Holiday Engagement

source: Holiday Engagement

When I heard the concept it I remembered me of a blockbuster film that came out several years before this one that did very well...but this one, with the weird set up, the overly judgmental mother and lack luster acting... This is becoming a staple of Hallmark films the past 5 years or so. For every good film there's like 10 bad ones, and this one was bad. In the end it wasn't even worth using as background noise because every time I would hope the scene I wanted was gonna get better...it got worse. Only ONE good scene in the whole film, took near the end of the film... wasn't worth it.

This was so painful and aweful to watch. The premise was good. But the main actress, she is terrible, and that raspy smoker voice.. gag. Bonnie Somerville just can't act The mom's acting, was so overly comical and terrible. I couldn't decide which was worse. The whole rich parents, so tiresome. We need more Holiday movies with REAL people. This is so much "rich people problems" it's irritating.

Spoiler alert: The script is both formulaic and problematic. After knowing each other for three days, two under-/unemployed adults have an expected rom-com ending with the gushing support of the protagonist's family and friends. The film ends with a faitytale wedding day but I wonder about the day after: how will they buy food for their cute puppy, and will they finally learn each other's middle names?

19 November 2017. Somehow Holiday Engagement manages to avoid the blatant stereotypical, over the top performances of the typical romance comedies. Instead, the script allows the actors to make dumb fools of themselves in a more authentic way, putting themselves in situations that oftentimes, real people can laugh at afterwards. Like Sandra Bullock in The Proposal (2009), the dialogue is witty and intelligent, the storyline is consistent and thoughtfully believable. This a funny and enjoyable movie experience that is a notch above most Christmas romance comedies.

Let me start off by saying that the whole idea of hiring someone to be a 'fake' fiance for the weekend is absurd, but I also know people who are so anxious for their parent's approval that nothing seems out of bounds, so I choose to go with the flow. Once you accept the premise, this is a fun movie to watch. It's got likable, charismatic leads who work well together. Shelley Long is good as the overbearing mother who just wants what's best for her daughter and doesn't get that what she thinks is best may not actually be best. There is the typical awkwardness of the situation with fake Jason sometimes forgetting who he is. There's a sweet scene where Hillary and the fake Jason sing a Christmas carol while he plays piano. And another cute scene where Hillary tries to explain to fake Jason that he's the "get back" guy while he thinks the other guy is that guy. This is one of my favorite holiday movies. If you're willing to just go with it, it's a very pleasant, highly enjoyable movie that has not diminished for me with repeated viewings. If you're looking for great art and grand cinema, well, honestly, you shouldn't be looking at this type of movie in the first place! Enjoy it for what it is, and it's a great little movie.

Hillary (Bonnie Somerville) is finally looking forward to a Thanksgiving dinner at her demanding mother Meredith's house (Shelley Long). You see, this thirty something, newspaper writer has finally found a great catch named Jason to bring home! Jason is an up and coming attorney, good-looking, and smart; Meredith should be happy. Yet, a couple of days before the occasion, Jason dumps Hillary! He has been offered a promotion in Pittsburgh, away from the East Coast where her family lives, and she has been dragging her feet about a move. Then, too, with Hillary talking about children while Jason is trying to concentrate on torts, the break-up seems inevitable. But, Holy Fiancé, Batman, what will Hill tell Mom? She won't! With a friend's help, Hillary HIRES an actor, David (Jordan Bridges) to play Jason's role, with the promise of airline tickets Hill won in a contest. Naturally, David has to cram to get the details right, for his last job was being a costumed cell phone! Yet, when they make it to Meredith's house, all goes initially well. David/Jason charms Meredith and gets along well with Dad and Hill's sisters (one is Hayley Duff). But, small quirks do burst forth. David and Hill never seem too "kissy kissy", causing some concern, and David makes a few small mistakes in his new role. To complicate things even more, the REAL Jason comes calling on the day of the actual holiday. What a fine mess you've got us into, Hill! This is an engaging romantic comedy that genre fans will like. Yes, its a tried and true plot but its still great fun. Somerville, Bridges and Long make a great trio, while the supporting actors are nice as well. The production also looks good, with nice sets, costumes, and art direction, along with a steady pace of direction. Nuf said, for fans, so if you are on of those, hustle to the place where you grab DVDs.

This was like reading a good G rated romance novel, but not too hokey. I liked how they did not make the characters all super cliché and cookie cutter. It was nice to see Shelly Long again in something, and I was not bored at all. Bonnie Somerville was good. She is one of those actors you keep trying to think what you have seen them in before. I really liked Jordon Bridges as the romance interest, and I did not realize until I was writing this review he is the brother on Rizzoli & Isles, a show that I watch. Wow. Totally did not but that together. They should make him more like the character he played in this movie. I would watch this movie again while wrapping presents to get in the mood for Christmas. I rarely watch a movie twice. Lighthearted and sweet fare.

I actually created an account just to say this: Save yourself from the physical pain you'll experience after siting through this movie!

I knew how this movie was going to play out after the first line of dialogue. Pretty and perfectly nice woman is dumped by her rich, but good-for-nothing boyfriend and can't admit it to her overbearing mother. So what's a girl to do? Fall in love with her fake boyfriend, obviously. The movie tried really hard to be good, and I guess it could have been worse. But it was so carefully planned to be so fluffy, that every moment could be called ages before it happened. The script was just barely above being flat and the actors all gave it a valiant effort. But the message is force-fed and obvious. Twenty minutes in I was ready for it to be over. By the time it was half over, it was just excruciating.