Watch Finding Santa For Free

That was an excellent one.

Lack of good storyline.

A Disappointing Continuation

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I LOVE Hallmark movies. Old, new, Christmas, springtime, I love them all. Well, almost. This one was a pretty big disappointment. There were timeline issues, there were plot holes, there was mediocre acting, there was nonsensical dialogue, there was really nothing to the story. There was no spark between the leads. The music was laughable, especially that horrendous candy cane one near the end. Grace is an artist, and at the end of the movie cranks out this huge painting of Santa with some children (in a few hours, as near as I can tell) that is so obviously a photo I was actually cracking up. Then when she's interrupted she proceeds to throw a cloth over the painting she was just working on! The unexpected blizzard/whiteout was barely flurries, and certainly wouldn't have shut down the interstate immediately. One ongoing issue I have with these Christmas movies is their lack of realism regarding the weather and when it's daylight or dark out. The Christmas movies generally take place in colder climates, and yet people wander around without coats, gloves, hats, etc. for long periods of time, totally unaffected, even when it's snowing. I live in a colder climate, and I'm here to tell you, that's just not realistic. (And considering how many of Hallmark's hunky heroes hail from Canada, I would think someone would have been able to clue in the sun-worshipping southerners on what it's like to deal with winter weather.) I could go on, but what's the point?

Dialogue and overall plot lacked complexity. Very little character development from start to finish was made. Unrealistic. Poor development in all. I think it lacked plot. Immature sentences and not great acting. I didn't like this movie at all and don't recommend. Like no thanks

Almost everything in this movie seemed forced, or put differently too much by the formula. The concept itself was a stretch. Who cares who sits in the sleigh in a town parade? Certainly there would be a few reasonable candidates as long as it's not Clint. I think Clint was a combination of an attempt at humor, and justification for needing Ben so badly. Neither of these totally succeeded.Other things were forced as well. The theme seemed to be Follow Your Heart, which is so well-worn in Christmas stories. It was a little overplayed. I venture that most people have occupations that are not their dream in life, but then the purpose of these movies is to distract us from reality.Even the climax, just before the ending was forced. I won't say what it was. Jodie Sweetin was OK. Eric Winter was a little better, but the romance wasn't fireworks worthy. Jay Brazeau was also good as the mentor for aspiring Santas.Just a totally side comment that applies to almost all of these Christmas movies. The directors just don't seem to understand winter conditions, especially sunlight. It's 5:30 in the morning in Massachusetts and its' broad daylight - no not in late December. People walk around in winter climates with snow on the ground or falling from the sky, but coats wide open and scarves that don't cover anything. People leave their front doors wide open for extended periods during a snowstorm. Anyone who lives there wouldn't do these things. (But then so many of these movies are shot in warm weather and the actors are sweating.)There were some tender moments, even the ending to a certain extent. There was a great deal of Christmas spirit and a passable romance. If you like the usual fair of Hallmark Christmas, you may enjoy this.

This film follows a typical Hallmark movie plot, which is "The Big Christmas Event Is In Jeopardy." There is a sub-plot of "Let's See If Two Strangers In A Fix Fall In Love."Jodie Sweetin plays Grace, who lives happily in a small town running her deceased parents' year-round Christmas store. Grace also organizes the annual Christmas Parade, which has become so good that a big city TV show wants to televise it this year. The Santa who always heads the parade makes Santa his family business, and plays the perfect St. Nick. Unfortunately, a mishap occurs and Original Santa is suddenly out of commission. A local casting call for a replacement fails miserably. The TV spot is on the line, as well as the town's economic resurgence everyone was hoping for. Original Santa reveals that his son, Ben, is trained in the family Santa business and perhaps might fill in. Ben, however, is now a freelance writer in not-so-far Boston. He flatly turns down the request. Somehow the family business is a bit of bitter baggage for Ben, who prefers to be a reindeer's behind instead of letting a one- time Santa gig interfere with his independence. Unfortunately the movie drags viewers through Grace's Herculean efforts to bring Ben back to his hometown and convince him to take two hours out of his busy schedule to save the day. Ben and Grace seem to hit it off as the big Santa-less event approaches. Ben is a young super- looks guy who has no resemblance to a traditional Santa, so, again, why all the effort to recruit him for TV? There is a scene where he demonstrates his Santa-like persona to some children; somehow that is supposed to reinforce why Grace wants him to be The Big Red One. It falls short. After all, the job consists only of waving at fans for one parade. As it becomes apparent to anyone not in the movie that there is absolutely no logical reason for Ben's continued refusal, it becomes a lesson in not letting civic charity get in the way of your selfish aspirations. Ben even tries to convince Grace that she must be unhappy carrying on her family legacy, and should bust out of the joint.If you want to sit through this to see how it all plays out, be my guest. Jodie is an excellent actress. The movie is beautifully filmed. The music is better then the typical annoying cues in many Hallmark movies that lamely attempt to supplement strained humor. Accordingly, I gave it three stars instead of none. Be forewarned, though; this is about as dumb as plot conflicts get.