The premise starts out as a copy of the Switched for Christmas movie of 2017. After that, I can't even compare it because I can't wrap my head around how ridiculous it was.
I agree with another reviewer that there was no good reason for it in the first place. If you want to destress, you don't go to work in a job you never had before. Maybe Sophia's reason almost made sense, but why keep it up when the kids return. Sophia was beyond irresponsible in starting a romantic relationship when she's supposed to be married, even given that irresponsible was her norm. There are so many other ridiculous choices by both twins. I agree with the same reviewer - "Just tell them", especially Sophia to Patrick as things developed there.
The story was too chaotic for me mostly going back to the question why for almost everything.
I saw no chemistry between romantic interests which was difficult to begin with because identifying who they were was confusing. I wasn't impressed with Sarah Lind in this movie. I don't think she clearly defined her characters. They seemed to run together, but some of that might have been that the director did a poor job of always giving the opposite twins distinctive features (if hair color is the same, then how about hair style, or clothes) as scenes switched.
It sure would have been fun to hire a lawyer to sue James because even though technically employment almost always has a clause that technically allows any reason for termination of salaried workers, Sophia had plenty of ammunition to make a good case for wrongful termination.
The Great Christmas Switch
2021
Comedy / Drama / Romance
The Great Christmas Switch
2021
Comedy / Drama / Romance
Keywords: christmas
Plot summary
Sophia lives in the city where she has a demanding job while she's living the single life with dating and parties. Her twin sister, Kaelynn, lives the suburban life with her two kids and a separated husband. They are both tired of their situations, and when Kaelynn's husband plans to bring the kids to Florida over Christmas, they decide to switch places as they often did when they were kids. Everything is fine from the start, but suddenly Sopia is surprised when the kids' trip to Florida is canceled, and they come back home at the same time as she meets a handsome firefighter in the small suburb. In town, Kaelynn tries to manage Sophia's job, social life, and strange roommate with some disastrous results.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Even more nonsensical than usual
Not another Christmas switch...
The second-ever GAC Family Christmas movie is a bit of a let-down, especially after such a wonderful start with Much Ado About Christmas. It is another Christmas switch storyline, which has become popular over the years with movies such as The Princess Switch (and subsequent installments),Christmas in the Heartland, A Christmas Switch, and Switched for Christmas. Though the story conveyed some heartfelt messages, which I appreciated, it was not an engaging Christmas movie. I struggled to get through it, if I am being honest, having to stop myself on several occasions from multitasking. The story follows twin sisters Kaelynn, a mother of two who has recently separated from her husband, and Sophia, a single girl with a demanding boss. Both wish they could take a break from their lives. Having swapped places in the past (e.g., for the high school prom),they decide to swap again as a means of getting away from their problems for a little while this holiday season. And so, the story begins, as we follow their adventures during their Christmas switcheroo. As other reviewers have pointed out, the plot has several weaknesses related to the switching of places by the sisters. However, the real problem is the writing. Simply put, it was not very good at times. To be fair, some of the messages the movie conveys are noble ones. For example, the scene at the end between Kaelynn and her husband Patrick (played by Dillon Casey),where they discuss how to make their marriage work, was warm and heartfelt. I even felt my eyes water a little. Unfortunately, these elements of the story were underdeveloped. The acting, overall, was subpar. Lind's performance, I'm afraid, was not very convincing. It was difficult to distinguish between the two sisters, acting-wise. Moreover, her performance, in general, was not that engaging; it was a bit flat. There were also several scenes with some awkward performances from the supporting cast, which did not help. The movie too lacked that Christmas vibe, which was so beautiful in GAC's first movie of the season. It did not get me into the Christmas mood/spirit. All in all, it is an unexceptional Christmas movie, I'm afraid.
Not so good Christmas switch
Really liked the premise for 'The Great Christmas Switch'. It's not a unique one, but it had real potential to be clever and more intricate than is usually seen with any Christmas film with this concept (or a similar one). That was my main reason for seeing the film, along with loving Christmas and many Christmas films and being on a roll watching and reviewing Christmas films from Hallmark, Lifetime, UpTV and recently GAC (the last of which being responsible for this film).
'The Great Christmas Switch' is a real waste of potential and really not a promising introduction to my recent decision to watch some of GAC'S films. A strong example of a great concept with really weak execution, undone primarily by the over-parted lead performance and the extremely flawed story execution. Is it awful? No. Does it have awful elements? It does rather. Is it recommended? No not really, merely for curiosity's sake and not much more.
It has good things. The end discussion about the marriage was really heartfelt and really appreciated its well intended messaging that was actually done with a lot of honesty and little preachiness.
Production values are attractive enough too.
Sarah Lind however falls completely flat in her dual role, it is not easy playing twins but it has been known to be done well (Jeremy Irons, Bette Davis). Sadly Lind doesn't bring much personality or variety to either role, playing them both the same and not well, and comes over as bland and stiff. Dillon Casey does fare better but he has far too little to do and he and Lind's chemistry has no sparkle or feeling. The supporting cast fail to register in stock roles. The script always sounds awkward and has too much cheese and schmaltz.
Worst of all is the story, which is painfully dull in pace and manages to be too thin for the length and too chaotic structurally to the point that the switching becomes confusing. It is also truly ridiculous, with the big secret being endlessly dragged out and still dragged out when it was clear the film had run out of ideas. Didn't care enough for any of the characters, all never fleshed out and merely just there. Lind's characters are the only ones that are particularly big in screen time but the character development isn't there. The direction is sluggish and has little control over the material.
Overall, weak. 3/10.