I really enjoyed this Lifetime Christmas movie. I think it is one of their best thus far this year. The story is cute, fun, festive and, maybe, a bit quirky. The latter element was part of its charm, I felt. There were several heartfelt scenes and dialogue, especially between father and daughter. This is the second Christmas movie that I have seen this season where the daughter tries to set-up her father via online dating; My Dad's Christmas Date, the other film I am referring to, is very good, by the way. This was a cute and fun dimension to the story. The dates that David (played by Mario Lopez) go on made me laugh a little, at times, which was a plus. The acting was great. The leads (Save by the Bell meets 90210, sorry, I could not help myself) both had strong performances. I thought Lopez was great in this film. He had such a warm and fun vibe to his performance. I especially liked his more heartfelt scenes with his daughter. A good example is a scene about 20 minutes into the film; there was some nice dialogue and acting here. AnnaLynne McCord's portrayal of Sophie was very good. The chemistry between the two, especially on their dates, was excellent and, more importantly, very convincing. The second date scene, where they were going to kiss but did not, had a lot of chemistry, I thought. The supporting cast, overall, had a solid performance. Paulina Chávez's (as Noel) performance was wonderful: some superb acting with some beautiful singing to boot. The ending of this movie, the climax, is quite festive and entertaining. You don't want to miss it. The singing and dancing performances by the students were fun and bright; I started singing along myself at one point (when the audience on screen did). A great way to end this one, I felt. Overall, it is a cute, fun, and festive Christmas movie, with some impressive acting, a nice new addition to Lifetime's 2020 lineup. I highly recommend it.
15 Reviews
Sweet but simple.
savethewatchmaker1 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Just as a heads up: you have to really like the song Feliz Navidad if you're going to watch this movie, because you'll hear it over and over and over again. The end of this movie is practically this song on a back-to-back loop.
That out of the way, this is a pretty cute movie. Mario Lopez (David) plays a believable dad and has good chemistry with AnnaLynne McCord (Sophie), which the movie enhances by giving them fun, light-hearted banter as dialogue. There's also an enjoyable Pitch Perfect aspect to this film with the acapella group, led by Sophie, which allows her to form an organic bond with David's daughter Noel.
On the negative side, the movie seesaws a bit drastically sometimes between over-the-top comedy (like the ludicrous dates David goes on with downright impossible women) and deep, personal conversations (which mostly revolve around David's passed wife and how her death has affected his family). The climax of the movie also focuses on a few completely unnecessary conflicts, even if they are resolved quickly -- for instance, Sophie brings the EXACT items needed to save the day (and Noel's performance at the Christmas show) without having any prior knowledge of this problem. Also not helping is that the big issue keeping Sophie and David apart (they live in different cities) is sort of swept under the rug via voiceover by David at the very end in which he casually says they'll just commute from city to city to see each other. Not quite the satisfying wrap-up I was hoping for.
All in all, though, this was a sweet family movie, and it was nice to learn more about different holiday traditions and see more representation in these movies.
That out of the way, this is a pretty cute movie. Mario Lopez (David) plays a believable dad and has good chemistry with AnnaLynne McCord (Sophie), which the movie enhances by giving them fun, light-hearted banter as dialogue. There's also an enjoyable Pitch Perfect aspect to this film with the acapella group, led by Sophie, which allows her to form an organic bond with David's daughter Noel.
On the negative side, the movie seesaws a bit drastically sometimes between over-the-top comedy (like the ludicrous dates David goes on with downright impossible women) and deep, personal conversations (which mostly revolve around David's passed wife and how her death has affected his family). The climax of the movie also focuses on a few completely unnecessary conflicts, even if they are resolved quickly -- for instance, Sophie brings the EXACT items needed to save the day (and Noel's performance at the Christmas show) without having any prior knowledge of this problem. Also not helping is that the big issue keeping Sophie and David apart (they live in different cities) is sort of swept under the rug via voiceover by David at the very end in which he casually says they'll just commute from city to city to see each other. Not quite the satisfying wrap-up I was hoping for.
All in all, though, this was a sweet family movie, and it was nice to learn more about different holiday traditions and see more representation in these movies.
Practise dating at Christmas
TheLittleSongbird15 February 2022
Christmas films can go either way, which has been my experience watching overtime the festive output of Lifetime and Hallmark. They can either be well-meaning, charming, warm-hearted and don't feel too heavy. Or they can be too over-sentimental, cheesy, contrived and bland. There have been many films of theirs that have fallen in both camps and in the camp where there is a bit of both. And 'Feliz Navidad' did have the sort of premise where the execution could have gone either way.
Luckily, for me, on the most part, 'Feliz Navidad' is in the former category. As far as Lifetime's uneven but generally not bad 2020 Christmas output goes, 'Feliz Navidad' is one of the better ones and interesting for it being directed by Melissa Joan Hart (have always liked her as an actress and had no idea she could direct). It's not great or perfect, with a few story issues, but the performances, upbeatness and charm more than compensate and help make it very enjoyable.
'Feliz Navidad' doesn't succeed in every area. There are moments of overdone comedy and occasional over-talkiness in the more dramatic moments. The conflict could have done with more tension, was very rushed and really didn't buy too the too abrupt and too easy way the film ended the main conflict.
Also did find the music repetitive and really did pine for much more variety in the music choices. Hearing "Feliz Navidad" the number of times it featured felt like overkill, it is a fun song but is used heavy-handedly here.
However, 'Feliz Navidad' does benefit from the acting. Mario Lopez and AnnaLynne McCord are very engaging and easy to relate to leads, Lopez especially is funny, charming and affecting in equal measure. Paulina Chavez gives a heartfelt performance and a contender for the best child performance of Lifetime's 2020 Christmas output. The chemistry between Lopez and McCord was genuine and had wit too, while Lopez and Chavez have a bond that was quite moving to watch. Hart directs sympathetically while still giving the drama momentum.
It looks attractive, especially the scenery which at its best is picturesque. Most of the comedy is genuinely funny and the drama on the whole is poignant and not too sentimental. The dialogue flows well on the whole and doesn't come over as too cheesy or soapy. The story is very sincere and heart-warming, as well as upbeat in its energy. The characters are worth caring for all the way through and the acting is to primarily thank for that.
Overall, not great but nicely done. 7/10.
Luckily, for me, on the most part, 'Feliz Navidad' is in the former category. As far as Lifetime's uneven but generally not bad 2020 Christmas output goes, 'Feliz Navidad' is one of the better ones and interesting for it being directed by Melissa Joan Hart (have always liked her as an actress and had no idea she could direct). It's not great or perfect, with a few story issues, but the performances, upbeatness and charm more than compensate and help make it very enjoyable.
'Feliz Navidad' doesn't succeed in every area. There are moments of overdone comedy and occasional over-talkiness in the more dramatic moments. The conflict could have done with more tension, was very rushed and really didn't buy too the too abrupt and too easy way the film ended the main conflict.
Also did find the music repetitive and really did pine for much more variety in the music choices. Hearing "Feliz Navidad" the number of times it featured felt like overkill, it is a fun song but is used heavy-handedly here.
However, 'Feliz Navidad' does benefit from the acting. Mario Lopez and AnnaLynne McCord are very engaging and easy to relate to leads, Lopez especially is funny, charming and affecting in equal measure. Paulina Chavez gives a heartfelt performance and a contender for the best child performance of Lifetime's 2020 Christmas output. The chemistry between Lopez and McCord was genuine and had wit too, while Lopez and Chavez have a bond that was quite moving to watch. Hart directs sympathetically while still giving the drama momentum.
It looks attractive, especially the scenery which at its best is picturesque. Most of the comedy is genuinely funny and the drama on the whole is poignant and not too sentimental. The dialogue flows well on the whole and doesn't come over as too cheesy or soapy. The story is very sincere and heart-warming, as well as upbeat in its energy. The characters are worth caring for all the way through and the acting is to primarily thank for that.
Overall, not great but nicely done. 7/10.
Festive Fun!
kz917-14 January 2021
Cute & Funny. Directed by Melissa Joan Hart who also cameos centers on David played by Mario Lopez as a single dad with a teenage daughter. At the urging of both his daughter & sister David begins dating with comedic results. Look for a cameo of Mario's wife as the mother that hits on him!
Feliz Navidon't waste your time
tt-0196227 December 2020
Every year I look forward to my Christmas movies and I must say Feliz has to be the worst I have ever watched . The background performers were terrible and even the 2 likable leads couldn't save this snooze fest . The story was soooo boring I fell asleep several times . Do yourself a favor and watch basically any other Xmas movie .
Adorable and Fun!
LigeiaCorpse7 December 2020
So far this is my favorite of the 2020 christmas movies. The cast is all likeable, chemistry is great with the leads and its full of cute moments. The daughter has a nice voice and it has some really good singing moments. My favorite part was when Melissa Joan Hart shows up being that "Holiday in handcuffs" is my favorite christmas movie. This will for sure go on my yearly christmas movie list. If you like upbeat and funny christmas movies then give this one a try
Disappointing
tremblaysandra26 December 2020
I like the 2 leads and they did the best with the material they were given but this was one of the most boring Xmas movies I have watched . The 2 leads had chemistry but almost everyone else in this movie from the smaller roles to the extras were overacting and it made it hard to watch .
Horn Player
brettford-3832410 December 2020
My (educator) partner (musician, horn) and I watched this as part of our annual holiday rom com movie watching, and it was a pleasant surprise. However, she's a professional horn player and we never see a horn, once.
Waste of Time!
vaillancourtirene3 January 2021
I was anxious to watch this movie because I like the 2 lead actors (especially Mario Lopez). I have seen him in other movies and usually found them to be cute but not necessarily great. This one however has to be one of the worst Xmas movies I have ever watched and I watch at least 50 Xmas movies every year! Many of them I have watched over and over again because they are so wonderful! I watched Feliz NaviDAD with my 2 daughters and they had to keep waking me up! They also thought it was the worst Xmas movie ever. We all agreed that except for the 2 main actors, the acting in general was terrible and the story was really boring!
A Chinese-Cuban man is trapped in a time-warp closet for Christmas
imdb-2528811 December 2021
A Chinese-Cuban man (he's actually from Puerto-Rico, as is the modern Ricky Ricardo aka Mario Lopez, but I'm not sure how to spell the word for its inhabitants, and since I have no idea how to place either on a map, they're interchangeable to me, and to you too!) moves to America and pretends to be a Spaniard so he can get a job working in a boo-teak selling Iberian Christmas ornaments like tinsel shrimp paella pans with the miniature yellow rice, Madrilenian castanets, bull-run horns with a red bow between them and flamenco dancers as Christmas Tree toppers. I forgot the name of the shop but A Very Spanish Christmas might be it, since all the decorations pertain to Spain.
In comes his boss, and she gets really mad and says "who named my store 'Spanish'?? It is Mexican!!" yelling, all in caps. So she sends Mario Lopez to the closet to fetch real Aztec and Mayan decor to hang on the tree, like stone temple pyramids, lemon squeezer hats and cool Mexican calendars with the monster in the center sticking its tongue out. Mario's character gets to the closet but, spoilers, he really is Chinese-Cuban so has no idea, like a typical American, what the difference is between Spain and Mexico. Surely the White Europeans from Spain must be red, like the natives from South of the border, the multi-mixed character thinks to himself.
In pops none other than Sabrina, the teenage witch, in the closet. She opens a portal and takes him on a time-travel loop to educate the poor, confused American on the conquest of the Americas by the different White peoples of the one Europe (back before it was one lame, wanna-be United States copy) so Clarissa explains it all to him.
At least, that's what I think happened or should have happened. I don't know. I dozed off and dreamed the rest. Mario Lopez has 0 acting talent. He's great at smiling and getting dimples all over his face, like his forehead and nose, and hosting shows like E. T and the like but he's no good at acting. He gives nothing to his partner. I should have written this boring movie myself (as you can see, I already made it more interesting) and I ought to have hired the actors too.
In conclusion, a very generous 2/10 because I'm sure something was fun in this movie. Like the opening credits, the music and some of the ornaments. Otherwise, watching blue paint dry would be a better use of your time, my friends. Can't LifeTime get a single movie right, this 2021!? Upvote if you agree, downvote if you have no taste!
In comes his boss, and she gets really mad and says "who named my store 'Spanish'?? It is Mexican!!" yelling, all in caps. So she sends Mario Lopez to the closet to fetch real Aztec and Mayan decor to hang on the tree, like stone temple pyramids, lemon squeezer hats and cool Mexican calendars with the monster in the center sticking its tongue out. Mario's character gets to the closet but, spoilers, he really is Chinese-Cuban so has no idea, like a typical American, what the difference is between Spain and Mexico. Surely the White Europeans from Spain must be red, like the natives from South of the border, the multi-mixed character thinks to himself.
In pops none other than Sabrina, the teenage witch, in the closet. She opens a portal and takes him on a time-travel loop to educate the poor, confused American on the conquest of the Americas by the different White peoples of the one Europe (back before it was one lame, wanna-be United States copy) so Clarissa explains it all to him.
At least, that's what I think happened or should have happened. I don't know. I dozed off and dreamed the rest. Mario Lopez has 0 acting talent. He's great at smiling and getting dimples all over his face, like his forehead and nose, and hosting shows like E. T and the like but he's no good at acting. He gives nothing to his partner. I should have written this boring movie myself (as you can see, I already made it more interesting) and I ought to have hired the actors too.
In conclusion, a very generous 2/10 because I'm sure something was fun in this movie. Like the opening credits, the music and some of the ornaments. Otherwise, watching blue paint dry would be a better use of your time, my friends. Can't LifeTime get a single movie right, this 2021!? Upvote if you agree, downvote if you have no taste!
Enjoyed this one
youngandrestless1234514 December 2020
This one is pretty fun, the characters are believable and the story was good. Compared to many others showing this Christmas season, it was very watchable and kept my attention. I laughed and got a little misty because it was pretty sentimental.
Probably the best Liftime holiday movie I've seen
lilhutch-819-9474855 December 2020
When watching holiday movies on TV, you never can expect much from them. But while flipping through channels I just happened to see this one starting on Lifetime and was intrigued by the fact it had Mario Lopez both in it and as producer along with Melissa Joan Hart as director. The whole cast, was terrific. Mario played single dad to his daughter very well. AnnaLynne McCord was also terrific in her role, as always. Like all Christmas movies, it was pretty obvious what was going to happen in the end, but the characters made this one very entertaining and enjoyable throughout the whole movie. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fun holiday movies.
Ffun
Jackbv1232 December 2020
This is a very upbeat movie. The characters are fun and extremely likeable. I liked almost all of them and their acting was good. Most of all Mario Lopez and AnnaLynne McCord have sizzling chemistry. Their banter is cute and never stops. Paulina Chávez is also appealing as David's daughter. Nice voice.
The story is similar to the usual win-the-contest movies, but different too. There's really nothing special in the story. There's almost no tension other than the distance issue long term. There are some silly blind dates, but I didn't think they were as over-the-top as in many movies with blind dates. Melissa Joan Hart shows up as one.
There is some great music. True, a lot of it is the one song, but it's still good. The climax is super.
The story is similar to the usual win-the-contest movies, but different too. There's really nothing special in the story. There's almost no tension other than the distance issue long term. There are some silly blind dates, but I didn't think they were as over-the-top as in many movies with blind dates. Melissa Joan Hart shows up as one.
There is some great music. True, a lot of it is the one song, but it's still good. The climax is super.
BEST MOVIE EVER!!! THE CAS ROCKS!!!
xquisiteadmedia25 December 2023
I know this sounds cliche, or too good to be true, but grew up watching American Anthem, plus being a fan of Mario helped as well, Being a dad of 3 wonderful adult children now, it reminded me of the things that were missing, the true spirit of christmas. Plus was MJH being the weird aura life loving guru to make things funny for the movie made my day!!! This movie made it worth the watch, as only Mario Lopez can. The vibe from the cast makes you want to watch it over and over again. Must re-watch this film asap y'all, because the cast rocks!!! If nothing else, rewatch this movie, but stay for the message.
Different Enough
ladycatherine-0433724 December 2022
AnnaLynne McCord is a very sexy woman. Her chemistry with Mario Lopez in this movie was incredible. This was something different from each of them and the result was a rubber stamp television Christmas movie that was different enough to be unique. For once this story doesn't involve snow swept landscapes or getting stuck trying to find your way home. It takes place in Arizona and involves family already together and looking out for each other. Of course the falling in love part is present as expected.
Add that the film was directed by Melissa Joan Hart and you have a wonderful example of what this generation is capable of.
Add that the film was directed by Melissa Joan Hart and you have a wonderful example of what this generation is capable of.
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