It's not necessarily a unique story plot... An executive takes a chance by hiring an opinionated, independent thinker. To fit in with the holiday theme, he happens to have lost a family member that always made Christmas extra special and is now sad during this time of year and so avoids it altogether. Not necessarily unique, but very sweet and had the makings of being a good movie.
The biggest issue was the complete lack of chemistry between the two leads. I'm not familiar with the female lead, but she played her part well enough. (Her hair styling was weird though. Bothered me through the entire movie.) Steve Lund is a solid actor and I thought he played his role charmingly with the sensitivity inherent in his character. Unfortunately, there was no chemistry between the two of them and it made it hard to believe in them as a couple. The dialogue and interplay worked, but not as a couple. Absolutely no spark between them.
One minor note regarding wardrobe... When a man is dressed in a suit (especially one at the CEO level), his cuffs should show beyond the suit jacket sleeves. I'm sure Steve Lund has long arms, but you can get a shirt with longer sleeves! That seems to be a consistent gap in all the Hallmark movies. Sorry. Its a pet peeve of mine.
Having said all that, I liked the story and Steve Lund's delivery of someone rediscovering the joys of Christmas.
The biggest issue was the complete lack of chemistry between the two leads. I'm not familiar with the female lead, but she played her part well enough. (Her hair styling was weird though. Bothered me through the entire movie.) Steve Lund is a solid actor and I thought he played his role charmingly with the sensitivity inherent in his character. Unfortunately, there was no chemistry between the two of them and it made it hard to believe in them as a couple. The dialogue and interplay worked, but not as a couple. Absolutely no spark between them.
One minor note regarding wardrobe... When a man is dressed in a suit (especially one at the CEO level), his cuffs should show beyond the suit jacket sleeves. I'm sure Steve Lund has long arms, but you can get a shirt with longer sleeves! That seems to be a consistent gap in all the Hallmark movies. Sorry. Its a pet peeve of mine.
Having said all that, I liked the story and Steve Lund's delivery of someone rediscovering the joys of Christmas.