Have been on a roll watching Christmas films every now and again for a while. Especially the output of Hallmark and Lifetime. It has been an interesting experience, but also a very uneven one and at times frustratingly so. 'Every Other Holiday' did sound good on paper and while some of the synopsis sounded familiar, especially early on, it sounded as if the film was trying to not be too conventional. Plus with that many liked it, there was no chance of missing it.

'Every Other Holiday' didn't disappoint. As far as all the Christmas films seen as part of my Christmas films go, it is among the best and namely because it was one of the few recently seen ones that had emotional impact and didn't try to stick too much to conventions. 'Every Other Holiday' is not a masterpiece and it won't be one of my favourites any time soon, but of the Christmas films seen in the past few weeks it is by far the best. This is coming from a genuine reviewer by the way with a diverse film and television taste, not a bot or paid account.

It may have some slow stretches at times and ends on a little too pat a note.

On the other hand, 'Every Other Holiday' looks attractive, especially the scenery, and the music has a pleasant and nostalgic quality that doesn't become overdone, over-emphasised or too syrupy. The direction was sympathetic but still gave the film momentum when necessary.

The dialogue is heartfelt, thoughtful and flows well without being self-indulgent or too flowery. The story is charming and moving, but instead of going down the cheesy and sugary sweet route that a lot of Christmas films in recent years do it takes a grittier and more serious turn. Without being overly-serious that it becomes dreary, without it getting preachy and without the shift being jarring. The charm and pathos, as well as heartfelt warmth, were still there even in these stretches while neither go into overload.

So refreshing too in 'Every Other Holiday' to have characters that felt like real people and ones that one gets behind in their trials and tribulations. Something not commonly found in recent years Christmas films. The characters have a very natural and sincere chemistry and the acting is very good. Dee Wallace is the most familiar name to me, and she does a great job, but the two leads are no slouches either.

Concluding, very good. 8/10

This is not a Christmas movie like all the others, especially not like the Hallmark ones.

If you don't stick it out til the end, or at least through most of it, you might be tempted to think this movie is about bashing Christians for their hate and hypocrisy. There is certainly plenty of hypocritical hate where there should be love. But about half way through we start to see that not everyone is hatefully judgemental. The movie is a story about how difficult family can be and working through that. It doesn't have all the pie-eyed optimism. It also doesn't have a lot of the traditional tropes like Santa, sleigh rides, caroling, and so forth. It has a few, but mostly incidental.

The acting is real and therefore some of the characters are rough at times rather than ideal. The chemistry between Tracie and Rick is real also - both good moments and bad. The couple has two young daughters that add a little of that element, but they aren't as central as they would be in a Hallmark movie.

The movie is pretty good, but it is not my cup of tea. I like my Christmas movies a little kinder and gentler.

I was so surprised when I first saw this movie last year. It was probably one of my favorite holiday movies EVER! It caught me by surprise and was filled with so much heart and soul. Lifetime really has a winner here! Lifetime needs to make more like this one, Hallmark should follow suit.