A Nutcracker Christmas (2016)

Nice effects though.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

A young ballet prodigy follows in the steps of her aunt who is helping to raise her after her mother dies. Young Sadie (Sophia Lucia) is becoming the ballet dancer that her aunt Lilly (Amy Ackler) had aspired to be, even making it to the New York Ballet production of The Nutcracker only to drop out when she learns of the death of her sister. After eight years of absence, Lilly finds herself accompanying Sadie to Philadelphia where Sadie is offered the lead in the local production of The Nutcracker. However, the director turns out to be Mark (Sascha Radetsky), Lilly's one time boyfriend in New York, whom have not seen one another in eight years. There breakup had not been a happy one therefore much tension is experienced during the first couple of weeks. In the meantime, hard feelings begin to melt away as the two previous lovers find a mutual interest in Sadie's training. Through several mishaps, the three of them end up with the leading roles in the production. Although at times the story is quiet predictable, the last twenty minutes of the movie brings the rest of the story to a grand ending as the dance company performs a great rendition of The Nutcracker. Throughout the movie there is a simple dialogue that blooms in the end!

Amy Acker as Lily and Sascha Radetsky as Mark play ballet dancers and former flames that are reunited years later when Lily's niece is cast as Clara in a production of The Nutcracker that Mark is directing. Lily long ago left the ballet world and Mark after the death of her sister. Will they reunite, will the ballet go on? A delightful movie answers all of that and more. Worth a watch!

First off the cast is good. There have been ballet movies with less than convincing looking people acting as ballet dancers. In this movie the main dancing leads are dancers. A familiar face from Center Stage, Sascha Radetsky plays the lead dancer/ ballet director. Amy Acker has a beautiful face and a ballerina look - and her dance sequences are convincing as she is an ex dancer. The little girl her niece can dance too. The two main leads looked a little old for the earlier time period since there was an 8 year gap.On the plus side, it's good to have a Hallmark movie set somewhere else than a struggling small town with a failing business. The Nutcracker itself was beautifully done.On the minus side, the story is a little irritating. They were both annoying. On her side, if she wanted to dance it was her choice kind of even though she may have hurt herself. On his side if couldn't she dance another night? There must have been a few performances. After all dancers sub for each other all the time from injury etc. She didn't have to dance on the very night her sister died. Another less than convincing thing is the way the other dance moms were so against the nepotism then changed their minds so quickly at the performance was fake and contrived. These pseudo dramatic episodes can be overly fake in Hallmark movies.Worth one watch

What can be said is Hallmark produces quality movies. I am new to the Hallmark Christmas movies and holidays in general, but most are very good.This movie is no exception and I dare say exceptional. It's about love; love of dance and specifically ballet. The story revolves around two people who are torn by a tragedy and lose themselves, lose hope and lose each other. Through events, they meet 8 years later but can they come together and succeed where they once failed? Is a second chance at ballet, a second chance at love possible, and will they take that chance again? We know this is a Christmas movie, but it is excellent and well acted. It has dance scenes and well choreographed moves, at least to the untrained eye. I must give this movie a 10 out of 10. The characters are well played and the story in engaging. MUST SEE and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!