I had really high hopes for this movie because I love Christmas and I love Danica. She was amazing in it but this movie was a mess. I have never seen so many scenes in a movie before...which all managed to accomplish nothing.
I am usually a sucker for flashbacks but I found this movie daunting and boring and I honestly kept pausing to see how much more I had to get through before it was over.
I think having them see each other only one day a year was a really bad call. Like...they seriously didn't speak at ALL throughout the year for those 30 years? Come on...who would put up with that nonsense? And that argument they had over the phone was beautifully acted by both of them but painful to watch because it really made no sense. Even if there was some truth to what he said, that was one of the cruelest exchanges I have ever witnessed in a romantic movie. Needless theatrics and crowbarred drama.
The only scenes I felt had any merit were when EB was describing Great Expectations to Kat and comparing both their lives to it. I thought that was very beautiful and poetic. Though it raised even more confusing questions about her father's past with this woman. So like...was Kat's Mom aware that EB was in love with her husband? And was EB happy when Kat's mother died? Very confusing, weird stuff. I understand and agree with EB that Kat should not waste her life waiting around for Sam...but she then proceeds to waste the next ten years of her life before he proposes.
I also enjoyed the fact that they were happier in the company of children rather than the boring adults and that they enjoyed sitting at the children's table. That is what pulled me in with the title but it really just didn't deliver.
The scene where they shared the coat was very humorous and cute and was one of the only times where I felt any spark between them. It was no fault of the actors, I just personally disliked both of their characters. It also would have been nice if they had explained this "Best Life" game that came up so much throughout the movie.
This is definitely worth a watch if you have some time to kill, but if your free time is precious and scarce, do not waste it on this. It is also not worth buying, try to catch it on Hulu or Netflix.
I am usually a sucker for flashbacks but I found this movie daunting and boring and I honestly kept pausing to see how much more I had to get through before it was over.
I think having them see each other only one day a year was a really bad call. Like...they seriously didn't speak at ALL throughout the year for those 30 years? Come on...who would put up with that nonsense? And that argument they had over the phone was beautifully acted by both of them but painful to watch because it really made no sense. Even if there was some truth to what he said, that was one of the cruelest exchanges I have ever witnessed in a romantic movie. Needless theatrics and crowbarred drama.
The only scenes I felt had any merit were when EB was describing Great Expectations to Kat and comparing both their lives to it. I thought that was very beautiful and poetic. Though it raised even more confusing questions about her father's past with this woman. So like...was Kat's Mom aware that EB was in love with her husband? And was EB happy when Kat's mother died? Very confusing, weird stuff. I understand and agree with EB that Kat should not waste her life waiting around for Sam...but she then proceeds to waste the next ten years of her life before he proposes.
I also enjoyed the fact that they were happier in the company of children rather than the boring adults and that they enjoyed sitting at the children's table. That is what pulled me in with the title but it really just didn't deliver.
The scene where they shared the coat was very humorous and cute and was one of the only times where I felt any spark between them. It was no fault of the actors, I just personally disliked both of their characters. It also would have been nice if they had explained this "Best Life" game that came up so much throughout the movie.
This is definitely worth a watch if you have some time to kill, but if your free time is precious and scarce, do not waste it on this. It is also not worth buying, try to catch it on Hulu or Netflix.