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I couldn't help but notice writer Anna White recycled plenty of her previous Lifetime movie 'My Christmas Inn' for 'The Christmas Edition.'
Here is Rob Mayes (Finn), again in Alaska, as an artisan who inherits his father's biz, mixing it up, again, with a driven San Francisco career gal of color on the verge of a promotion, Carly Hughes' Jackie, who lands sideways in a Christmas-happy small town.
Happily, Hughes is a breath of fresh air, and, with the exception of Finn's clutch of fugly sweaters (hello, wardrobe!), this movie is definitely an upgrade.
For one, Jackie, Finn & Co. unite around a real and heartfelt issue-the death of newspapers, specifically community news, a rare commodity in these films.
Jackie and Finn have an easy chemistry. Finn is off-the-beaten-path for a male lead, played with a laid-back touch by Mayes. It works. Most of the supporting characters bring some originality. It makes things flow, like rain in a desert of a stale among these movies.
All in all, it had a more natural vibe: less cardboard, more variety of folk, a few more interesting happenings, rather than the typical 'event' feel. Some thoughtfulness all-around. Even Marie Osmond, as the presumed villainess, packed a little surprise in the end.
One rub, FWIW: if you're set on calling it Alaska, and your cast is diverse, how about including Native Alaskan actors?
score 7/10
chiltonsjillfreeport 5 December 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw6340110/ |
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14-3-2021 00:05:03