A Fabled Holiday (2022)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Starring: Brooke D’Orsay and Ryan Paevey

Synopsis: Talia and her childhood best friend Anderson reunite in a curiously familiar-looking town full of Christmas spirit that restores its visitors when they need it most.

Review: This movie had a different feel and style from most. I was trying to figure out the town the whole time. Magical and fairytale both. It’s hard not to be emotionally connected to the characters. I love it. 

Scoring: 4

A Faith Filled Christmas (2017)

Rated: NR

Genres: Drama, Religion

Starring: Anna Alayo

Synopsis: Three generations of the Fairway family ensure the Christmas season has the opportunity to be about Christ through their involvement in foster care, adoption, retirement community, and homeless ministry.

Review: I hate to give a poor review to an indie film but this was just so boring.  The stories didn’t tie together well, the acting was often quite amateurish, and a lot of scenes just felt blah. 

Scoring: 1.5

Faith Heist: A Christmas Caper (2022)

Rated: PG

Genre: Comedy

Starring: Johnathan Langdon, Aaron Poole, and Dylan Taylor

Synopsis: On Christmas Eve, Pastor Benjamin and his diverse crew of congregants find themselves locked in the local mall just as a fearsome team of armed thieves breaks in to rob the place.

Review: This movie is just plain silly. Characters range from relatable to odd. The story is bizarre. That being said, I couldn’t stop watching and I was amused. Not enough to watch again but funny enough for one viewing. 

Scoring: 2.5

Fallen Angel (2003)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Gary Sinise, Joely Richardson, and Rick Roberts

Synopsis: When his father dies, Terry returns to the house where he grew up, planning to stay only long enough to clean and settle the estate. Yet something indescribable keeps him there longer than expected. Soon, he is reunited with memories and people from his past and his life is changed forever.

Review:  A meaningful emotional journey as a man comes to peace with his father and himself. It’s hard to describe without spoilers but this is one I’d have a tissue on hand for. Truly lovely. 

Scoring: 4

Falling for Christmas (2022)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family, Romance

Starring: Lindsay Lohan and Chord Overstreet

Synopsis: In the days leading up to Christmas, a young and newly engaged heiress experiences a skiing accident. After being diagnosed with amnesia, she finds herself in the care of the handsome lodge owner and his daughter.

Review: I knew going into it that they basis of the plot was from the movie “Overboard”.  There are no big surprises but it’s a very sweet and enjoyable movie. The daughter and grandmother were my favorites. 

Scoring: 3

Falling In Love (1984)

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Jesse Bradford, Robert De Niro, Jane Kaczmarek, Harvey Keitel, Meryl Streep, Dianne Wiest

Synopsis: Although they live married lives, two strangers keep running into each other, starting a friendship that could blossom into so much more.

Review: I went into this with big expectations with stars of the caliber of Streep and De Niro.  Boy was I disappointed.  First, Christmas is only a short setting at the beginning and end of the movie.  It’s not a true Christmas movie to me. Two people with what seemed like happy family lives, blow up their families over an attraction.  Not a physical affair, just an emotional connection.  This makes them very hard to like.  The script was boring and predictable.  I couldn’t wait for the movie to be over.  De Niro and Streep had no chemistry.  It was like siblings.  Skip this one.

Scoring: 1

Falling Like Snowflakes (2024)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Rebecca Dalton and Marcus Rosner

Synopsis: A photographer determined to complete her exhibit by capturing a rare photo of a 12-sided snowflake, enlists the help of a childhood friend and they go on a mission they'll never forget.

Review: I’m not sure why Hallmark considers this a Christmas movie.  I’d have it as a winter movie.  It was a typical Hallmark movie but the lesser blah just like the rest movie.  It wasn’t super interesting.  It just felt like it was going through the motions with lots of plot holes.

Scoring: 2

A Family Christmas Gift (2019)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Holly Robinson-Peete, Patti LaBelle, and Dion Johnstone

Synopsis: When Amber spends the holidays with her Aunt Dora and helps plan a fund-raising Christmas Concert, it brings Amber closer to her aunt and a new love into her life.

Review: The story is sweet, and the little girls are precious. The direction is where I think this one was lacking. There were so many long shots of faces in thought and the characters often spoke so slowly. It made the movie feel so slow and took away from the story. Overall, I thought it was okay. 

Scoring: 2.5

The Family Holiday (2007)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Dave Coulier and Christina Pickles

Synopsis: A romantic family comedy about what happens when a thirty-something lovable pool hustler who owes money to the mob stands to receive a ten-million-dollar inheritance if he can prove he's forsaken his street days and settled down with a family.

Review:  Very silly but I had a good time watching it. The premise is weird but the kids are funny and it’s an easy film to sit back, relax, and smile. 

Scoring: 3

The Family Man (2000)

Rated:  PG-13

Genres: Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Romance

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Téa Leoni, and Don Cheadle

Synopsis: A fast-lane investment broker, offered the opportunity to see how the other half lives, wakes up to find that his sports car and girlfriend have become a mini-van and wife.

Review:  This has been compared to Its A Wonderful Life for the modern age. I see it more as a see the path not taken. Jack gets to see what his life would be like had he made different choices. We all wonder, what if, at some points and this movie explores that. 

Scoring: 3

Father Christmas Is Back (2021)

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family

Starring: Elizabeth Hurley, Kelsey Grammar, John Cleese, Nathalie Cox, Kris Marshall, Ray Fearon, Caroline Quentin, Talulah Riley, Naomi Frederick, and April Bowlby

Synopsis: The story centers around four sisters who have reunited for the Christmas holiday in a Yorkshire mansion.  They uncover the long-buried secret that tore their family apart, so many years ago.

Review: I went into this movie with such high expectations.  It has a stellar cast and the beginning is so funny, albeit a dark humor.  Sadly, it turns to a dark drama without maintaining the comedy.  The sister selling her sister’s belongings and giving away the boyfriends Rolls Royce while the family turns a blind eye is just one example.  Luckily it has a happy ending.  If it had managed to maintain the humor from the beginning this would’ve been a home run.  Even so, it’s worth watching.

Scoring: 3

Fatman (2020)

Rated: R

Genres: Fantasy

Starring: Mel Gibson and Walter Goggins

Synopsis: A rowdy, unorthodox Santa Claus is fighting to save his declining business.  Meanwhile, Billy, a neglected and precocious 12-year-old, hires a hit man to kill Santa after receiving a lump of coal for Christmas.

Review: The one word that comes to mind is stupid. Santa Claus gets injured. The elves don’t have names just numbers. And Santa relies on government subsidies to pay the bills. It has none of the magic of traditional tales of Santa and is lacking a decent story.  Even Walter Goggins couldn’t save it. 

Scoring: 1

Feast of the Seven Fishes (2019)

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Skyler Gisondo, Madison Iseman, Ray Abruzzo, Paul Ben-Victor, and Joe Pantoliano

Synopsis: A slice of life story that follows a large Italian family on Christmas Eve as they prepare for the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes, reminisce about the past, and seek love in the future.

Review: At first, I was forcing myself to stick with it. They threw too many characters and too much information at me. I don’t want to watch a movie to feel like work. By the end I still wasn’t clear on who everyone was. I enjoyed the peek at a traditional old fashioned Italian Christmas feast and family. The story of Tony and Beth was the best part. 

Scoring: 2.5

Feliz NaviDAD (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Mario Lopez, AnnaLynne McCord, and Melissa Joan Hart

Synopsis: David Morales, a single father, has lost his Christmas spirit.  To avoid Christmas, he moonlights as a delivery driver but this year his 14-year-old daughter and live-in sister are determined to bring the yuletide spirit back and with a little luck, also help him find love again.

Review: A sweet movie about family but it does approach the subjects of loss and love in a very surface way.  That’s what keeps it so lighthearted.  I wish they delved a little more into their feelings.  Other than that, it’s a delightful easy watch. I did wonder why they were so focused on David dating and ignored his poor sister who was single and helping take care of him and his daughter.  Maybe a sequel?

Scoring: 3.5