Movie #1641 ........................."Finding Christmas"

Movie #1641 "Finding Christmas" is kind of the same storyline as the Hollywood movie "Holiday" with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and Jude Law.  The guys switch houses --- one is from NYC the other from out in the boonies in North Carolina.  Once that was set up, I was going to stop watching, but the women entered and were kind of interesting so I kept watching.  And Hallmark does this thing where they don't put any commercial in for the first 15 minutes or so, and I think that is a way they hook people into watching the whole movie.  (but oh my, there might be 3 commercials in the last 10 minutes!!!!)  It was kind of funny with this one because they even drew attention to the overused storyline by saying: "This was the best house swap ever" toward the end of the film! The guys were a bit stiff, but the one guy loosened up a bit when he sang (that ended up to be his strong suit), and the other guy handled the truth scenes okay at the end; the girls were very good, esp. the handy woman in NC with the autistic boy.  I'd give it 3.5 out of 5.

"FINDING CHRISTMAS"    2013      2 hours

Sean, who runs a New York City advertising agency, and Owen, a small-town handyman and musician, swap residences for the holidays. Mia, who works for Sean, helps Owen get settled into his new apartment while Ryan, sent by Owen to fix a broken heater, helps Sean find the charm of living in a small town. Owen is a fish-out-of-water in the big city and tries to flirt with Halo, an aspiring model/actress/singer who lives in the apartment building. One night, after Mia has shown Owen around the town, Halo sees him entering the elevator while he's dressed in a wardrobe borrowed from Sean's closet. Thinking he's rich, Halo flirts back and sets up a date. Mia, however, warns him that she just thinks he has money because he's living in Sean's apartment and is wearing Sean's clothes. On the day of the big date, Owen realizes who he really is and what he really wants in life. Meanwhile, Sean is falling in love with the local veterinarian, who happens to be harboring a big secret - two, actually. He's surprised when his ex-fiancé' appears on his doorstep, ready to accept his marriage proposal and move back to New York with him. This complicates Sean's blossoming relationship with the small town girl, who has told him that her career as a veterinarian relies on her staying where she is, and to simply enjoy their love while it lasts. On Christmas Eve, Sean invites Owen to come back for a special dinner, where a surprise awaits all of them.

Director:

 Harvey Crossland

Writer:

 Lee Ventura

Stars:

 Tricia Helfer, J.T. Hodges, Mark Lutz