The first film may not have been great or without its flaws, but it was decent. The second also didn't blow my mind, but was the superior film and one of the better Hallmark follow ups. And Hallmark have always varied with their follow ups, some surprisingly good, others mediocre at best. Was hoping that this third film, again with different leads like the second film, wouldn't be the latter. Brooke D'Orsay and Sam Page have both been good in other things so expectations were hardly low.
Luckily, this second follow up is in the former category of surprisingly good. Again, there are flaws and it could have been better and done even more with a great premise. Like the second film, it is to me better than the first film and on par with the second. As far as Hallmark follow ups go, it's towards being one of the better ones. The first film has the best leads, but the follow ups handle their messaging more subtly and are more consistent tonally.
While D'Orsay and Page are great individually, the two could have had more chemistry together. It's there, just that it could have done with more spark and the relationship itself could have had more development.
Did think as well that the ending was on the too convenient and tidy side and some of the dialogue still a bit awkward and sugary.
However, there is much to recommend. It has an at least professional look to it, the scenery is very pretty with a cosy look to it and the photography is slick. The music is generally not as constant or as over-scored as Hallmark Christmas films can be, with some nice soundtrack choices throughout. The direction is assured enough. There are enough moments that made me smile and came over as genuinely sweet, mostly too without being overly so.
Even though flawed, the story had a sincere charm often, it was often light on its feet and it did warm the heart enough. The more serious moments fit easily and don't come over as over sentimental, any tonal gear changes don't feel abrupt. D'Orsay is endearingly charming and Page a sympathetic partner, while Michele Scarabelli brings class and zest to her role (prefer her over Kathie Lee Gifford). The rest of the supporting cast do more than ably. The film does well at making me care for the characters too.
In conclusion, very nice film. 7/10.
A Godwink Christmas: Second Chance, First Love
2020
Action / Drama / Family / Romance
A Godwink Christmas: Second Chance, First Love
2020
Action / Drama / Family / Romance
6.7Keywords: based on novel or bookchristmasholiday
Plot summary
In Boise, Idaho, Pat Godfrey and Margie Southworth were young sweethearts, which was particularly special to Margie because Pat's family was more like a real family than her own emotionally-distant one was. Margie's first job working for retailer Connor and Co. at their Oak Street store also felt like family, especially under her manager Willa. But when Pat moved to Hawaii immediately following high school for his dream of working in the outdoor-adventure business, Margie decided to stay in Boise. He asked her to go with him, but she thought he would only be there until he discovered his true life and career. Now 20 years later, right before Christmas, Margie is still working at Connor and Co., still in Boise but in their regional office as the VP of Marketing and Promotions; Willa is still her boss. Margie met her current boyfriend of six months, Scott, in the company; he worked in the field office 90 minutes away, so they've been doing the long-distance relationship thing. When Scott is brought into the regional office for training under Margie, they will get an opportunity to deepen their relationship in the probability that he is training for a job in the Boise office. Meanwhile, Pat, now divorced and the primary parent to adolescent sons PJ and John, has just sold his outdoor-adventure company in Hawaii for a job in Boise to be closer to his ex-wife Casey in San Francisco for the boys' sake, and to be closer to his now-widowed mother Lois, with whom they'll be living until they find something more permanent. Pat's job falls through so he scrambles to find another. He had planned to contact Margie in the New Year just as old friends, but fate seems to usurp Pat and they accidentally run into each other...again and again and again. While Lois believes their encounters are "Godwinks" at work telling them that they are meant to be together, which is the case if they listen to their hearts, their brains might be telling them something else. Pat feels his first priority is to find that job regardless of what that actually means in practical terms, and Margie feels the need to explore what a more-dedicated relationship with Scott entails, while both begin to believe that Scott being brought in for training at the Boise office means work changes for both of them, and not necessarily in a good way for Margie.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
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720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Second chance at Christmas
The Best Godwink Yet!
I really enjoyed this installment of Godwink, Sam Page and Brooke D'Orsay do a great job portraying a pair of high school sweethearts who meet again later in life. Page & D'Orsay have great chemistry and an easy flow between them that you would expect to see in this, all too relatable scenario, in this "Facebook" generation. The pace is good, the entire cast is good, and the story is interesting enough that I found myself being pulled right into it. I'll be watching this one again.
A warm new instalment in the Godwink series...
I agree with another reviewer on here. I thought the second was the best thus far, while this was in par with the first. That said, it is a sweet and warm story. I do love the concept of this series; thus, I hope we get a fourth instalment next Christmas. The script was strong as well. The writers could have given more scenes to the two leads, though, to be fair, they only have 80 minutes to tell this story. The relationship between Margie (played by Brooke D'Orsay) and Scott (played by Zahf Paroo) seemed odd. They never once touched on screen, for example; it was hard to believe that they were a couple. It just seemed strange. The acting, overall, was strong. Both Sam Page (as Pat) and D'Orsay had good performances, convincing performances for the most part. The chemistry was good, though, as I alluded to above, the writers could have developed this a bit more. The supporting cast was pretty good too. I thought the grandmother (played by Michele Scarabelli) had a very warm and gentle feel to her performance, which I enjoyed. Finally, the scenery, props and sets were very well polished, quite festive. Overall, this latest edition to the Godwink series specifically, and Hallmark's 2020 Christmas movie lineup more broadly, is a warm and heartfelt welcome. Fans of Hallmark will no doubt enjoy this Christmas movie.