I like that the story was about getting through grief rather than the usual "I don't like Christmas and also my big corporation wants to buy your small business" story. A lot of people are sad at Christmas and it's good to see that addressed. It's always good to see Patrick Duffy on my screen, and I also liked that one of the main character's friends was obnoxious, rather than all the friends being super nice robots. There's always one!
The Christmas Promise
2021
Action / Drama
The Christmas Promise
2021
Action / Drama
Plot summary
It's the Christmas season, one year since Nicole Graham's fiancé Henry unexpectedly passed away in an accident. It has been a difficult year for her, but despite hiding away at times, she managed to come out the other end in part with the help of a wide and supportive group of friends and family. As she decides to move on with her life albeit with no set goal to move toward, she starts talking to her grandfather, affectionately called Pops, about the long time passing of Nicole's grandmother, Margaret, who was the love of his life, and how he managed to cope through his grief. To Nicole, that love must have been eternal in her mind as he never remarried. But the two biggest decisions Nicole makes are to sell what was her and Henry's toy store, the Village Toy Emporium, and to sell the house that Henry was renovating for them to move into after their wedding, the renovations which she has been advised to complete before selling and which she wants nothing personally to do with in not wanting any longer to be attached to the house. Through these processes, Nicole seemingly makes two new human connections. The first is with Joe Roberts, the carpenter who she hired to do the home renovations. And the second is the man at the other end of her cell phone. She took a play from Pops who said that he coped with Marget's passing in part by writing her letters every day to pour out his emotions, deep and mundane. Nicole's twenty-first century version of letters is to send texts to what was Henry's cell phone number. What she didn't expect was to get responses back from that person, he the recipient of Henry's old cell phone number, and who, in experiencing grief of his own, has managed to provide her with some comfort in those reply texts. The issues are if either of those two new human connections are for the long term, and if she may end up being hurt by opening herself up in both these fashions.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Enjoyed this one
I have to say...
...Torrey DeVitto is perfect for Hallmark Christmas movies. Sweet, fun and drop dead gorgeous.
This was probably not as good as her previous effort, Write Before Christmas, but she is not to blame: she is excellent in this too.
The chemistry between leads, while not terrible, is not that strong. The plot was totally predictable, but it's a Hallmark movie, so that's not unusual. Strong performances by supporting cast, and some genuinely fun moments.
If you like Hallmark Christmas movies, you'll probably like this one too.
How about Fluffy Jack Frost...
I must say, I really enjoyed this Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Christmas movie. Hands down, the best one thus far this 2021 season (though we are only 7 movies in). The movie had a warm and gentle feel to it while dealing with the issues of loss and grief. Yet, at the same time, it had a fun and cute side as well. These together made for an engaging and entertaining viewing experience. The storyline centers on Nicole (played by Torrey DeVitto),a toyshop worker/owner with a passion for knitting sweaters, whose fiancé (Henry) is killed a year earlier during the Christmas holiday season. Struggling with her lose this Christmas, she hires Joe (played by Dylan Bruce),a carpenter, to finally finish Henry's renovations, who she soon befriends (and the romance begins). Meanwhile, she receives a text sent from Henry's old number, which develops into a therapeutic and meaningful exchange, relationship. The writers draw their inspiration from a number of classic films such as You've Got Mail. That said, the script is well-written. The writers do a good job of mixing the heartfelt with the cute and fun. I found myself on a couple occasions teary eyed as she read the text messages about grief and loss. I also found myself chuckling here and there in a number of cute scenes between Nicole and Joe (e.g., the Jeannie Jonnie scene) and between Nicole and her friends. The acting was very strong overall, I felt. DeVitto's performance was very convincing. I was able to connect with her performance; i.e., she pulled me in. Dylan too was very good, especially in the cute and fun scenes. The chemistry between the two was pretty good, just enough to make it convincing while keeping in line with the loss and grief element of the story. The supporting cast in this one stands out for me, namely, the performance of Karen Holness as Susan. She was brilliant, quite funny, I thought. The movie had a nice and cheerful Christmas vibe to it. Who doesn't enjoy a Christmas sweater scene? How about Fluffy Jack Frost the cat? And dogs in Christmas sweaters? All in all, this was a very good movie, a wonderful new edition to Hallmark's 2021 Christmas lineup. Well done.