Poinsettias for Christmas

source: Poinsettias for Christmas

Moviecut—Poinsettias for Christmas

So we are to believe these few small tables of Poinsettias keep this family farm going for years? Now all of a sudden this year the few Poinsettias are not turning red so the daughter who doesn't want to live there has to come and figure out why. Since her family has been doing all this all their lives all of a sudden cannot figure it out. You would think after 40 years they could figure it out. The other sister who lives there all the time has not much to say she might as well had not been standing around in this movie at all. This could have been so much better but they needed it to be more realistic with more plants. Enough to make a Poinsettias farm work.

Nothing to see here really except for the above average cast. Plot is stale. Bethany does a great job as usual and square-jawed Marcus Rosner is adequate. Sharon Lawrence is wasted And the Dukes of Hazard guy is charismatic. But if there's anything more boring than watching Poinsettia leaves turn red, it's watching them not turn red.

A story with poinsettias, John Schneider family spirit, some romance, some good taste of cliches can not be wrong or bad or unreasonable. A film seductive for tension, for colors, mountains, confessions, team spirit, solution and a botanist not very convincing but Marcus Rosner is always a reasonable option for Hallmark Christmas films. So, not high expectation and a fair portion of fun in different nuances.

It's just your typical lifetime movie you have the romance,drama and the cliches but I enjoyed the film

Thanks to this movie, Lifetime wins another Christmas movie weekend. Bethany Joy Lenz is a cute, bubbly emotional firecracker. Add in Sharon Lawrence as the mother, and you can't lose. It also helps that the script comes from Barbara Kymlicka, who also wrote Four Christmases and a Wedding.

Poinsettia blooms aren't the only thing not blooming here. Romantic chemistry between the leads was nowhere until the reveal just before the closing credits. And was the TV show host supposed to be the romantic rival??

Lifetime Christmas films are a mixed bag, some are good, some are bad, some are somewhere in between. Few from what has been seen are unwatchable though. 'Poinsettias for Christmas' did leap out at me when hearing of it as something that had a lot of potential. The idea sounded nice and ever since being blown away by her guest performance in the Season 4 premiere of 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' Sharon Lawrence has always been a good reason to watch anything with her in. 'Poinsettias for Christmas' was to me a quite pleasant and not too bad a film. It didn't bowl me over and it could have done more with the concept, so it doesn't quite bloom in the way that it could have done. 'Poinsettias for Christmas' doesn't wither either, with a lot of things that work well. It is neither one of Lifetime's best or worst Christmas offerings and somewhere in the middle of those of 2018, instead around solid middle on both counts. As said, a lot is good here. The film is not lavish, but it doesn't try to do too much stylistically while not being static. The scenery is very pretty to look at. The music doesn't drown out anything, nor does it feel like it's too low key. While the script is not exceptional, it does have some bright spots. Namely the verbal jabs between Ellie and Patty. The story also has a good deal to like about it, despite it being very typical Lifetime in terms of what goes on. It is charming and light-hearted, complete with a warm heart and a good deal of smile-worthy moments, like with the Vlog Channel. Ellie's conflict is done well and refreshingly, even if it is not out of the ordinary. The characters may not be three-dimensional but they are generally likeable. Bethany Joy Lenz is a spirited lead and Lawrence also stands out. As does Lauren London enjoying herself as the most interesting character. John Schneider is a lively presence. Marcus Rosner not quite so much. He has charm but he was a little bland at times and didn't seem as comfortable as the other actors. He and Lenz work well together and they are not disconnected, but the relationship could have been developed more and had more freshness. One doesn't expect great dialogue from a Lifetime film, and other than the verbal jabs we get a lot of cheesy and saccharine lines instead that don't always flow. A few of the characters seemed extraneous to the story, with the film not doing much with them. The sister and niece particularly. In conclusion, another Christmas offering that's decent but not great. 6/10

If you watched Tulips In Spring, you have seen this movie already. Hallmark has too many recycled plot lines. Time to hire new writers with fresh ideas.