As a long-time connoisseur of Hallmark Christmas movies, I must admit that my heart skipped a beat when I heard Erin Krakow and Daniel Lissing were teaming up again in “Santa Tell Me”. With such a promising start, I was eagerly anticipating a delightful holiday treat.
Every year since 2016, I’ve been tuning into most of the new Christmas movies produced by Hallmark. I love their romantic encounters, diverse holiday scenes, festive decorations, and even the artificial (or somewhat artificial) snowfall. However, I’ve discovered that not all Hallmark holiday productions are created equal, and I recently watched one that was painfully awkward – until it ended on a sweet note with an unexpected twist.
I happened to throw on Santa Tell Me last night with my Peacock Plus subscription, and I was stoked. This movie stars two When Calls The Heart actors, reuniting lead Erin Krakow with her former love interest Daniel Lissing. Clearly they have chemistry. This was gonna be great!
Why Santa Tell Me Was Really One Of The Worst Hallmark Christmas Movies
There are two categories of Hallmark films that aren’t particularly good. The first ones are those with limited budgets, featuring lesser-known actors and scripts that seem to scrape the bottom of the barrel. These movies are predictably bad and can be more entertaining to watch with a critical eye rather than for pure enjoyment. I should clarify that the film Santa Tell Me does not fall into this category.
Another way to describe this could be: The second category of disappointing Hallmark movies is when they seem promising: they boast a talented cast including renowned Hallmark actors, they appear to have a larger budget and even offer a charming concept, but despite these advantages, the end product lacks cohesion. A movie like Santa Tell Me falls into this category of poorly executed Hallmark films.
Before diving into my critique, let me clarify that bringing Erin Krakow and Daniel Lissing together again was indeed a shrewd decision. The choice to add Benjamin Ayres, Kurt Szarka, and Christopher Russell to the cast proved effective. The underlying idea is quite charming. You see, as a child, a young woman wished for true love, and 25 years later, Santa helps her with her wish list by sending her notes and subtly interfering in her life, which ultimately leads several men named Nick into her path.
Initially, I found myself disliking the structure of this film, but that changed as I approached the end. Here’s why.
The storyline of Olivia with multiple potential suitors and changing Santa notes left me feeling bewildered and disengaged. Despite the unusual premise of a woman revisiting old Santa letters, the narrative’s inconsistencies made it hard to follow and enjoy. However, a twist ending could potentially clear up some confusion (which I’ll discuss later), but overall, my experience was one of perplexity rather than engagement with the unfolding events on screen.
I found myself struggling to support Olivia and her sister due to some unexpected challenges. At one instance, her sister secretly took an item from a store without paying for it, causing distress. While I understand that everyone has their flaws, this action left me feeling uncomfortable. Additionally, Olivia’s involvement with multiple romantic interests simultaneously was hard to watch, as she didn’t disclose these relationships openly. This behavior led to heartbreak for those involved, and her unkindness towards her boss only added to my unease as a viewer.
In the movie, a sequence of dates that Olivia goes on seems to contradict the narrative flow, suggesting a lack of cohesion in the film’s production. While we’re led to believe that Olivia is working on her house renovation project alongside Chris for about three weeks, she appears to go on numerous dates with three different men during this same timeframe, shown in a montage. However, no progress on the house is depicted during these dates, which is unusual because montages are typically used to show the passage of time. Instead, it leaves viewers puzzled as to how much time has actually passed and how Olivia managed to fit all those dates into her schedule with those various men.
Let me talk about the wine pours. This one’s kind of funny, as it’s a common trope in Hallmark movies that the wine pours are hysterically large. This was also true in Santa Tell Me, but this movie takes things a step further. Olivia and her sister are drinking together and having a conversation about Olivia’s love life. Her sister Darcy has a pretty full glass of wine already and as Olivia leaves she decides to top it off. This probably bothered no one but me, but it just seemed like another example of this film making a poor editing choice.
In the same vein, there was also a moment where Olivia and Chris shared a bottle of wine to mark the completion of their home renovation, and then they chose to move on to another endeavor to continue their celebration. However, friends, you were already celebrating! Another celebration seems unnecessary.
Although the acting was commendable, I struggled with the structure and editing of the movie. However, the conclusion managed to change my perspective slightly.
The Ending Of Santa Tell Me Wraps Things Up With A Neat Little Bow
One aspect I found somewhat bothersome about the movie “Santa Tell Me” was that an initial letter from Santa to Olivia hinted she would fall in love with a man named Nick. Consequently, every man she encountered seemed to be named Nick. However, the film persistently nudged Olivia towards her boss Chris, which raised some questions about Santa’s intentions, I must admit!
It turns out that Chris, whom you may know, is actually named Nick but prefers to use his middle name. This revelation comes when Chris and Olivia meet at the train station in the film’s closing scene, and the station announces his real name, causing a sudden understanding to cross Olivia’s face. This unexpected moment resonated with me because I had assumed that Santa had made a mistake in the final scene, leading me to believe that he hadn’t correctly identified Chris for Olivia at all.
The surprising finale of this film doesn’t erase any issues I had with it earlier, but evidently many viewers who enjoy Hallmark productions found it satisfying enough to give it a 7.6 rating on IMDB. It’s intriguing to speculate whether the plot twists, the performances of Lissing and Krakow, or simply the anticipation for a new Hallmark film were the key factors that left viewers pleased during its recent airing. I truly hope these two talented actors will star in another Hallmark movie as brilliantly crafted as “It Was Always You” in the future.
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2024-11-13 16:37