I just can't stand this TV movie produced by Ion Television as it follows every clichés of cheesy romance TV movies. Then you added Christmas to the mix with a blender of cute puppies and you get yourself, one big mess of a movie. This movie is sometimes call Home for the Holidays, which works a lot better than Golden Christmas 3. I have to say, it might seem alright for some older middle age women to watch it and like it, but for the most part for anybody not that target audience; it's a quite predictable, a touch corny and over the top romantic comedy that isn't funny. It's clean Family Approved movie romance. In my opinion, romance should never be clean. Love is often, realistic a bit 'dirty'. First off, the movie has little to do with the first two movies, 2009's Golden Christmas & the first movie's sequel, 2011's 3 Holiday Tails AKA Golden Christmas 2. No need to worry about not seeing 1 and 2 because there is no continuation thread in this series. Number 3 has a very new story. The movie is about a big time theater director, career driven, Heather (Shantel Vansanten). She is trying to move to New York City for a big job after Christmas. Before she end up going, for some odd reasons; her friends is trying to set her up with a date, with an old schoolmate, just out of the navy, Bobby (Rob Mayes). As much as Heather doesn't want to go out with him because of her career, she end up falling in love with him after a number of romance dates with Boby, set ups tricks by her girl pal, Julia (Nikki DeLoach). Now, she has to choose, what is best for her, her career in New York or the man of her dreams? Honestly, the conflict in the film isn't that interesting, and can easily be solved. I would love them to have a stronger reason why they couldn't be together. It would make a better movie. I don't know what is wrong with Julia. She really cares about Heather too much to the point, that I think she's dependent on her. I know she wants the best for her, but she's going to the extremes here. Heather told her multiples times, not to set up a date with Bobby because of her career, but she does it anyways, because she fears that her friend will leave town forever and never come back. Rather than working on her own marriage with her subordinate dumb husband, she spying on Heather engaged in intimate behaviors with Bobby like an odd creepy voyeurism. Julia needs help. Talking about creepy, we got the old ex Roger (Mark Famiglietti) whom is always trying to get Heather back with him. Mark is clearly miscast in this role. His character seem more charming than a selfish smarmy jerk. After all, he pretty got her the puppies in the first place. If that isn't a sign that Heather doesn't have time for Bobby. She's also busy directing a 'Christmas Carol' with an actor Mr. Cole (Orson Bean) that hates dogs and Bobby's niece, Myra (Alex Peters) who loves them. The dogs are barely used in this film. The Golden Retrievers are pretty much just background props, most of the time. For the most part, Orson Bean is the best actor in this movie. Alex Peters is a charming actress, but her character own B-story romance that isn't necessary for the story. It really wasted a lot of screen time, better use for Bobby and Heather. Bobby and Heather were OK, but they come off as not realistic characters. Bobby doesn't do anything, but wait for Heather to fall in love with him. Doesn't he have any personal life, besides that? Heather doesn't comes off as a real theater director. She doesn't have the acting chops to express much emotions. It's always odd to see in all these movies, single women is an unhappy women because she doesn't have a man in her life. I'm happy to note this usually only happens in the movies. Both main actors are beautiful stereotypes romantic TV couple, but their love chemistry seems so fake looking. It really look like they walk off the set of the reality TV show, The Bachelor and into a TV movie. Nothing about them seems real to me. Another thing, this movie is market as Christmas, but besides the Christmas play, it has little to do with the holiday. The settling for this film is at a beach coast. I'm sorry, but I don't think a beach coast work as a good location for a Christmas movie! Where is the snow and cold? Another thing, I hate about this movie is the camera work. In the end of the film, it's a bit too jarring. The music choices were pretty bad. No tune really stand out. Don't expect anything more than one sweet-natured cliché after another such as best friends to lovers, love triangles, and the stupid mad rush to the airport. The one, I found stupid, is them finding each other, somehow on the Empire State Building, a few months later. Then Bobby ask her for marriage, follow by the big kiss. Yeah, it seems ridiculously implausible that they would last, they are at such different stages in their lives, and the movie just sort of ignored that. I don't think, I'm spoiling, but it's pretty known that they all live happily ever after like any other cheesy romance movie, if you believe that crap. Overall: it's one of the worst romantic comedies, I have ever saw. Not a good Christmas movie. Not a good dog movie. Not a good movie at all.

The first 'A Golden Christmas' was rather average, with enough good things but significantly unbalanced by a truly over-the-top obnoxious lead character and actress. The second was an improvement and improved on a lot of things. So while expectations were not massive for 'A Golden Christmas 3', as sequels do have a variable reputations (often the third films in trilogies),there were hopes, especially as there are people saying it's the best of the three.

After seeing 'A Golden Christmas 3', actually do personally disagree with it being the best of the series. For me the second is the best, but this is a quite a close second best. Didn't love it, but certainly didn't hate it. Feelings were instead mixed to positive, with a lot of the good things seen in the first two films seen and like the second film it doesn't have the disadvantage of an overly negative female lead unbalancing the film. Just wish it could have been better.

Certainly 'A Golden Christmas 3' has good things. It is pleasant looking, especially the scenery inside and particularly out. The music generally doesn't sound cheap or over-bearing, and was clearly done by someone that knew what they were writing music for. The two leads are very engaging, with Nikki DeLoach particularly giving it her all. Their characters are neither too perfect and the negative character traits are not over-exaggerated.

Supporting cast generally were above average, with the roles not feeling overacted or underplayed. Also didn't feel annoyed by most of the characters and the dogs are adorable. There are enough cute and charming moments here and the chemistry had a warmth.

However, there are things that could have been done a lot better. Some of the script is very cheesy, especially in the early stretches which are also too slight in momentum. Do agree that there are too many musical montages that were generally not necessary and randomly placed.

Likewise with that the ex-boyfriend character is an overused stereotype that is very annoying and the only character that has negative characteristics that are overwritten. The story is very predictable and not always focused and the central relationship while charming and natural was too rushed in development.

In conclusion, slightly above average but not much mind-blowing here. 5.5/10.

Goldens here, Goldens there, Goldens everywhere.

This is a family friendly film with obvious appeal to young ages.

The story was all over the place. There is very little tension beyond the pending move to NYC by the leading lady. There are no real surprises. There's very little in the movie to do with Christmas.

There are too many musical montages. The very end of the movie is a nearly 8 minute roll interrupted by only two brief segments of conversation. Is that perhaps because the director didn't trust the actors? I wasn't impressed with any of the acting, but that could easily have been the dialogue which was bland and often didn't make sense. I was especially disappointed with Nikki Deloach who has since had many leading roles in movies like this, some of which included some great scenes having deep emotional content. In this movie, I thought she tried to hard.

The stalker ex-boyfriend is too annoying. It's troubling to see movies like this insert characters who do not understand that no is no and get away with it for far too long. After the last such scene, the ex goes off and trashes the leading lady with a superior attitude that something is wrong with her because she didn't worship him.