User reviews

This was a decent Christmas movie. The story was nice, the acting was good, and the scenery, props, and sets were festive. It just did not have that 'extra something' compared to some of the other very good Christmas movies this year by Hallmark. For example, I recently saw The Angel Tree; it had great chemistry between the leads. The Christmas House was fun and made me laugh. A Timeless Christmas and Cranberry Christmas had different stories to tell...and so on. In this one, it was not until nearly an hour into the film (the scene where Sam decides to organize the Christmas party at the foodbank) that I started to be pulled in by the movie. The acting was pretty good. I last saw Vanessa Lengies in the Christmas movie, A Date by Christmas Eve, where she had a fun and cute performance. Here she had a decent performance. Corey Sevier had a solid performance as well. He had sort of a gentle and confident feel to his portrayal of Noah, which worked, I think. The chemistry between the two was fine, believable. Not the strongest, but certainly not the weakest I have seen; there have been a few thus far where chemistry was rather lacking. The supporting cast had a strong performance; Hallmark usually does a very good job with casting such roles. As I mentioned above, the sets were very polished and festive. I was impressed with that very large gingerbread house that they carried to the truck; the scene where we saw the first spark between the leads. Overall, it was an average, middle of the road Christmas movie that fans of Hallmark will likely enjoy.

The premise is like dozens of others - woman loses her job and goes home to small town where she encounters an old flame. One difference is that she quit because her brand new dream job got turned into the same old grind she's been knocking herself out in for years. And her current boyfriend did it to her, not intentionally, but still. The situation with the old flame is pretty bitter until of course, well you know what happens through the rest of the movie. Throw in the charity drive she pulls out of nowhere, with no time to do it. We get the same theme that runs through almost all of the Hallmark regular Christmas movies, and many on other networks - big city crush bad, small town community good.

Vanessa Lengies is energetic as Sam once she stops acting like a victim. She eventually settles down in a likeable role once she has a mission. She and Corey Sevier develop some chemistry once Sevier's Noah stops pouting about the past. Not that Noah doesn't have reason to be upset, and he's pretty much a saint besides. Following them in the movie is nice, but it's not great.

There's another woman interested in Sam who keeps flirting with him, but that character is just filler. Most of the acting is decent, although Bill Lake as Bob goes a little overboard in his role as clueless.

The movie is textbook predictable. It even has some of the standard plot devices to throw a temporary monkey wrench into the inevitable.

I've said this about a lot of Christmas movies - there are no great highs or lows or surprises. Something does happen just before the climax that might have been a little surprise if it wasn't such a typical plot device. It was presented a little differently than the usual.

Observation: Writers often present a character whose personality never could have gotten that character to where the backstory places her (or him) at the beginning off the story. Sam is presented in the first few minutes as someone to count on to get things done in a prominent NYC agency. She is a bit of a people pleaser, but the first scenes establish her as eminently successful in a high stress, high performance, cutthroat environment. Then she gets home and she adopts a timid personality. She's afraid to see anyone and afraid to go anywhere. She absolutely avoids any confrontation. This woman wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes in the environment the movie started her in, which is too bad. She eventually regains her competence, but I'm talking about personality. Sam's personality wouldn't last in that cutthroat NYC world because she's too sensitive and has too much self doubt.

Plea to directors: please make text messages readable to everyone who watches.

This story has been way overdone by Hallmark. These actors didn't bring anything new or energetic to the screen. The second half was better than the slow first half. I did enjoy the scenery, and that was the high point for me. I can't imagine what Vanessa Lengies and the hair/makeup crew were thinking with her hair. Absolutely. Awful. Not sure if it was meant to be ombre, but if so, it missed the mark and looks very unhealthy. I found it quite distracting throughout the movie. Even still, it was a fairly enjoyable Hallmark holiday piece.

Sam's new investment job unexpectedly falls apart in New York and she ends up back home for Christmas for the first time in eight years. Sam's boyfriend Will and his partner buyout Sam's new company and she decides she needs some space.

Noah, Sam's high school sweetheart and local cafe owner, and Sam have an awkward reunion...there is clearly more to their story, with tension you could cut with a knife.

"The years fly by but time has a way of standing still."-Bob.

The actress who plays Val really steals the show.

"I'm not sure I really fit in here anymore."-Sam.

6.3 stars.

'Heart of the Holidays' is one of Hallmarks dot all the I's, cross all the t's, cookie cutter, fit the mold films. It is one of a few I recall that is just that, nothing more and nothing less.

I enjoy the lead female's personality on screen. She has a very personable quality, down to earth, easy going, just an old soul type. That persona actually comes across in all of her roles, not just here and there. While this can be good, it can also lead to confusion. The career oriented character she is supposed to be in this cannot be portrayed sufficiently by her particular acting style. Mis-cast is an understatement.

The lead male is one of the great ones, and he does not have the opportunity to shine at all. Again, this is a mis-cast of epic proportions. And maybe the writing didn't allow for any breathing room for him.

This is average right down the line from writing, acting, chemistry, music, lighting, sets, etc... There is nothing special about this film. It does meet the standards of an experience that can be watched once. I will not come back to this one ever again, and it's sad because I love both of the leads.

Throughout my whole Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas film completest quest undertaken namely late last year through to early this year, an interesting quest but very mixed one, there was never the mentality of expecting a classic or the film in question to be flawless. Something that was never managed with Hallmark's output. There was always the expectation of seeing a film where one can see at least some effort rather than merely cash-in level. One could see that with most of Hallmark's output but not all.

2020 was a variable year for the Hallmark Christmas output. 'Heart of the Holidays' is closer to being in the weaker category. It is not a terrible film, it does have good things and it does get better. It is also not particularly good, have seen a lot of Christmas films recently that start off very badly (and even terribly) but improve if given a chance (something that was common with the 2019/2020 output of both Hallmark and Lifetime, and UpTV). 'Heart of the Holidays' is one of those films.

As said, 'Heart of the Holidays' did not get off to a promising start. Pretty terrible in fact, with the storytelling being slow and uneventful, the dialogue being awkward and cheesy and with none of the characters being worth investing in due to exaggerated character flaws. Any conflict could have done with more tension and not tried too hard and the ending is another rushed and too tidy one.

Plot-wise, 'Heart of the Holidays' is nothing special. It is a tried and tested story and the execution can feel tired. Especially in the first half. Corey Sevier has had far more likeable characters than the one he has here, Sevier is a likeable, confident presence in the second half once the character starts to grow but he comes over as too simpering and naive initially.

However, a lot is still done right. Vanessa Lengies is a bit manic to begin with, but she bursts with energy and charm once her character tones down. Sevier has a likeable understated quality to his acting and looks at ease, again once things have settled. Their chemistry is definitely there and grows at a realistic rate. The supporting cast are solid.

It looks nice as a film, especially the scenery. The music has a nostalgic festive atmosphere and doesn't intrude as much as most Hallmark Christmas films. The film is generally light-hearted, charming and heart-warming once it gets going and the dialogue on the whole is a lot better in the second half, it flows more naturally and isn't as corny while occasionally still forced.

Concluding, not great but watchable. 5/10.

Good story and good acting. A little slow occasionally, but overall a sweet movie.

Heart Of The Holidays (2020) -

I've said it before and I will say it again, Vanessa Lengies has come a long way since 'Glee' (2009-15). I would usually only watch a film if I liked the guy in it, but I'm not Corey Sevier's biggest fan. As a result, I only stuck with this one for Vanessa, in the role of Sam.

Sadly Corey, playing Noah, while at least bearable to watch, wasn't a character that I could care about. He always plays such wet and moody guys and Noah was no exception to that rule. He gave off the impression that he was the only person that's ever been hurt and that his life had been so hard and that he might cry at any moment.

I actually thought that he would have been better off with the character of Marina (Tina Jung), because I didn't feel that he had rekindled his connection with Sam enough and their romance wasn't that real. It might have been interesting for the leading pair to realise that what they had was in the past and actually they have since grown to fit with other people.

Sam would have been better with Will (René Escobar Jr) and not just because he was hotter, which he undoubtedly was, but because he had more going on for himself. I actually thought that she was a bit unfair to him.

Although I didn't really buy the relationship, I did like the foodbank message and what Sam helped them achieve to improve it. It's a shame that people don't remember foodbank's all year around though. After all, as Julie Andrews said "It's not the things you do at Christmas, but the Christmas things you do all year through." It's important that we do what we can for others to keep the "Chains we forge in life"* short at the very least.

It wasn't the worst film that I've ever seen and I would watch it again, but I wouldn't rush.

5.5/10

*Paraphrased quote from 'A Christmas Carol'.

I like to start a review with something positive, at least one thing to recommend the movie. The leads were good, though Corey Sevier is usually better, playing a more lively character.

That's about all I got.

It's a very tired plot, even for a Christmas romance. I can't name one fresh or stand-out element.

Oddly, our city go-getter suddenly goes meek when she returns to her small hometown, where her ex is in a sulk.

Things pick up some eventually, but only in the most formulaic way.

It was so dull I kept pausing it for other things and wasn't sure at first that I'd seen the end (I did-that memorable).

Not awful. Not good either.

Overall this was a nice Christmas themed movie with predictable storylines but still enjoyed it

I like it. For simplicity of story, for the main actors, for the nice dialogue, for fair use of social side and for the relation between characters. But first, for the wise way to be only a story, with familiar end, without demonstrating something, being not pathetic and proposing a story of redefinition of two young people , with a common past, front to new beginning.

Another virtue - the food bank. Yes, not original for a Hallmark film but wise used in this case , because it is just a honest perspective about people, their needs and problems. So, predictable slices and a new breath. And, good start for Corey Sevier at his first try as director.

5/10 - a pretty unlikable protagonist made this one hard to enjoy

The way Sam treated her partner Will was horrible. She is a selfish brat. I don't know how they ever expected you to care about this woman. I didn't feel for her I despised her. I feel bad for the men in her life and her Mother. No once else seemed to matter to her but herself. She only came to see her Mom when it was convenient to her...8 years since the spent a Christmas together. Noah looks like he had moved on and was doing well and was probably about to fall for a new girl but there was no way Sam would let that happen. I just can't say enough horrible things about this script! I love Hallmark Christmas movies but absolutely HATE this!! It's GARBAGE!!!!!!!

Down beat, slow paced, unlikeable, homely lead actress. Same, tired, overdone premise. Hire some new writers!!

Good hearted characters, not phony. Kudos to the director for casting and setting the direction. One of the top three Hallmark movies this year!

I wasn't expecting much from this movie, but almost right away I was pleasantly surprised. It has a unique storyline and the actors have a beautiful connection that makes you believe that a love from the past can be rekindled through giving to others. It is a great family movie.

Ps. Well done to the actors! Hope to see you guys in many more Hallmark movies in the future.

This is a perfect Christmas movie. Warm, good-feeling, uplifting. Great chemistry between two leads, probably because they've known each other for more than 20 years. The movie is fluent and easy going. The story is great. This has been my favorite movie of Hallmark's season.

We enjoyed this movie, it felt different than most of the Hallmark movies, characters felt more realistic and connected. Female lead was a welcome change. I think the fact that the male lead also directed (1st one) it's pretty good.

There were some nice twists in this all-age-appropriate, feel-good movie. With a mix of singles/couples, family and job situations, everyone can relate to a certain extent. There's some realistic awkward situations, but not cringeworthy so the movie remains upbeat. I found the storylines quite comforting being in a similar situation work-wise to a couple of the characters. There are a few subtle quiet laughs/smiles along the way as well as fun props in the baking regard. This movie has potential for sequels telling stories of other townsfolk who visit the cafe, store etc, and the children could feature too.