Christmas in Notting Hill

Christmas in Notting Hill_360P

OK, truth time. I've never seen Notting Hill, the neighborhood or the movie, so many of the connections of that movie were lost on me, so if you're looking for special insight, ask Julia Roberts, not me. So, we have an English soccer star recovering from an injury and an American school teacher falling for each other. Our American doesn't know who he is, despite the fact that he is the brother of her sister. Hmm. That's the biggest stretch of this film. Credit where credit is due, they shot this thing at least partially in London and the production values show. It's no classic, but it's unique and that's worth a watch.

I actually enjoyed this movie! Haven't seen William Moseley in anything since the Narnia films of my childhood, so I was pleasantly surprised to see him in this. Graham was a sweet, well-rounded character. Georgia felt a bit childish at times, (and there were moments that Lizzie as the younger sis acted far more mature), but it wasn't a dealbreaker. Good chemistry and was super invested in both romance storylines. I loved how Georgia and Graham's connection was instant, but even so, they built a friendship first before it delved into romance. That said, I think this film would've been much better had they not left out a big part...what happened with Georgia's career? We know she accepted the international job, but did she? Based off the epilogue, we never see her teaching again lol. I just thought it was odd to make that a recurring plot point but not go back to it in depth. Especially since it seemed at the bar that she felt like she rushed the decision and didn't think it through. I also think the typical third act misunderstanding between the couple could've had more to it. Georgia being upset about the tabloid was odd, because not only are they commonplace in the UK, but it's not like Graham himself wrote it lol. It would've been nice to have it where Graham found out about her taking the job and he also gets upset because she never told him about it just when their relationship was beginning. All in all, I enjoyed this purely from the romance angle, not so much the storytelling angle!

8.1 stars. I didn't think it would be a spin on the actual 'Notting Hill', but I soon realized it was. It only shares one aspect though: celebrity dates a commoner. The story is about an American woman (Ramos) who gets swept up into the drama of a famous footballer (Moseley) who lives and plays in London. His brother who is British is dating her sister, an American, but she hasn't met the family yet. She flies to London over the holidays to finally meet this "mysterious" British family. She doesn't recognize him for the big sports icon, so he's intrigued and somewhat beguiled by her lack of interest. He's been searching for a woman to treat him as a normal citizen rather than a big time football star (soccer for the Americans). As the story continues, there are some out of place moments which I attribute to acting styles. I disagree that the lead female is standoffish and difficult. I think it's just a quirk the actress is trying to convey, a bit odd at times, but she's portraying a serious person. I lean in favor of giving her the benefit of the doubt. I give her credit though, she is adept at the ice cold persona. Can't put a finger on why some uncomfortable moments, could be clashing performance methods, but as they say: "the show must go on". I thoroughly enjoyed 'Christmas in Notting Hill', it's a pleasurable romance, entertaining through and through. In my opinion, many viewers don't feel Ramos is charismatic, however I think she has great presence. And Mr. Moseley is quite talented and gives a convincing performance.

They were cute together. Cute movie. I love how he tried to keep his identity a secret. The drama in the first half about him not telling her who he was though, that should not have been a big deal. If I were in her shoes, I would have just laughed and would have felt so flattered that someone famous was interested in spending time with me. I would have not been mad at him. Just another example of a stupid Hallmark drama. The main actors had good chemistry together. Side note: I'm the same age as William Moseley and I had a crush on him back when he was Chronicles of Narnia and apparently he's still cute. I hope Hallmark puts him in more movies. The sister drama was stupid too. I can get them having a difference of opinion. Why would the older one stomp out of the bar? Very childish. Made no sense. The dialogue/script at times was lazy. The brothers dating sisters story is a little backwoods. I mean I know it could happen, but there's just something a little weird about it. The dad actor was real weird. Not his character but his acting. I don't normally like when Hallmark just copies famous movies, but for some reason I like this one. Maybe it's because the couple was cute together and maybe because I really like Notting Hill. Who knows. The third drama at the market when she sees the magazine... It's all just ridiculous. I don't know if it could have been made better or what but all the different little dramas were just stupid and could have been better written easily. How he found the necklace was also incredibly stupid. It was right there in plain sight. And you're telling me she didn't see it herself? The proposal was sweet. It was weird that we don't really have resolution on her career options. Is she working around the world? Where is she working? Is she in England with him? I just didn't like the how they didn't wrap that up. He got what he wanted. He got to play again and win. But what about her? Cute movie, even if the script was lame at times.

Kind of wish I had as well. Kept waiting for it to get good. It just didn't. Lots of dialog and not much plot. The only drama was in the head of the lead female character... well, that and the fact that she lost a necklace. Not sure what the guy saw in her. I was rolling my eyes within 5 minutes. Woman goes home with a complete stranger that bumps into her at a Christmas festival because she's a mess and has to get cleaned up. Didn't look like much of a mess to me, and really? Go home with a stranger? Good way to get deleted. Anyhow, this movie was very disappointing. Had zero of the charm of Notting Hill. My wife definitely didn't miss anything!

I usually do not watch Hallmark movies set in foreign countries because the bad accents sound like nails on a chalkboard. I actually loved this one. It was engaging and kisses streamy and the accents were forgivable. It kept me watching. My favorite part was when she made the statement that the secret he let slip was safe with her because she didn't know the people getting engaged and yet the viewer knew that she actually knew both. For a change there was more than one kiss and it wasn't started in the last minute of the movie and didn't come from out of nowhere by characters with no chemistry. There was significant build-up to the kisses so it actually seemed like it should've happened. It was weird that they both lied to their siblings acting like they were total strangers when they officially met. There have been a few this year where the conflict is overblown to the point of where I don't know what they see in the other person to beg for a do-over. I felt this was one of those times but not as bad as a few others. I blame it on the lead actress. She goes off on him because she didn't realize he is famous even though they had just gotten to where they were talking about careers when she cut him off due to getting a call. The thing is I saw chemistry with them love at first sight type of chemistry. That had to be why he apologized for something he didn't need to. I actually viewed his withholding his job as testing the waters to see if she really liked him for him rather than for his popularity as it seems like he would have women hitting on him all the time. To be critical of the guy being over the top, too, when the lead actress saw the tabloid, it seemed that she was entirely focused on finding the missing necklace. So it seemed unrealistic that the lead guy would think it is because of the tabloid headline. The injury recovery also did not seem realistic (for instance, sitting on a curb talking and seemingly not having much issue getting up). And the recovery didn't seem like a good reason to being late to multiple family events (extra media appearances, doctor visits, and therapy were all that were portrayed as his schedule). The actress's reaction to her sister wanting to get engaged was also out of proportion to how their sisterly relationship was portrayed. It was portrayed like that she has a problem with the guy that she barely knew rather than trying to protect the younger sister that the lead helped raise then totally flipped out about it. There were small details that showed how much they hit it off right away. Like the lead forgetting about the bag he left on the table. Or letting a stranger off the street in a foreign country walk her back to his parent's house (I wouldn't do that but she was somehow drawn to him). Thought it was weird that they didn't exchange phone numbers with as much as they seemed to hit it off right away. It was almost like the world kept having them see each other so they eventually took the hint and got together. Honestly, the lead actress should've picked up on that he was well known or there should've been a better explanation as to why she didn't pick up on the cues. It was obvious to the viewer with the picture on the bus and people swooning over him. The rest of the acting was awesome at supporting the leads without getting in the way.

What a wonderful story and cast! Really wanted to like it more, but the directing choices and directing itself it just awful.. So many cringe moments that I stopped counting after half the movie. Cast was wonderful and did the best they could, but me being in their places, it would have been terribly difficult to follow direction in some scenes, because it was just so terrible. I really think that the wonderful script and great cast was wasted, because the was just a very bad desicion made in choosing directors. You watch the film, this sweet story that flows and see how almost every scene could have been different because they all just feel pushed and made with force, not ease and christmasy inspiration. What a pitty.

5.8/10 (6) Same story, different country. It doesn't matter if it's America or England. It's a small world where the love interests will collide. The thing that drew me to checking out this film was the inclusion of Association Football. Football is my favourite sport, and so I got curious on how the romantic dynamic would be incorporated. It went about as well as I imagined. Only a slight bit of the game being shown, and the rest inferred along the way. The initial romantic meet up was classic, and the continuation really wasn't much of a surprise. The two main leads were cute together, and had good chemistry. The second couple of the film, while not the primary story per se, they were also enjoyable. My downsides were passion, editing and effects. While I did enjoy the actors, at times, I didn't feel there was a lot of passion which made the less than ninety minute film feel stretched. The editing and effects were a little choppy at times. Quick succession of camera cuts that seemed unnecessary. Also, the effects of snow felt too fake which bothered me for some shots. It looked like an overlay on the screen. Overall, not a terrible movie. It's bad enough to get a 5.8 out of me, but just good enough to be rated a 6. If you're a Hallmark fan then you won't go wrong and you'll enjoy it I'm sure. If you're not a Hallmark fan and you're being forced into watching one then this is one of the better ones. You may still dislike it, but it's not as cheesy as others. That's all for now. Thank you for taking the time to read my review. Until next time.... Enjoy the show!

I enjoyed the opening parallel between a group of small kids playing soccer and a professional UK football team playing to the tune of Elton John's "Step into Christmas". Georgia Bright (Sarah Ramos) travels to London to visit her baby sister for Christmas. When she arrives her sister, Lizzie (Joelle Rae) has a whole British Christmas itinerary...including shopping and getting Christmas crackers even though neither one knows what they are. While out shopping alone, Georgia runs into a gentleman...or maybe he runs into her, either way s one of a kind ornament is broken and Georgia, not knowing he is the famous captain of the local football team (soccer) Graham Savoy (William Moseley), treats him like a regular person. The novelty of being treated like a regular chap intrigues Graham who eventually helps her finish her shopping trip...including the Christmas crackers. What they both eventually find out is that their younger siblings are not only dating, but Graham's younger brother Henry is actually planning to propose to Georgia's sister Lizzie this Christmas. This throws the two of them together and eventually makes them accomplices. Meanwhile there is this whole sub storyline about both Georgia and Graham questioning their futures and their chosen professions. Things to like: there were some cute nods to the movie Notting Hill, Georgia and Lizzie's dad with his Hawaiian shirts was a kick, the two girls seemed to have nice camaraderie, there are some great touristy British things and Christmas traditions like the Christmas crackers. I think the drag queen Christmas special was a little over the top. I did enjoy the extended family for the holidays. Things that kept this from being in the top tier of Hallmark movies...the injury recovery was unrealistic, Georgia's anger at Graham seemed inappropriate, and finally the leads seemed to lack chemistry with one another. The fight between sisters over the potential marriage of the younger sister seemed disproportionate to their relationship...making them seem close sometimes but like strangers others. Overall, it was a good film that I think romantics will appreciate. I recommend it to hallmark fans and Anglophiles alike.