I sort of fell on it by accident and took a chance, and I was glad I did. Overall, I think Merry Textmas was the right mixture of entertainment, cheesiness, and Christmas family spirit. I really enjoyed Ariana's performances and her chemistry with Rodrigo was believable and fun. I enjoyed the Spanish-- it added a ton of realism to the entire project.
The supporting characters all did a great job and supported the leads very well. I would love to see Hallmark include much more cultural diversity in their future movies. Discovering this Latino culture added power and love to the experience.
It's definitely a Christmas flick I'd recommend.
Plot summary
Gaby Diaz (Pedrique) is an app developer from Austin, Texas and the last unmarried sibling in her very close, very traditional family. Every year, the Diaz family gathers at Abuela's house in Oaxaca, Mexico, a town renowned for its '12 Challenges of Christmas,' which playfully ignites the entire town's Christmas spirit. When Gaby accidentally adds Alex Alvarado (Massa),a handsome graphic designer who's lost touch with his own Mexican roots, to the family group-chat, her well-meaning family decides to secretly invite him to join them in Oaxaca for Christmas. As they play matchmaker for Gaby and Alex, can the Diaz family help the pair recognize that each is actually the other's perfect Christmas gift?
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
A lot of fun.
Do they hide the translations on purpose?
I almost couldn't finish this movie and not for any of the usual reasons. It was because I don't speak Spanish and at least a third of the frequent subtitle translations were completely washed out in the background, not to mention being tiny to being with There is one scene in the kitchen where the largely white background is almost exclusively behind the white subtitles. Some of the translations involved major plot points. This is unacceptable for a movie on a network as mainstream as Lifetime.
I loved what I saw. Ariana Ron Pedrique is absolutely enchanting. Gaby is playful and appealing. Her chemistry with Rodrigo Massa is sizzling. There is a dance scene that was smoldering despite being slow. The script is funny and interesting (what I could understand).
I'm also trying to understand some of the subtext between the lines in English. Many of Gaby's family have some narrow ideas about what a Mexican should be. Can it possibly be that the subtitles are so much hidden because only Spanish speakers should enjoy this movie?
I also found it interesting the interplay about "coders" vs "U. X". I frequently wonder about apps, especially games that are so heavily controlled by the pure "coders" with seemingly little regard for the users.
I wanted to deduct more than 2 stars for the translations, but couldn't bring myself too.