Yes, it is that magical time of year when channels are filled with sentimental two-hour slices of predictable holiday romance and feel-good family dramedy.
I live for this time of year, and I hope you do too. So once again I'll be reviewing the best and worst of this season's holiday movies, whether they're brand new or just never-before review by moi.
Let's begin with a flick you can find on Netflix anytime or on ION on November 25: Christmas Town.
Basic premise according to TiVo: A woman discovers the spirit of Christmas while visiting her estranged father in a town that is decked out for the holidays.
Basic premise according to Netflix: In a town totally consumed with the Christmas spirit, a single mom, her son, and her father discover the magic and healing of the true holiday spirit.
If those two sentences don't hook you, I don't know that this movie will, particularly if you're like me and don't love the genre of Christmas movies that fall more on the side of fantasy than romance.
And yet, this movie isn't terrible and avoids the overused plot device of many Christmas fantasies; it doesn't spend 85 percent of the movie trying to conceal the fact that the main character is Santa/is related to Santa. Instead, Christmas Town's main storyline focuses on a simple story of father-daughter reconciliation that, while predictable, isn't yet entirely old in made-for-TV Christmas fare.
The main issue with Christmas Town is the town itself. I've ranted before about Christmas movies that are clearly filmed in the middle of the summer, but this movie takes that faux pas to a whole new level. The said town--Hollyville--attempts to create a realistic setting for Santa's workshop but discards Santa Claus Mythology 101 and places that town not at the North Pole but in Anytown, U.S.A. This flaw, on top of the sunny setting, throws out any charm Christmas Town might borrow from movies that have successfully imagined Santa's workshop before, most notably The Santa Clause.
Number of characters who hate Christmas: one, the cynical, workaholic single mother--a staple character in Christmas movies since Maureen O'Hara in Miracle on 34th Street.
Least politically correct line: "Those aren't elves. Everyone knows elves have pointy ears."
Worst line to end the worst romantic storyline: (After a kiss under the mistletoe) "Merry Christmas to me [wink wink]." Gag. Me.
And if you watch the credits, you'll discover it's from Canada. Which explains a lot, although I'm not sure why.
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