This story is about how the two friends reunite and a holiday romance may ensue in the process! There is also a young actress who plays Marisol's niece who sings and is very talented! Give this movie a watch if you like either of these actors, great heartwarming family film.
A Christmas merger
TheLittleSongbird24 December 2021
While the concept is not a unique one, it did interest me and if done right the story had potential to be entertaining in a romantic comedy sort of way. Paul Greene is more often than not worth watching and always shines when he is given likeable, sympathetic characters. 'Christmas CEO' was also watched as part of my 2021 Hallmark Christmas film project that has been going on for the past month, which did see some film take serious themes and mix romance and family and do them very well.
'Christmas in My Heart', 'My Christmas Family Tree' and 'One December Night' (three of the best Hallmark films that year to me) were examples of 2021 Hallmark Christmas films to do this successfully. 'Christmas CEO' completely failed at this, what could have been cute and entertaining turned out to be ridiculous and mean spirited and one thing really ruins it. There were some duds in this year's Hallmark Christmas output (i.e. 'Boyfriends of Christmas Past', 'Coyote Creek Christmas') and 'Christmas CEO' is a contender for the worst.
There are redeeming merits. Marisol Nichols gives a deeply committed performance, without any sense of overplaying, and really felt for her character until her truly unrealistic final decision. Veronica Marin-Estrada is a real charmer as the film's most likeable and mature character.
Did think that it was slickly made and some of the soundtrack is pleasantly festive.
However, there are so many things wrong and the worst of them are so bad that it is easy to forget the good points. Count me in as another person that absolutely despised Greene's character, an absolute self-absorbed jerk with no respect for anybody but himself with no sense of character growth or change. Greene looked stiff and strained throughout, his usual subtle charm and easy going-ness absent. Actually got the sense that he hated playing the character and realised too late that it was way out of his comfort zone. He and Nichols have absolutely no chemistry at any stage, the disconnect seen so blatantly in the early parts are maintained throughout so the central relationship never grows. Which is what makes the final decision at the end so abrupt and impossible to swallow, as well as that it is so hard to believe how Nichols' character or even anybody could find any appeal in Greene's.
None of the rest of the cast stand out in flatly written roles. Very few of the characters are interesting or easy to get behind, Nichols' (up until the end) and Marin-Estrada's being the exceptions. The script is clunky and has a lot of cheese (more cheese than in a cheeseburger) and schmaltz (like having too many sugars in a cup of tea). Also found some of Greene's character's dialogue on the distasteful side. The story lacks energy, needed a lighter touch than what was given and is completely lacking in charm and heart. Too many of the character behaviours are vague and ridiculous and there is a mean spirited edge that was not there anywhere near as much in the previous duds in the 2021 Hallmark Christmas output.
Overall, very weak. 3/10.
'Christmas in My Heart', 'My Christmas Family Tree' and 'One December Night' (three of the best Hallmark films that year to me) were examples of 2021 Hallmark Christmas films to do this successfully. 'Christmas CEO' completely failed at this, what could have been cute and entertaining turned out to be ridiculous and mean spirited and one thing really ruins it. There were some duds in this year's Hallmark Christmas output (i.e. 'Boyfriends of Christmas Past', 'Coyote Creek Christmas') and 'Christmas CEO' is a contender for the worst.
There are redeeming merits. Marisol Nichols gives a deeply committed performance, without any sense of overplaying, and really felt for her character until her truly unrealistic final decision. Veronica Marin-Estrada is a real charmer as the film's most likeable and mature character.
Did think that it was slickly made and some of the soundtrack is pleasantly festive.
However, there are so many things wrong and the worst of them are so bad that it is easy to forget the good points. Count me in as another person that absolutely despised Greene's character, an absolute self-absorbed jerk with no respect for anybody but himself with no sense of character growth or change. Greene looked stiff and strained throughout, his usual subtle charm and easy going-ness absent. Actually got the sense that he hated playing the character and realised too late that it was way out of his comfort zone. He and Nichols have absolutely no chemistry at any stage, the disconnect seen so blatantly in the early parts are maintained throughout so the central relationship never grows. Which is what makes the final decision at the end so abrupt and impossible to swallow, as well as that it is so hard to believe how Nichols' character or even anybody could find any appeal in Greene's.
None of the rest of the cast stand out in flatly written roles. Very few of the characters are interesting or easy to get behind, Nichols' (up until the end) and Marin-Estrada's being the exceptions. The script is clunky and has a lot of cheese (more cheese than in a cheeseburger) and schmaltz (like having too many sugars in a cup of tea). Also found some of Greene's character's dialogue on the distasteful side. The story lacks energy, needed a lighter touch than what was given and is completely lacking in charm and heart. Too many of the character behaviours are vague and ridiculous and there is a mean spirited edge that was not there anywhere near as much in the previous duds in the 2021 Hallmark Christmas output.
Overall, very weak. 3/10.
I love Hallmark (and the lead actors), but this was ridiculous (and insulting to women with careers)
MichaelByTheSea5 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Hallmark has done an impressive balancing act over the last few years delivering feel good romantic movies that value family, friendship, love, AND the careers of their female characters. There's often a common theme about re-evaluating life's priorities but a woman's career isn't as quick to be abandoned for a man as it once was. Their best movies now focus on compromise and try to acknowledge the needs and realities of both of the romantic leads.
But Christmas CEO is a sad step backward. Paul Greene and Marisol Nichols are attractive and charismatic actors. Veronica Marin-Estrada was also great casting as the teen. But Greene's character is an insufferable, uncompromising, irrational dreamer with a business approach likely to drive any company he runs straight into bankruptcy. Nichol's CEO obviously ran the business so successfully after he left that she and her company were in high demand for a merger deal. But Joe Sullivan wants to make toys that cost more to make than sell. And he runs a toy hospital in his father's antique shop. I doubt that pays for his phone bill. They never saw eye to eye on how to run the company but, because he and Chris supposedly both own CJ's Toys, she needed and got his approval for a merger. But then SPOILERS: she not only dropped the merger, she somehow unilaterally dumped (?) the company ("technically no CJ's Toys.. I'm kind of a free agent"). WTF?
It's one thing to abandon the merger, but what happened to their company? Why start "Corner Stand Toys" when they already both own an existing successful company (thanks to her) called CJ's Toys and all the accumulated goodwill, manufacturing, infrastructure, distribution channels, etc. That it had? If the plot demands that these 2 mismatched people get back together, why not have a trial run with Joe going back to working for the company? He'd see the love of his life more often and they can figure out whether they can work together or not (although nothing suggested he had become more realistic about the business or, more importantly, respectful of her).
And if she sold CJs instead of merging it, that would have required a new deal, new negotiations, and a new signature from Joe. But he only signed off on the merger. None of it made any sense. I understand that timelines are routinely compressed in Christmas movies but this was ridiculous. Throw in the tired old trope of an omniscient magical Santa and ugh, that was a rare fail for Hallmark.
Fortunately, both Paul Greene and Marisol Nichols have been in far better Hallmark movies. See one of them instead.
But Christmas CEO is a sad step backward. Paul Greene and Marisol Nichols are attractive and charismatic actors. Veronica Marin-Estrada was also great casting as the teen. But Greene's character is an insufferable, uncompromising, irrational dreamer with a business approach likely to drive any company he runs straight into bankruptcy. Nichol's CEO obviously ran the business so successfully after he left that she and her company were in high demand for a merger deal. But Joe Sullivan wants to make toys that cost more to make than sell. And he runs a toy hospital in his father's antique shop. I doubt that pays for his phone bill. They never saw eye to eye on how to run the company but, because he and Chris supposedly both own CJ's Toys, she needed and got his approval for a merger. But then SPOILERS: she not only dropped the merger, she somehow unilaterally dumped (?) the company ("technically no CJ's Toys.. I'm kind of a free agent"). WTF?
It's one thing to abandon the merger, but what happened to their company? Why start "Corner Stand Toys" when they already both own an existing successful company (thanks to her) called CJ's Toys and all the accumulated goodwill, manufacturing, infrastructure, distribution channels, etc. That it had? If the plot demands that these 2 mismatched people get back together, why not have a trial run with Joe going back to working for the company? He'd see the love of his life more often and they can figure out whether they can work together or not (although nothing suggested he had become more realistic about the business or, more importantly, respectful of her).
And if she sold CJs instead of merging it, that would have required a new deal, new negotiations, and a new signature from Joe. But he only signed off on the merger. None of it made any sense. I understand that timelines are routinely compressed in Christmas movies but this was ridiculous. Throw in the tired old trope of an omniscient magical Santa and ugh, that was a rare fail for Hallmark.
Fortunately, both Paul Greene and Marisol Nichols have been in far better Hallmark movies. See one of them instead.
Even good acting can't cover a rubbish story
mrbopolino6 December 2021
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