Unlike some of the reviews on here, I enjoyed this Christmas movie. I thought it was quite cute. The story centers around the conversation/dialogue between the two leads as opposed to the events in the story (or any sub-plots),which I found to be a bit refreshing, though I suspect this is not for everyone. However, I was not a fan of the Santa element in the movie, as it seemed a bit too much, I thought. That said, I thought the script - the dialogue between the two leads - was pretty good, well written. It was cute and, on occasions, it made me laugh a little. For example, the scene at the Aunt's house, early on in the movie, where the Aunt says: 'Besides, my nephew is better looking than that man, isn't he?' Then there is this long awkward pause before she (Harper) says: 'Your nephew is plenty good looking'. I had a bit of a laugh here. The changing scene was also fun and cute. The leads, Stephen Huszar as Luke and Jessica Sipos as Harper, I thought, had strong performances. The chemistry between the two worked well on screen, at least, that is how I experienced it. And again, the script allowed them to develop this thru-out. The supporting cast had a fairly good performance as well. Overall, it is a nice addition to UPtv's original Christmas movie lineup this year.
Plot summary
A TV meteorologist who refuses to believe in Christmas magic searches the city for her family's heirloom mistletoe because her sister thinks it's magic. Her quest is aided by a childhood schoolmate.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
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A cute Christmas movie...
Could have done with more magic
Christmas films can go either way, which has been my experience watching overtime the festive output of Lifetime, Hallmark and UPTV. They can either be well-meaning, charming, warm-hearted and don't feel too heavy. Or they can be too over-sentimental, cheesy, contrived and bland. There have been many films of theirs that have fallen in both camps and in the camp where there is a bit of both. And 'Mistletoe Magic' did have the sort of premise where the execution could have gone either way.
'Mistletoe Magic' does have elements of both camps, but actually is not too bad a film. While it is an example of a film that starts off badly and makes one unsure whether to continue, it did for me thankfully get a lot better and turned out to be a moderately decent film. Was not expecting a classic and didn't get that, but did expect in a way an at least average film that didn't have me wrenching my hair and teeth out. Luckily that was the case here with 'Mistletoe Magic'. Not an essential, but there is nothing massively offensive about it either at the same time.
As said, the film does start off very badly. It takes a while to get started and one also has to sit through painfully awkward dialogue, bad acting from the supporting cast and not really investing in any character. The story is very predictable, due to nothing new being done with familiar tropes.
The supporting acting is not always great (leaning towards the over-compensating type),especially that for agreed the boyfriend and the best friend. Very annoying "negative characteristics taken to extremes" characters that are overacted, particularly in the case of the latter.
Luckily, 'Mistletoe Magic' does get better in pretty much every way. Jessica Sipos and Stephen Huszar are immensely engaging in the lead roles, their characters are easy to like, believably developed without being complex and their chemistry is very genuine and always at ease. The relationship also plays a big part in the film and doesn't feel overused or underused, doesn't feel like it goes nowhere most of the time and then has a development just like that and rushes that and basically it develops at just about the right pace. Once the film gets going, the characters are more interesting and the acting generally improve excepting for the boyfriend and the best friend.
Furthermore, 'Mistletoe Magic' pleases visually in particularly the scenery. The music doesn't come over as intrusive, overused or drab, while not enhancing anything it doesn't distract from anything either and there is a sense of occasion. The script does flow a lot better later and doesn't get over cheesy or too schmaltzy. The story is predictable but also has a good deal of charm and light-heartedness, leaving me with a warm glow. The ending is not as easily prematurely telegraphed as it tends to be.
In summary, the early portions are a turn off but improves drastically. Not great but not dreadful on the whole either. 6/10.
Surprisingly good!
Boy, was this one cute! Great comedic acting, funny original script, and excellent chemistry between the two leads. Cute and appealing as Harper, the cynical Christmas hating meteorologist whose quest to find her family's magic mistletoe eventually melts her cynicism and Christmas hatred, Jessica Sisbo should be a hallmark regular. Her partner in crime is the owner of a Christmas Thrift store who used to be a chubby nerdy schoolmate of Harper, one of the popular kids. Huszar is excellent in this one, as is not always the case. He has never been one of my favorites, but his comedy and chemistry with Jessica is really special. The only two downsides are the actors who play Harper's bad boyfriend and her super annoying best friend. The director really needed to take her in hand. She was awful. Really over the top. As for the actor who played Brad, this is the second time I have seen him play the bad boyfriend of an appealing attractive lead. Maybe it's just me but I find him very icky. Even though that's kind of the point, He is miscast as a credible heartbreaker.
Anyway this one was a pleasant surprise and a real treat. And I especially loved the surprising little twist at the end. Well Done!