12/28/2023 0 Comments Write before christmasThe story takes place during the years 1956 through 1958, as Lewis rises to the top of the charts with such hits as "Crazy Arms," "A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," and the title tune. As played by Dennis Quaid, "the killer" is a very mixed-up individual: a saintly sinner, a world-wise naïf, a skilled performer with zero sense of discipline, a loving husband who uses his wife for a punching bag. Though I wished it broke further from the Hallmark formula, I appreciate they allowed it to try new things at all, but even with so many storylines and only 86-minutes to tell them, it still seemed to drag in parts, which is why I ultimately can’t rate it higher.Until its last ten minutes or so, this filmed biography of controversial recording star Jerry Lee Lewis plays like a live-action cartoon. The leads don’t have a ton of chemistry, as CMM is much better at smarmy than sincere, but it was overall amiable and different enough to hold my interest. Guessing they cut the scene where he rescues a kitten from a tree for time. Again, this is played as if we’re all in a fantasy version of the 1930s, though it’s set in present day. Auditions are, of course, on Christmas Eve, as these things in real life never would be, but I like that they didn’t make her an instant superstar.ĬMM also, literally, volunteers at an orphanage, which is helpfully located just next door to a high-end restaurant…As most of these sorts of things usually are. He gives DeVitto a cello, and she uses it to earn a fill-in spot on the orchestra. The main story is the card that went to her music teacher, ends up in the hands of the teacher’s (you later find out, adopted) son, who is the aforementioned CMM. In fact, though they (unknowingly) cross paths, they never met, or even attempt to, and I really liked that element. But I really like the fact that there was never the cringe-y moment I held my breath about, where the pop star becomes Chad Michael Murray’s rival for DeVitto’s affections. First off, how did she have his home address, and should Jax take out a restraining order? Do I think one card would inspire him to reunite the group? No. The washed up boy band thread was by far the most interesting, if also a little out there. The friend’s card “storyline” is just a long demo of these pop-up cards now for sale at your local Hallmark, and has just about zero other purpose to the plot. Second, he’s gonna to give him away by “placing an ad in the paper,” literally the worst way to adopt out a dog (no vetting, no way to trace, and a lot of shady people use those for nefarious purposes)? Hallmark, which is usually great about animal adoption, really dropped the ball here, and I guarantee anyone that works in animal rescue was cringing at the entire set-up, despite the dog’s (non-spoiler alert) happy ending. And, if you do, you’re an ass, and that should have been stipulated, and would have made Show’s character look even better (”I rescued him when his owners moved and abandoned him”), so I’m baffled why it wasn’t a plot point. First off, someone just moved and gave up with their dog? Pets are family members, not furniture, you don’t just give them away when they no longer fit in. Lolita Davidovich, as the aunt, has good chemistry with Grant Show, who she bonds with over a dog named Blitzen, but I have more than a few issues with the canine’s storyline. (Run, Beauty Queen/enlisted person! You can do so much better.) I mean, is this during the Depression? Can he not afford to buy her his own card? Sure, I know Hallmark’s card prices are insane (seriously, I just bought a plain birthday card for $5…I’m old and remember when they cost a $1), but a guy who crosses out stuff on a card and gives it to you, does not seem romantic, just super cheap. The brother re-using the card to woo the model/Army mail clerk is…Odd. These include a music teacher, her brother, the aunt who raised her, her BFF and a washed up pop star. While all the cards, mostly, set off their own storylines, I really wish we’d been able to follow them more, without quite so much focus on the main couple’s bland romance. When her boyfriend dumps her just before Christmas, Torrey DeVitto decides to take the Hallmark-brand Christmas cards she bought-so lovingly shot here, you’d think they were the director’s actual children, but, hey, when you’ve got a product to flog, might as well really go for it-to send her now ex and instead pass them along to five people that mean the most to her. My gut, though, also says the reason it didn’t work as well as it might have, likely has to do with Hallmark’s script tinkering to adhere to its inexorable formula. Let me say up front that I am extremely appreciative of Hallmark trying something new with this movie which, even if it didn’t 100 percent work, really was a breath of fresh. Where to Watch?: Hallmark will replay it multiple times this season, and for every season in perpetuity.
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