Joyeux Noel

Leah is a copy editor at a newspaper. Her dream has always been to publish a story with her name on it at said newspaper, so when the opportunity comes she pitches about a Chrisgmas Market in France where people fall in love. Mark is a senior reporter who gets chosen for this article, Leah gets the chance to go with him and work on it together. So, I always say that when the actors get involved in their projects, it's always better. Doesn't matter in which capacity. And this is no exception since it was co-written by our lead actor. This story was just the sweetest. Grumpy guy who softens at the girl's optimism never fails. The leads had ok chemistry and who doesn't love a good scavenger hunt? Resolving mysteries while getting to know the other... One thing I didn't like is that Jaicy always seems to play her characters the same way. But I really liked the ending. While, of course, it's a happy one for our leads, this still is a Hallmark movie after all, not everything turned out the way we expected as we watch it. That alone earned it one more star. Overall, cute moments between the leads, nothing over the top, a realistic relationship with no "I love yous" after a week, and a fun plot. I would watch another movie written by Brant and his wife.

6.2 stars. Joyeux starts out with a lot of promise, but immediately I was deflated by the way they forced a potential adventure to become a flat non-event. She finds something by chance, but the chances of this would be about one in 10 billion, that's just a guess. Astronomical does not begin to calculate. You'll see what I mean. And then after she finds it, goes low key about the whole ordeal and then finally has to fight her way into getting the story, and is stuck with a guy whom we can see shares no chemistry with her. Then they are in France and the whole story had so many missed opportunities and so much potential was hamstrung. Just a really fowl production, something that could've been one of the greats. Wow guys, you really blew chunks on this one. I'd normally award it 5 stars, but the acting was good, the little girl's games and pranks were refreshing, and the city scenes and backdrops were breathtaking.

What can be wrong with a Christmas movie about love and family. More the movie action is placed in so romantic country like France and city Paris. There cannot be any chemistry between the hot guy and the average girl. There is no way in the real world that a girl like that can have a guy like that. This is not how love and romance and attraction laws work. The girl should be also beautiful and slim same like the guy who is great looking, if you just want to make a movie about inclusion you will not have any normal people like it since it is not normal what is going on. So this is for 2 stars given.

I thought this film would be really romantic so I stuck with the story that Lea & Mark were investigating. I wish I hadn't bothered. There was no chemistry between the lead actors. As for the script - it was so painful particularly the church scene where Lea asked who were the characters in the nativity display - it was dreadfully painful to sit through & embarrassing. The fake French accents were also obvious although that didn't apply to all. I also found it difficult to get my head around the fact that Jaicy's character, Lea, had never left the country (assuming that she didn't have a passport), but was able to magically travel to France the next day!! The only redeeming feature of this film is the location. This is 1.5 hours I'll never get back.

I love Paris. I was excited to see a movie set in Paris. I love movies set in European Cities: "Christmas in Vienna," "Christmas in Rome," "Paris, Wine and Romance." to name just a few. But "Joyeux Noel" is a disappointment. It didn't look very much like Paris (I've been to Paris), and it didn't feel very much like Paris, either. The lead actor was good ( He was great in "The Baker's Son." The whole cast was great in "The Baker's Son." That is a great and hilarious movie! I highly recommend "The Baker's Son"!) The lead actress, Jaicy Elliott, who must be new, wasn't very believable at all. And Brant Daugherty and Jaicy Elliott didn't have much to work with since the script wasn't very good. I definitely don't recommend this movie. Oh, well. I am looking forward to "A Heidelberg Holiday."

I'm not sure how I watched this for 2 hours. I always like Brandt, but Jaicy, although fine in My Southern Family Christmas, is such a boring uncharismatic actress. She has this superior vibe in all her movies. Just not pleasant at all. Never happy, never laughs, rarely smiles. The script was just okay. I think with another actress, it might have been a lot better. Kimberly should definitely have been in this, or any other actress except Jaicy. I think Kimberly Daugherty chose Jaicy because there was no chance of any chemistry between them! That's unfortunate, but casting is extremely important. Especially a lead in a romantic movie. Not even close.

Jaicy Elliot, of Grey's Anatomy fame, plays the copy editor want-to-be journalist Lea in this Hallmark Holiday Romance with a French twist. Written by the husband and wife team of Kimberly and Brant Daugherty, this romance had a sweet feeling that was just a tad different than the usual hallmark fare. The story tells us of a painting revealed by an American museum of an unknown artist for their Christmas exhibit. The painting depicts a woman in the midst of a European Christmas market. Meanwhile, copy editor Lea purchases an antique wooden jewelry box for a Christmas gift. While home and examining the box, Lea discovers a hidden journal that speaks of the love of an artist...only the last of the pages are missing, leaving the love story unfinished. There is a sketch of the mystery artist which matches the museum's painting. Through some coercion she pitches the story to her managing editor...who then assigns it to an experienced reporter, Mark (Brant Daugherty). Viewing this as a fluff piece, Mark considers the piece beneath him and is even more bent out of shape to be saddled with his copy editor and rookie reporter Lea. The two are sent to a small town in France to track down the rest of the story and potentially find the artist. Their two opposing styles seem to be in conflict with one another but they end up both contributing and having something to teach each other. Add in the inn keeper's daughter Sophie, who has an on going conversation with Mark because he is teaching her about how to become a reporter and she is teaching him about the mischievous nature of the Christmas elves. This was sweet and the backdrop was lovely. I love European Christmas markets and I liked seeing one incorporated into this Hallmark story. I liked the fanciful nature of investigating a mysterious painting that captivated the holiday museum goers...and then telling it's unique love story. As a romantic, this story really appealed to me, which makes it a recommendation to all my fellow romantics.

This is another quest at Christmas movie combined with a jaded reporter. There are many other common themes, but somehow there was a bit of freshness to the presentation. Perhaps a lot of that is the setting in France and the inclusion of French traditions rather than the usual American ones. The quest goes pretty much as you would expect with one big exception but it held my attention. What is it that makes Jaicy Elliot appeal to me while so many other reviewers don't like her acting? Perhaps my first impression of her in Romance in Style cemented my like for her. It certainly isn't because her appearance is like so many of the other gorgeous Hallmark stars. Yes, Lea is naive, and she is supposed to be. Yet there is a deeper wisdom there. And there is chemistry with the jaded Brant Daugherty's Mark. The dialogue is good. One very common plot device in most movies with reporters isn't done here and I'm so glad. I don't want to give spoilers so I won't describe it. I loved the ending. Again, I don't want to give spoilers so I won't say why.

Trailer—Joyeux Noel

Brant Daugherty is always good, I especially enjoyed him in the "The Baker's Son" and "Just for the Summer". I've seen Jaicy Elliot in a few rom-coms which have been hit and miss. Brant and his wife Kimberley wrote the script and I give them credit, it's different in a good way. At this time of year when Hallmark cuts Autumn movies short and rolls out Christmas movies that aren't very original, it's refreshing to watch one with a different plot. The slow pace could have been deadly dull, but the leads and the supporting cast kept it interesting. It wasn't the ending we anticipated but it wasn't a cliched ending of "they lived happily ever after". Don't know where it was filmed, on a soundstage in the US with European exteriors, the old City of Quebec in Canada, Belgium or France, but nice locations.