A Perfect Christmas (2016) Reviews

• Cute, but Predictable

  nnolan-925672016-07-17

  This is a cute - but predictable - holiday movie from Hallmark about a couple keeping secrets during their first Christmas together. I enjoyed the fast pace and supporting cast, but was annoying by one thing: they made the wife "a cute little idiot" in order for the story to work. At the beginning of the film, they showed us that she was a smart and competent woman with a good marriage, her own house, and a career of her own. However, the same character turns into a stupid little idiot over and over again, by leaving a suitcase behind, canceling a hotel reservation for no good reason, and burning a pan of lasagna (after specifically being told to take it out of the oven in 10 minutes). By the end of the movie, I was completely annoyed by the "cute little idiot" messing things up, which isn't what the writers were going for. It would have been a far better movie if she hadn't been responsible for every mistake and the blame had been spread around among the other characters.

• Good Movie

  Christmas-Reviewer2016-10-20

  "A Perfect Christmas" follows a newlywed couple celebrating their first Christmas together. They invite their families to join them for the holidays, but when Steve (Dillon Casey) is laid off just before Christmas and Cynthia (Susie Abromeit) discovers she's pregnant, they both keep their news secret in hopes that the celebration runs smoothly. The film is well made and is very entertaining. It also has a message about being honest and being happy. The film may not be "Original" but it is a film that is worth watching. The casting is excellent. Made for Adults this Hallmark film is above average in every way. If you skip watching this then you are missing out.

• I took Stanton67's advice and tuned in to watch this.

  Carycomic2016-12-05

  It wasn't bad. But, there's still way too much room for improvement. Especially, in the plausibility department! Take the scene where Steve is fired...for the first time. If this had been a Christmastime episode of LAW & ORDER: TOS, the plot would/should have had him go straight to the D.A.'s office to inform them about the fraudulent lawsuit his ex-employers were about to knowingly aid and abet. In cases like that, the shield of client confidentiality instantly ceases to exist! He would/should have then gone to the ACLU so he could have one of _their_ lawyers file a pro bono lawsuit against his ex-employers for wrongful job dismissal. Of course, if this had been an L&O episode, the latter would probably have had Steve murdered! In the hope it would suppress his two-pronged counter-attack. It would/could have definitely suppressed half my disappointment in the plot holes. In other words; Stanton67 was wrong. You would definitely be better off missing out on this particular movie.

• A Sentimental Story For All Ages

  prestonm19932016-07-16

  With a Christmas film, you want it to be something for the whole family. While this movie is centered around a newlywed couple and family struggles, it still retains a "G" rating while being enjoyable for adults as well. The cast is lead by Susie Abromeit and Dillon Casey as Mr. and Mrs. Faber. The two are hiding something from one another. Cynthia is pregnant while Steve is fired. The very beginning establishes they are the type of people to plan things ahead, financially and otherwise. They have their entire lives planned to a "t" as to when they have accomplished certain milestones including promotions and children. Naturally, this is too soon for Cynthia to become pregnant and Steve getting fired clearly planned to advance to partner with the firm he was working with. Meanwhile, Patricia (Steve's mother) seems to have a large influence on Cynthia's decisions. She appears to be a tough and domineering woman with a judgmental persona. There are three major disasters caused by Cynthia: she forgets to pack an important suitcase (filled with sweaters for the whole family Patricia knitted herself), cancelled a reservation for her hotel room (as well as one for her brother-in-law), and finally she hits her with a large snowball. Steve's boss offers him his job back and offers to help him reach his goal faster if Steve will just do the one job Steve would not do. This job involved taking down a small business-a restaurant run by a man Steve knows to be a good person, who happens to be against the interests of one of his employers' best clients. Soon, almost all of the family finds their way into the Faber household - Steve's brother (and his wife & kids) and Mother as well as Cynthia's father and sister. Behind their backs, the family informs one another of Cynthia and Steve's secrets. Steve told his brother, who relayed this to the others as Patricia simply knew by seeing Cynthia's behavior. Eventually, Steve and Cynthia break their news to one another and (like most family films, especially holiday ones) they all live happily ever after.

• I don't watch Hallmark Christmas movies for this stuff

  Jackbv1232017-07-25

  1) What happens to Steve is a perfect example of why I hate lawyers especially who believe they can just sue people with no valid reason. This isn't just once, but it continues. And to make matters worse, Steve even considers it. 2) Steve's mom is not just hard to get along with, but she is terribly rude, arrogant and has an unintentional meanness to her. This is overplayed. Reciting a list of Cynthia's failures is a great preface to "I have no problem with you." 3) Cynthia goes from lovable and competent to appearing to be a total idiot, even if most of the disasters are complete accidents. This is also overplayed. There are still some feel good moments, but it didn't save it for me.