With Love, Christmas (2017 TV Movie) User Reviews

I loved The ending

[Christmas-Reviewer · 7/10 · 2 January 2018]

I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 400 ( C H R I S T M A S ) MOVIES AND SPECIALS.

PLEASE BEWARE OF SOME REVIEWERS THAT ONLY HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE NO AGENDA! I REVIEW MOVIES & SPECIALS AS A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN! I HAVE DISCOVERED MANY GEMS IN MY QUEST TO SEE AS MANY " C H R I S T M A S " MOVIES AS I CAN.

Someone keeps reporting my reviews. I guess they are jealous because I do tell the truth. I want to point out that I never make snide remarks about actors weight or real life sexual orientation. If there acting is terrible or limited "I talk about that". If a story is bad "I will mention that" So why am I being "picked on"? IMDB will not even tell me what someone found offensive. Well on to the review :

When the office assignments are distributed for Secret Santa, Melanie is excited that she was given her crush, Donovan. Donovan however doesn't celebrate Christmas. He is not close to his family and so Christmas to him is just another day. He is not a Scrooge. However he doesn't understand what the big deal is.

Melanie however is now his secret Santa. She wants to find a perfect gift. After she finds she herself working side by side with him her feelings for him continue to grow. His eyes and heart also begin to grow.

Now my gripe with this film is that "A Christmas Campaign" kicks off way before "Christmas". Here this project kicks off 2 days before. Also I think Donovan however has been working for years at his job. He would have known how big of a deal his office made about Christmas.

Now it seems to me Hallmark loves casting AARON O'CONNELL as a stuffy business man. I think he is capable of doing more. I hope Hallmark cast him again and let him have a "Fun Role".

In all this film is enjoyable. Above Average

Santa's Got Mail

[Jackbv123 · 7/10 · 22 November 2017]

Cute idea. This was an unashamed ripoff of You've Got Mail right down to at least one crucial line. Melanie is a woman who has trouble saying no, but she also loves Christmas like no one else. Donovan is a pretty stiff guy who has absolutely no love for Christmas.

I love Emilie Ullerup, as Melanie. She is so upbeat and has a megawatt smile. For me, she was what made this movie enjoyable. Aaron O'Connell, as Donovan, does stiff and business like so well that he never really lightened up or connected. He talked about having a new attitude about Christmas, but he still came off as stiff. I also liked Melanie's friends and family.

I was generous with my rating because I did mostly enjoy the movie.

Entertaining Hallmark Christmas movie

[MegaSuperstar · 6/10 · 12 December 2020]

With a plot more structurated than other Christmas movies, it results both entertaining and endearing. It's Christmas time at the ad. Company where Melanie works. And the invisible friend whom she has to give a present is one who does not care about Christmas at all. While she tries to find out what would he like for Christmas she begins to know him well...and in the meantime their boss pairs them for a difficult client's Christmas ad. campaign. Since the communication with the invisible friend is by whatsapp, he does not know who she really is. Will the chemistry between them still remain when he discovers who his invisible friend really is? Not much of a mystery really but nice entertainment and enjoyable picture with plausible players in a more developed than usual plot...and do not miss the fairytale ending! Recommended.

The Secret Santa

[Kirpianuscus · 6 December 2018]

A touching Christmas Hallmark film. First - for the details. And for performances. And for the references to classic on-line talks. And, maybe, for story, who has the gift to use familiar ingredients in not bad manner. A challenge for a team , from its coherence to promote a product. Romance. A Secret Santa . And fascinating old fashion details. Result - a love story in Christmas time but special for me who, crying a little at its end, I discovered one of Christmas films from Hallmark who could be defined more than junk food for too young sensitivities. So, a real nice film.

That music just never stops

[gordonb-59587 · 7/10 · 19 December 2020]

Like many Hallmark movies, the background music is non-stop and too loud. Sometimes even drowns out the dialogs. And, it just keeps going at the most inappropriate times. Remember, silence can golden. Fun show, typical holiday movie from Hallmark. We enjoyed Emilie Ullerup in the lead. Would like to see more of her.

Not bad

[LtlHippo · 6/10 · 26 November 2017]

I really liked the main character. She was flawless. Of course we have the little kid who is around too much. Only turn off that should have been real was that fake cotton snowball snowman outside. Get a real one! Loved the cat too. Enjoying most of the new Hallmark movies this season and am also enjoying many of the old ones. Oh yeah, do all blondes have dyed blonde hair with dark brown roots these days?

Pretty good premiere night Hallmark flick! 7 Stars from me!

[huggibear · 7/10 · 22 November 2017]

I'm the first to review this movie? Very cool! I'm becoming a regular with 'firsts' on the reviews. I like this movie's script because it's different. It's got some good humor in it as well. Well, I'm just a sucker for Hallmark Christmas movies and this one is quite cute and clever! The seasonal settings and decorations are just exquisite, so there's lots of great holiday eye candy. And this kind of movie could open some minds about social activities and getting involved more, during the holidays and beyond. I'm sure we all could use a bit more skills in the teamwork department. And I'm certain a lot of small towns could use a big horse-drawn sleigh ride as well. I've been on one and they are so cool. But about this movie, it is definitely worthy of a viewing!

With Love, Christmas

[JoBloTheMovieCritic · 7/10 · 20 July 2019]

7/10 - festive Secret Santa Christmas flick that features two charismatic stars

Loved it

[gehewe · 10/10 · 16 January 2018]

Loved this movie. My only real challenge was to decide to rate it a 9 or a 10. I only rate about 10% of the Christmas movie a 10 and that is after using IMDB reviews to try to only watch the good ones. There was enough attention payed to the little things like Melanie collecting snow globes, adorable photo with Santa, snowflake earrings that I thought it deserves a 10. Emilee Ullerup and Aaron O'Connell were both just a delight. The two of them were suited well for their parts and that made the movie. Emillee appears to have a depth of acting ability. Emilee was in "Hearts of Christmas" in 2016 and Aaron has only had 9 acting parts in his career (many are Christmas movies- he is 31). Aaron had the lead in "12 Gifts of Christmas" in 2015.

The movie was fun, centered around an ad agency at Christmas time with mandatory Secret Santa participation. The story used the Secret Santa as the thread throughout the movie. Maybe the title should have been "My Secret Santa Love". "With Love, Christmas" does not describe the movie adequately. The head/owner of the ad agency was just great.

Above average Christmas flick

[a-ross1-941-927078 · 7/10 · 23 November 2020]

So many formulaic stories.. and this one checks all the boxes. But it's Christmas, and we can just have a glass of wine and pretend our Iives can be this happy and we all live happily ever after. . My only observation is the beautiful girl's teeth whitening went over the top.

Not enough love here

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 1 September 2020]

If you have seen your fair share of Hallmark Christmas films, it would be safe to say that you are very likely to know what to expect generally, especially regarding the fairly samey stories, and one shouldn't expect any more. Have seen my fair share myself and have always watched them with mixed expectations. That are either met and even exceeded, or the film completely misses the mark and does little with any potential.

'With Love, Christmas' was actually, seeing as the premise didn't overly excite me but sounded cute enough, more or less what was expected. Not a bad film with things that are done well and there is nothing offensively bad about it. Also not a particularly great one either with quite a lot of the common flaws in Hallmark's Christmas films evident. If anything, 'With Love, Christmas' left me feeling rather mixed as an overall whole.

Shall begin with 'With Love, Christmas' good things. The production values are very pleasing to look at, nice use of locations slickly shot. The music captures the Christmas feel very well and is not near as over-scored or intrusive as too many of a lot of Hallmark films. There is a light-hearted charm in enough places.

Emilie Ullerup is a very engaging female lead and easy to like, which is not always said for actresses playing similar characters in Hallmark Christmas films. The supporting cast also do well with what they have, with Rebecca Davis being a scene stealer.

Aaron O'Connell on the other hand came over to me as rather stiff and not fully connected with his character, even for a character meant to be uptight. He and Ullerup didn't seem to have much chemistry together and what little there was felt cold and forced in a relationship that never felt fully developed. Excepting Melanie, the characters don't have enough to them to make me invest properly in them and development-wise they are sketchy. They did try with Donovan as well, but his type of character has been done in Hallmark Christmas films so many times and with very little different here.

The script is often excessive on the cheese and is over-sentimental in others, some of it doesn't sound natural either. The story has its moments, but generally there is far too little of it and what there is is very standard, formulaic Hallmark and feels rather stale and contrived. There is a light-hearted charm here, but the cheese and schmaltz go into overload and it never properly connected with me emotionally. The music could have been used less and could have had a quieter tone.

In summary, not bad but not great. 5/10

Very cute movie

[LovesMyGarden · 8/10 · 10 November 2019]

I've watched this movie several times and thoroughly enjoyed it. Emilie and Aaron have enough chemistry to make it work. The scenery is nice. My only complaint is that in the last scene when Emilie is in that gorgeous red lace dress, the wardrobe director should have told her she has a very noticeable panty line. Some form-fitting formal wear show everything and this is the perfect example. Other than that, I enjoyed the movie.

Great Hallmark movie but lots of inaccuracies.

[buddybeaglesayer · 7/10 · 26 December 2017]

This story is supposed to take place in Stamford Connecticut and many of the shots look nothing like Stamford. Would have been better selecting US city that is actually on a lake like the one used in many of the scenery shots.

Seasonal lightweight Fayre

[Lew777 · 5/10 · 5 January 2018]

I would have liked to give a bigger rating , even though the story is pretty lightweight. However, apart from the always excellent Emilie Ullerup as Melanie, there isn't much depth to the characters and not much chemistry between the 2 leads. I'll put that down to the script. I guess this movie will please most Hallmark viewers as it's pleasant enough - but for me, a bit more plausibility is needed in the storyline.Sorry !

A pretty good Christmas movie

[herrcarter-92161 · 6/10 · 11 May 2023]

This movie was pretty good for what it was: a light-hearted, Hallmark Christmas movie. The leads were likable and photogenic and you had the irresistible dynamic of the Christmas-phile paired with the Christmas-phobe, an oft used trope that gives us the satisfying opportunity to see the Scrooge-like character change his ways. If I had to fault anything, it would be that Emilie Ullerup's character was just too upbeat and too positive all the time. She seems too good to be true. I also thought that Aaron O'Connell's character was lacking in heart a bit too much. I know that's the whole point of his character arc, but advertising is all about appealing to people's emotions. How did he supposedly become such a star in the advertising with such an obvious lack of heart? Otherwise, a fairly enjoyable Christmas movie.

Enjoyed this, but as usual hated the Hallmark fake winter

[eb999 · 8/10 · 15 November 2021]

I really liked this film. The script was more original than the average Hallmark film and the actors had nice chemistry.

However, I reluctantly gave this an 8 rating, because of the typical phony winter. I would have liked to give it a 7.5, but this is impossible on IMDB. I don't recall one outdoor scene where Emilie Ullerup's character closed her coat, OR wore a hat and gloves OR actually looked cold. The last scene was sweet, but also ridiculous! Her character walks outside in a sleeveless flimsy dress and the male lead places an equally lightweight blanket over her. Do any of these writers actually know what a winter is? I'm picturing some southern California types who've never been cold!

Not one of the better debuts for this Xmas.

[Carycomic · 4/10 · 7 December 2017]

For one thing, the lead characters had no chemistry that I could discern. Aaron O'Connell had much better rapport with Katrina Law in last year's "The 12 Gifts of Christmas." And Emilie Ullerup was much more believable as the already-confident Nurse Jenny Miller in last year's "Hearts of Christmas!"

Unfortunately, the casting of these two, together, to repeat those individual successes is an experiment that I'm afraid did not pay off.

Then, there's the plot gimmick.

Secret Santas are mandatory?! Puh-lease! It's bad enough when that custom is voluntary. It's not that I Scroogily _hate_ the giving part. Just the opposite! It's the receiving part I mind. I, personally, have never received anything fun _or_ useful from a "Secret Santa" at any place I've worked. So, I have stopped putting my name in the grab bag.

Christmas Reviewer (and others) will no doubt vote my review as useless. But, that is how I sincerely feel about this particular movie.

Family film

[clairetyrell · 8/10 · 27 November 2018]

Lovely family heart felt romantic Christmas film. Makes you want a twin. I'm now goin to do my Xmas decs

Very Hard To Watch

[Sober-Friend · 1/10 · 31 December 2017]

Why is it that every actress in this film seem to have gone under the knife too many times. From foreheads that can't move to over inflated cheeks/ All of them are wax looking and unwatchable. In any scene they are in you can't not tell if the actress is happy. "Nothing Moves"! Sad because these women are under 40 and have had more needles in their face than candles on a cake. For a Christmas movie showing emotional happiness is important!

In this movie the office assignments are distributed for Secret Santa, Melanie is excited that she was given her crush, Donovan. Donovan is so taken by the thoughtful gifts and notes, he starts to fall in love. But someone else is stealing Melanie's credit.

Everyone in this film also lives way beyond what their paychecks. One of the worse.

AARON O'CONNELL GIVES HOLIDAY MAGIC

[galfincher · 8/10 · 4 December 2018]

At first we see ad execs ala MAD MEN doing their schtick and pitch. Then we see a bit of competition/love blossom between co workers. Yes this really happens in big and small town USA. Overall I found the story very entertaining. Nice deliveries. The true, magical, and sincere performance of O'Connell did it for me. At the end when he re kindles his relationship with his Dad my heart skipped a beat. The next day I wasthen was watching This Is Our Christmas and I see Arron again. He plays another executive named Winslow. He gives a wonderful performance pinning over the loss of his wife with holiday perennial actor Vincent De Paul. I will not give it away but the end of the latter films show Arron's range as an actor and he is so incredible and moving I heard that his real life wife co star with him in This Is Our Christmas.... LOVE ALL HIS FILMS.

bad makeup

[bishopclisa · 3/10 · 16 November 2018]

Was anyone else distracted by the male lead's orange face? Also the fact that when he turns sideways, you can see the orange makeup line between his face and neck. It's called blending, people. Make the face and neck the same shade, please! Other than that, typical hallmark Christmas love story, with no chemistry between the leads and wooden acting by the male lead. I've seen him in a few movies now, and it is always the same role; reserved, uptight, barely any facial expressions.

Great movie, Emilie Ullerup is fantastic

[ISmellSnow · 9/10 · 3 October 2020]

This is a Hallmark Christmas movie to watch over and over. I really like the Secret Santa storyline. Emilie Ullerup is a really great actress. The male lead was a bit robotic and unlikeable. Overall this is a fun movie that I think many Hallmark fans should enjoy.

pleasant

[vriddheeg · 5/10 · 24 November 2017]

It's a different hallmark movie. An uptight guy who does not like Christmas and a jolly girl who lives for Christmas. the whole pen pal thing is sweet and pleasant.

Alicia

[zyxnix · 9/10 · 19 December 2017]

Emille Ullerup is a true beauty that it is a little hard to believe that she ain't got no man by now. Not much as far as sexy outfits until the end and even then some spanx would not have been a bad idea. Aaron O'Connell is way too good looking to be playing this loner loser type. After a year he would have taken every girl in the office for a sleigh ride. I need more Rebecca Davis, like a poor man's Lake Bell.

This movie is good it moves along just fine.

Stuffed Shirt

[Heart_Christmas · 4/10 · 30 July 2021]

Cute movie with typical Christmas traditions. Secret Santa. Gingerbread cookies. Christmas Fair. Secret office romance mixup. Both are up for the same promotion.

The male lead is all business and someone who's just not into Christmas until he gets paired on a work project with the female lead.

My problem is he comes off as a literal stuffed shirt. The wardrobe department appeared to have problems finding a dress shirt with a collar in his size. Added to that the ties had such large knots, he couldn't cinch them all the way up. Found it hilarious and distracting.

Love the Hallmark channel and will continue watching Christmas in July and during the holidays.

Keep them coming please!