User reviews

I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 400 Christmas MOVIES.

BEWARE OF BOGUS REVIEWS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE NO AGENDA! I AM HONEST! I REVIEW Christmas MOVIES AS A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN!

Interior designer Laura returns to Utah to spearhead the renovation of an old hotel in time for the annual Christmas Eve show run by Ricardo, her ex-boyfriend and dance partner. When Laura steps in to dance in the finale with Ricardo, she is pulled between her job, her family, and more. The runnig Christmas theme in this film is "Christmas Magic". The magic is in a fountain and people's wishes seem to be coming true.

This is a cute little film that offers that you can go home again and that may not be a bad thing after all. Its nothing great but it gives us new Hallmark Leading Lady. Her name is Alexa Pena Vega,

A one time child actor who burst onto the scene with the "Spy Kids" films. Now an adult she proves handles this role with charm and ease. If she wasn't good the film might not of been watchable!

Have actually seen a fair share of Hallmark Christmas films that have been surprisingly good and more, so they are absolutely capable of having a good film in them, hence why they keep getting watched by me. Despite giving 'Enchanted Christmas' a mixed rating and am going to give it a fairly lukewarm review, it did have some potential even if expectations weren't entirely high. Seeing as Hallmark's Christmas offerings are so hit and miss and the overall quality very inconsistent.

'Enchanted Christmas' is neither one of the hits or one of the misses. There are definitely worse Christmas films from Hallmark, as it is not in the mediocre at best or dud category, but there are also better as it is not quite surprisingly good level or particularly good. 'Enchanted Christmas' is one of the just about watchable in between films of theirs, while not really living up to its absolutely lovely name that really grabbed my attention.

Am going to start with the good things, as 'Enchanted Ornaments' is not a complete humbug. Carlos PenaVega is a likeable male lead in a subtle easy going charm way, his character is neither too perfect or overdone in negative characteristics. The supporting cast are also solid and make a lot of effort making on paper cliched characters interesting and like real people and not like flat caricatures.

It looks good, Hallmark always delivers on the scenery which always looks lovely regardless of any authenticity. The photography is not drab or gaudy, and while it is not showy as such it isn't too static. There is a nice festive atmosphere at times later on.

PenaVegas' real life wife Alexa isn't as natural in presence and while she tries it seemed affected at times. Didn't detect much warmth in the chemistry between the two, together they seemed wooden and not rehearsed enough and that the relationship itself is underdeveloped plays a big part in this.

When it comes to the dialogue, it is very awkward in flow and there is no heart to it. Both the cheese and sentiment go overboard, and there is too little in 'Enchanted Christmas' to connect with emotionally. The story is not much of one at all for most of the length, much of the first portion is endless and pointless filler and what there is of the story is very dull, excessively predictable and at times silly with senseless motivations and rushed character development. The first 25-30 minutes were particularly painful in all those respects. The too neat and contrived ending, complete with the rushed and tension-free conflict, can be seen from miles off. The direction is routine on the whole and the music is overbearing tonally and in placement.

Rather average effort here. 5/10.

TheSTORY-1.25

The Christmas Magic in this story is the coincidence which brings our romantic leads together. Though this has been done many times before, what writers, Catherine Fridey and Rick Garmen add into the mix help to expand and add depth to the tale.

Family: Laura's Father and Daughter add stability to the proceedings. The way they act and react to each other is relatable and believable. The truth about Laura's Daughter, Nikki's, father adds mystery to the romantic duo's past.

Intrigue: There's something not quite copacetic about Laura's boyfriend. What is it? What is he up to?

These help plenty to make the story more engaging for the audience.

theDIRECTION-1

I had hoped for much better here. The dance sequences should have been handled with more flair and elegance. Subtle lighting and camera angles to frame and show off the dance and the dancers would have been perfect. It needed to be more like Strictly Come Dancing or Dancing With the Stars in this respect.

theTEMPO-1

There are times when the story called for a slightly faster and lighter pace, especially in the romantic sequences. However, the heart-to-heart scenes are perfect at this speed.

theACTING-1.25

There are no small roles here as everybody gives their all to their performances. I particularly liked Rene Rivera as Manuel, Laura's Dad. This is down to both the facts of good acting and good character building by the writers. Another one who stands out is Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen as Nikki for the same reasons. The writers have done such a great job here because you can see elements of both Mother and Grandfather in her.

theGRATIFICATION-1.25

The added elements the writers added do make this a more interesting and enjoyable movie. It's not the best Christmas romance out there, but it sure isn't the worst.

I would easily recommend this to romance lovers and Christmas freaks alike. You'll enjoy it in the glow from your Fairy Lights while sipping your hot cocoa.

theSCORE-5.5

Ho! Ho! Ho! come on over and check out my Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas Belles list to see where this film landed. Merry Christmas Film Fans.

Not to adventurous, the first 45 min are so slow.

I don't expect much from the billionth retelling of the same old Xmas/Love story, maybe something funny, dramatic...

I watched because Alexa and Carlos Penavega were the starring actors.

A real life couple that previously competed on Dancing with the Stars, so you know they have the dancing chops!

Cute Christmas film, a solid six on the scale.

"Enchanted Christmas" is a Romance movie in which we watch a widow returning to her hometown with her daughter in order to renovate a lodge. There she will have to face her past and reconsider some of her choices.

I have to admit that I did not have high expectations from this movie and I just watched it to spend my time and nothing more. The direction which was made by Terry Cunningham was average but he tried to create the Christmas feeling that we all want to see during these days. Despite that, it was obvious that "Enchanted Christmas" had a low budget but the result was not the best. The interpretations of Alexa PenaVega who played as Laura Trudeau, Carlos PenaVega who played as Ricardo Archuleta and Rene Rivera who played as Manuel Montoya were good for this movie but they could not save it. Lastly, I have to say that "Enchanted Christmas" is an average Christmas movie and I do not recommend it to anyone because I believe you can find better Christmas movies to watch.

I really loved this movie. I liked that they are/were both dancers how danced together as kids and teenagers. This is a great Christmas movie that every family should sit down together and watch it.

I wanted to like it, but it took me 4 times to watch it through because it was soooooo boring..... and predictable. The acting was just bleh.... the story was just, meh....... skip this one. It will be 2 hours you will never get back, that you could've been watching something better. Two thumbs way down.

Movie concept slapped together after they were on DWTS? Add the fact that one of the professional dancers has a role, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Lifetime was grasping at straws for a story line. The acting was flat, and felt BEYOND forced.

I was a fan of the TV show big time rush so I was looking forward to this movie. I was not disappointed.

I think four factors influence the quality of the Halmark Christmas movie.

Was the romance believable? I thought it was here without any huge does of melodrama.

Did it relate to Christmas? I thought the movie was very well done visually and I thought it had some nice family and tradition themes as well. The kid and kids were cute too, so that has to count for something. (the kid also was not really the matchmaker which I enjoyed because I find that plot creepy generally) What about the minor characters and subplots? Not many subplots here, but I thought the bit parts were well played and added to the movie.

Four, was it funny? Not so much. It was sweet in parts but not really funny.

So all told I felt it was a better than average Hallmark Christmas movie.

At first this movie was heading in the wrong direction....but it does come around to being likable. Alexa Panvega is super hot...but not on the same level as Chelsie Hightower. Hightower makes the movie for me. Blonde in a leather jacket...Boom! I kept wondering how is a fountain working in the winter time?

Enchanted Christmas is a bland soulless film. The stars Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega show little sizzle together even though they are married in real life. I think the fault lies with the vanilla script.

Christmas is coming but interior designer Laura's corporate boss urgently sends her to renovate a hotel he has just purchased. The work must finish by Christmas Eve.

It just so happens the hotel is in Laura's old town in Utah. It means visiting her father, who can spend time with his granddaughter.

Laura also bumps into Ricardo, an old flame and former dance partner who is rehearsing for the annual Christmas Eve show. Ricardo gives Laura's daughter a part in the show.

When Ricardo's dance partner needs to go to an audition, Laura steps in to save the show. Now Laura has to manage the works at the hotel, rehearse for the show, deal with her feelings for Ricardo and make sure her boss knows that she is on top of everything.

It really is no great shakes, will do as a filler film while you write out your Christmas cards.

I'd say that for me the leads aren't right for each other, but it turns out that they're married in real life? She's very lucky, he has a great butt!

It's a good story, with elements of Dirty Dancing as well as many Christmas films that have gone before.

It's cute because it has kids dressed as reindeer in it and I do like the dancing part too.

It's what you should expect from a made for TV Crimbo film.

Now, sappy Christmas movies need to be really, really awful before I actually up and turn them off. And for the first time since December 1st and with about close to 30 Christmas movies seen thus far, this was the first time that I upped and turned off a Christmas movie.

Writers Rick Garman and Catherine Fridey just totally wrecked the ball here with what they put together in terms of script, characters and storyline for the movie that would otherwise become known as "Enchanted Christmas". And let me just be the first to say that there were nothing enchanting about this movie, nor were there much of any proper Christmas feel to it.

The storyline told in "Enchanted Christmas" just fell entirely short of providing me with any sense of entertainment or enjoyment. And the God awful bland character gallery didn't do much to win me over either. Nor did the lack of Christmas feeling or spirit either. Director Terry Cunningham just struck out with this stinker.

The acting performances in the movie were bland, and there wasn't much chemistry between lead actress Alexa PenaVega and lead actor Carlos PenaVega. Now, Alexa could manage to act, that much was clear, but Carlos was like a fish out of water struggling a futile battle.

If you enjoy Christmas movies, then do yourself a favor and steer clear of the 2017 Hallmark Christmas movie titled "Enchanted Christmas". It just simply wasn't worth the time or effort. Who wants to combine Christmas and "Dirty Dancing"?

My rating of "Enchanted Christmas" lands on a one out of ten stars.

I actually had big expectations about this movie. It sounded promising and maybe not different from what Hallmark does but maybe it would be average. I'm a little disappointed.

While I liked the movie I would say that it is mainly because of Alexa, who, as usual, made a movie charming. I also find Laura and Ricardo the cutest but that is all thanks to Alexa and Carlos.

But the rest of the movie? It is within average and maybe a little lower. Predictable boyfriend. Predictable ending. The acting of a few people was... not good. The script had no "laugh out loud" moments, and I did feel it was lacking something else. However, the child was adorable.

To sum up, I liked the movie: I liked Alexa, Christmas and Carlos. In that order. But I was expecting more.

First off, let me point out that Christmas reviewer is a professional movie critic!!! They are being paid to review made for Christmas TV movies!! As the movie goes, I did not like it at all!! I love hallmark movies but how many dance movies do we need? The cast also just did not seem to click together like most of the hallmark cast do. The location also didn't work for the home town of the characters!!

Warm and wonderful. I wish it had more facing in it. Chelsie Hightower. Duh

7.1 stars.

Hey listen, if you dislike this so much, I get it, but I won't punish Alexa for the failure of the whole production, because she continues to shine as a wonderful actress. If you are skeptical about the PenaVega duo that's one thing, but I refuse to take my frustrations out on a film and basically throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater without a fair shake.

This is another instance where Alexa brings some of her better work to the table. Sure, the film is not totally awesome, but it's entertaining here and there. Now that that's off my chest, I will provide an objective review of the movie. On the downside, 'Enchanted Christmas' drags on for a bit too long, even for a 90 minute film, it feels more like 150 minutes. The timing at the end is slightly off. These factors lower my initial rating from a 7.7 to a 7.1.

It's about a woman who had a dance partner many years ago. They were young and in love, but he left town to go on tour, leaving her behind. She has since moved to Los Angeles, has a daughter with another man who is out of the picture (I think he passed). As part of her job she is assigned the task of renovating a lodge in her hometown over the holidays. The string of coincidences are a stretch, I know, and she must also be subjected to her old dance partner in the process. And there are some pretty far fetched occurrences scattered throughout the story. Ok, so Hallmark is borderline trying too hard to impress. And she has a boyfriend who is nothing special, actually is a tool (same old repetitives). There is a lot of tension between her father, and the ex-dance partner and herself. Conditions improve, he's not such a bad guy after all, and they rekindle the old love. Finito.

His scenes are fine, but hers drag! They seem to have no chemistry, it's awkward. He feels far more natural and charming. I seem to tune her out tho, not even on purpose. I just found myself wandering when she was talking. Can we please separate them? I'd love to see his paring with Lacey Chabert or even a cougar-ish move with Candance Cameron Bure.

I know chronically she is capable of having a child, but it doesn't seem to work with her. Couldn't she have just been a single career woman reconnecting with her past. The child plot feels like that last piece of jewelry you put on that you should immediately take off. Too much.

Honestly, not even the snowy exterior saves this movie. It's a decent warm-up to the holiday season movies, but I'd never watch it if better movies were on or recorded on my DVR. The commercials are more interesting. Is there even really a conflict in this movie? I barely noticed the dancing in this movie, it was just there.

Would it be too much to ask for a Hallmark version of Spy Kids?

I really enjoyed watching this romantic Christmas film, especially because because of Carlos and Alexa PenaVega. It was great watching a married couple working together in this film and I loved their characters Ricardo and Laura. It was so romantic watching the two characters fall back in love, although it's pretty obvious that despite their past the spark between them never went out. Laura was still very much hurt by what happened between them in the past, but it was lovely as how she managed to open her heart again as the film progress and she fell in love with both Ricardo and dancing all over again. I will though, I was expecting something when it came to the dancing between Ricardo and Laura. There was plenty of dancing, no doubt, but I felt it was lacking something, mainly for the big finale between Laura and Ricardo.

Overall though, I still found this to be a great Christmas romance film and I loved watching Carlos and Alexa PenaVega together and I hoped to see more films of the couple together again in the future.

i hated this movie, super boring! there was no chemistry between the lead couple who are married in real life.the setting was okay but it just lacked the holiday spirit. after quite a few good ones, this one just did not reach the mark,.

I love Christmas movies!!

However this one is soooo disappointing. The two lead actors have no chemistry (even though they are married in real life?) I also think they are two of the worst actors I've seen in a movie in a long time.

The movie is also absolutely boring with boring characters that you never care about.

Skip this one.

And Hallmark, skip these two actors from now on.

We couldn't get through this movie. We gave it chance after chance. We're suckers for holiday movies, no matter how bad they are, but this one is in a whole other ballpark. The acting seemed too forced. The actress, who we're not familiar with, was difficult to listen to - her voice seems rather screechy at times. The characters didn't seem to mesh. Obviously, since this is a romantic movie, they would, eventually, but it was too miserable an experience to try to sit through it. I hate writing a negative review, but this movie should have had zero stars if that had been an option. Very disappointed. We always enjoy the holiday movies and could even watch them all year round, except for this one. This is a movie to avoid.