'Tis the Season for Love (2015)

Boring

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This movie stands out in the Hallmark Christmas buffet as one of the best. Of course you have the usual Hallmark fare with a dose of Christmas magic. However, this movie is more subtle, intelligent, and thoughtful than most. They addition of the former boyfriend and his wife as significant characters in the movie added a dimension and a little bit of comedy to the picture.The heroine had to make a life choice to continue to follow a dream that did not seem to be working out, (but maybe could if she continues to work on it) or to follow a new path for another dream. That is frankly a much more realistic choice pattern than the usual you can have it all theme for most movies or the Disney movie premise you must follow your dreams and if you do your dream will come true. The question in this matter is what happens when the dream does not appear to work out? This movie could be funny at times and in the right places that gives it a less melodramatic tone than a lot of these movies tend to have, especially in hour 2.I have enjoyed Tis the season as much or more the third or fourth time around than when I first saw it. Which when you have a two month movie marathon is a good trait to have for Hallmark.Also of note my nine scored is based on the genre and style of movie. A perfect Hallmark Christmas movie would be a 10. If you do not like the genre you are not going to see this movie the same way as I. So to be clear this is not the second coming of Cassanblanca or Gone with the Wind (which I think is overrated). But its fun around Christmas.

Spoiler... Why do Hallmark movies in general feature a woman who either gives up her dreams or changes who she is to please a man?In this case she drops her life long dream because the 2nd man in her life isn't willing to make sacrifices or move to support her dream, so she has to drop what she's always wanted to stay in a podunk town so a firefighter, who could easily get a job in NY, doesn't have to give up a single thing. Are these movies written by people who are jealous of those who made it out of their redneck small town? They make it seem like anyone who leaves is missing something and can't have love and happiness outside those small nosy, dead-end streets. I grew up in a tiny town and there is nothing, not a single thing, as idyllic as they try to make it appear. Especially not worth giving up your dreams for. What a condensing, annoying movie.

The lovely Sarah Lancaster stars in this predictable but enjoyable Hallmark Christmas movie. Sarah plays a struggling actress who returns home for the holidays to the small town she left years before. She returns having never realized her dreams of stardom and discovers her ex now has a happy small town life, married with adorable kids. This makes her wonder if she made the right choice leaving all those years ago. Then there's some weird stuff with Santa Claus and you'll just have to see the rest for yourself.I really like Sarah and will pretty much watch anything she's in. I can't say I loved this movie but I also can't say much against it, since my expectations are generally low on TV movies. Every now and then you watch a Hallmark movie and feel like someone just mashed together a few previous Hallmark movies and came up with something that seems to be new but doesn't really feel like it. That's what we have here. But even the weakest of scripts for these things can often be saved by the charisma of the leads and how well the romance works. The problem there is, while Sarah is certainly beautiful, she just seems kind of bored in this. There also isn't much of a spark between her and love interest Brendan Penny. It's not a bad seasonal romcom by any stretch, just not particularly great. If you're a fan of Sarah Lancaster, you'll probably like this fine. Otherwise you might find yourself trying to put together the puzzle of which Hallmark movies you previously saw the different pieces of this one.

'Tis The Season For Love' is a movie with a good heart. The main theme that seemed apparent was 'choice'; the far reaching ripple effect on our lives, from simple decisions made early on. Nina Weinmans story evolves with a perfectly timed pace and the main character, Beth ( Sarah Lancaster) is portrayed with honest sincerity, while her journey to become her authentic self unfolds. Terry Ingrams vision is very well executed, with beautiful cinematography – wonderful colors and rich set detailing make for an enjoyable visual experience. The attention to detail set this movie apart, placing it in the top tier of the TV Holiday Movie genre (which I must admit, I love). Brendan Penny (Dean) creates a believable love interest and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop on screen. This movie is about love, family and the importance of community and how the surface appearance of success can actually be a mask covering doubts and insecurities. The musical score by Hal Beckett is heartfelt and playful; twinkly and sparkly in all the right festive places. He perfectly accents the intimate romantic moments with his delightful piano and string moments and the fun woodwind motifs really make those light comedic scenes work. Heartwarming stuff indeed.