Christmas for Keeps

I love Hallmark movies but this just average at best. I didn't really buy the life long connection between the 5 high school drama students, only one of whom actually tried to continue that experience as a career. The relationships all seemed forced (I found the chants of "Noah, Noah" and the peer pressure of him really irritating) and all 5 of the old classmates had multiple conflicts and issues that really couldn't be adequately explored and resolved in one TV movie that was supposedly about the passing of a beloved high school teacher.

Although the stay at home dad married to a doctor subplot was an interesting change of pace, I'm tired of the "I can make a career out of baking cookies in my home kitchen" trope. And Noah couldn't go sledding with his busy wife and their kids because he had to help Mia sell his cookies at a Toy Drive? Seriously? It's not like he was in the back of a bakery trying to churn out more cookies for an unexpectedly high demand. He was at a table selling pre-made cookies at a Toy Drive that Mia could have handled without any help. Go spend time with your wife who's apparently never around.

Christa Allen, who plays Avery, was recently in the news for turning 30 after once playing the 13 year old in 13 Going On 30. She does what she can with the role of a daughter of an overbearing mother (way over the top) and the love interest of a morose and unpleasant character named Ben (we get it, losing parents sucks; welcome to the club everyone joins and one that's featured in virtually every Hallmark movie). But, without spoiling anything, the solution of the geographical challenges facing their relationship was out of the blue and unrealistic, as was the manufactured tension between Ben and Noah.

And why did it seem that these were the only 5 former students of the beloved Mr. Massey (all from the same class) who cared enough to show up for him?

For me, the best Hallmark movies of 2021 were An Unexpected Christmas, A Dickens of a Christmas, My Christmas Family Tree, Next Stop Christmas and Every Time A Bell Rings.

This movie is a look at several different kinds of relationships with a group of friends from high school days. All of them have rough spots and they work through them as the movie progresses. There is a romance story as one of the threads.

The reason for their reunion is to honor a recently passed drama teacher who was more than a mentor to each of them. There are a lot of flashback episodes remembering him from different perspectives.

For some reason this movie didn't connect with me. I can't really say anything specific positive or negative.

It's a good premise and I like the diversity... just acting wasn't that great or maybe just didn't make me feel anything for them and it was just okay to watch. I felt like, okay, what's next?

Christmas For Keeps (2021) -

I never really felt this connected to any of my teachers, although I'm friends with one now. Most of them were horrible, so it was a struggle to connect with the plot of this film. I'm pretty sure that none of my teachers would have wanted me to come back to school either.

Overall the film was a bit dull and even the cheer felt quite depressing. There was a lot going on, which meant that there wasn't enough time for what I considered to be the main romance between Ryan Rottman as Ben and Christa B. Allen playing Avery. Although I did like the fact that other characters were explored in a bit more depth, it needed another 15-20 minutes to deliver everyone's story equally as an ensemble piece. Mia's (Marielle Scott) story seemed almost completely lost amid the rest.

I think by restricting themselves to the standard one hour, twenty something minutes, they make things far too contrived. As a result this one lost the joy and heart that it should have had in remembering their favourite teacher and mentor through various activities that meant a lot to him, because it focussed too much on the hardships in their lives and the issues with their relationships, having too little time to show the pleasure they enjoyed.

I'd probably skip this one in future unless there was a director's cut that showed a bit more to it, but I doubt that exists.

4.5/10.

Slow, boring, not a typical Christmas movie for hallmark. Cardi Wong was the only one who could act. The other main characters were boring and blah. We turned it off bc we just couldn't watch it any longer. The female main lead was physically expressionless in her face, which made her look like, well-nothing. I don't mean to be rude, but the Botox in these young women has to stop.