Prime Time: Matchmaker Santa (2012)

Have you even had a proper festive season if you haven't watched a film starring Lacey Chabert? I would have to say no, which is why I made sure to watch Matchmaker Santa when I saw it in the overstuffed TV schedule.

Chabert plays Melanie, a young woman who is in a relationship with Justin (Thad Luckinbill). As busy as he is, Justin has planned a Christmas break for the two of them. Okay, there will also be a bit of a chance to schmooze at a party, but he aims to make up for the many times he has been too busy to enjoy quality time with Melanie. She'll even get to meet Justin's mother (Katherine, played by Mary-Margaret Humes). Plans are thrown into disarray, however, when Justin sends his friend, Dean (Adam Mayfield), to pick Melanie up from the airport. Dean and Melanie are used to this, but they're not used to being secretly manipulated by someone (Santa . . . I mean Chris, played by Donovan Scott) who ensures that their car breaks down in a small town, keeping Justin and Melanie separated during the holiday season. Melanie and Dean keep getting along like a house on fire, there are locals to impress with home-made cookies (it's lucky that Melanie is also a baker), and Justin ends up in the company of an ex-girlfriend (Blaire, played by Elizabeth Ann Bennett) who may still have strong feelings for him.

If you're watching a Christmas TV movie then this is what you expect. According to IMDb, there was some uncredited rewriting on the script, but the main names onscreen are writer Joany Kane and director David S. Cass, Sr. Both creators have a number of movies like this in their respective filmographies, and both throw around the expected beats and tropes with ease, undoubtedly helped by being able to hang everything on a typically likable lead performance from Chabert. Everyone in the featured small town LOVES Christmas, everyone loves to eat and drink seasonal treats without calorie concerns, and the Santa figure helping to change lives always does so with an obvious wink and twinkle in his eye.

Aside from Chabert, the rest of the cast does what is asked of them, with Mayfield being the safe and handsome man that the leading lady is destined to eventually view as her Prince Charming, and both Luckinbill and Bennett getting to play their parts without having to act like panto villains (there are often no outright baddies in the Christmas romance movies, just people who aren’t as compatible as they want to be). The real fun comes from the supporting cast, with appearances from John Ratzenberger, Lin Shaye, and Florence Henderson. Shaye is particularly enjoyable, prompting one or two genuine laughs with her wonderfully over the top performance. As for the magical matchmaker himself, Scott plays his Chris/Santa character with the absolute lack of subtlety viewers should expect in this kind of thing. You can view that as a good or bad thing, but it certainly didn’t spoil any of my enjoyment.

A good mix of magic, contrivances, and small-town charm, Matchmaker Santa is one of the better examples of this kind of thing. As long as you are in the mood for what it aims to provide, you should be perfectly satisfied by the time it all ends, although the end feels just a bit rushed and (even for a Christmas TV movie) a bit too convenient. I liked it anyway.

6/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews

Christmas Magic (2011)

Here we go. This is more like it. The typical TV movie that appears in the weeks leading up to Christmas, one that takes a half-recognisable star name (hey, you all may not know who the hell Lindy Booth is but I like her so don't start with the sarcasm yet) and drops her/him into a half-baked, lazy story that assumes holly and fairy lights are enough to distract viewers from the fact that they're watching rubbish.

Booth plays a career-minded young woman who uses her mobile phone while driving through some bad weather and ends up crashing. When she comes to she finds out that she's an angel. No wings, no halo, but an angel nonetheless, and one with a job to do. That job is to cheer up Scott Walker (Paul McGillion - think of Norm McDonald with absolutely no sense of humour and you're there) and to get him to rediscover some Christmas spirit. Scott has a lovely young daughter (Kiara Glasco) to look after, a failing restaurant, and some musical talent that he's left to stagnate since the death of his wife some years ago.

It beggars belief that it took three people to write this thing. Joany Kane, Kevin Commins and Rickie Castaneda. Kane came up with the original story, which means that the three of them had to put their heads together for a few days to . . . . . pretend to be fleshing it all out, I guess. Director John Bradshaw then simply had to set up the cameras, ensure that they weren't moved much, and make every set and design choice in line with the work that you would see on some cheap daytime soap opera.

Booth does gain the film some bonus points, she's a pleasant enough presence in the lead role and if you like her (as I do) then you should find this at least bearable, and Glasco is alright as the typical lovely child only found in these kinds of movies. Not once does she ever try to beg for a new games console or super duper toy, and she seems perfectly adjusted to her life, despite having a father with such major hang-ups. Derek McGrath isn't too bad either, playing the angel who gives Booth her assignment, and Tricia Braun and Teresa Pavlinek both benefit from having limited screentime. They're not bad, but they don't get much chance to dissuade us of that opinion anyway. McGillion, on the other hand, is just a wet blanket sitting in the middle of proceedings. I know that his character has suffered, hence the need for a magical intervention, but he's still just too uncharismatic to really be bothered about. In fact, he becomes downright irritating at times.

If you're happy to watch the kind of film in which strangers can meet up and then, within minutes, one can offer to help promote a business, and also offer to help babysit a young girl, then this might be passable entertainment for you. But bear in mind that it also has a rubbish song included, one that is used a few times during the third act.

It will kill just over 90 minutes, sure, but it may also kill off a little bit of your goodwill.

3/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share