I'm a big fan of Hallmark movies, particularly Christmas ones. I'm also a fan of Alicia Witt in these types of movies. But, unfortunately, this one wasn't that good. It starts with an unoriginal premise (shocking for Hallmark, I know). Alicia plays a character who lies a lot and breaks promises to her young niece. The niece makes a wish to Santa that forces her aunt to tell the truth. Similar stories have been done before, most notably in movies starring Bob Hope and Jim Carrey. Perhaps it's the change in gender for the liar character, or perhaps it's just because the niece is so sweet and innocent, but something felt wrong with this one. There's something about an aunt admitting the truth that she didn't want to spend time with her niece that just soured me on this character and the movie did very little to turn that around. To make matters worse, there's a romance with bland George Stults that should have just been left out of this altogether. I know it's Hallmark so a romance has to be a part of it, but the couple here have no chemistry and their romance just seems forced. Honestly there was just something 'off' about Stults. I don't want to speculate further and attack the actor on a personal level but I will be happy if I never see him in anything again. There's also a really creepy guy playing a security guard with a John Waters mustache. The less said about this individual the better. Don't even get me started on the gross subplot involving the smarmy client (played by Maxwell Caulfield). Yet another part of the movie that does Alicia's character no favors.
These things usually rely on the charms of the leading lady to overcome their flaws. Alicia Witt has certainly made some of these movies work before. But here, between her badly-written character and some creepy dudes thrown in, there's really not much she can do to save this. She does try and seems to be enjoying herself most of the time. I just wish I had enjoyed watching it more. Alicia also sings the title song, which plays several times during the movie. The song predates the movie, which explains why the title has nothing in common with the plot. She has a nice voice and the song is catchy and fun. If you don't like the movie, maybe you'll at least like the song.
These things usually rely on the charms of the leading lady to overcome their flaws. Alicia Witt has certainly made some of these movies work before. But here, between her badly-written character and some creepy dudes thrown in, there's really not much she can do to save this. She does try and seems to be enjoying herself most of the time. I just wish I had enjoyed watching it more. Alicia also sings the title song, which plays several times during the movie. The song predates the movie, which explains why the title has nothing in common with the plot. She has a nice voice and the song is catchy and fun. If you don't like the movie, maybe you'll at least like the song.