Sadie was an annoying whinny character so it made it hard to enjoy her and Bens story.
12 Reviews
Cute idea, not so cute movie
acborgia4 December 2018
Jarod Joseph
inthemiks8 April 2019
If you were a fan of LA Complex, you are probably gonna be here. It funny that after such epic characters in LA Complex, Jarod Joseph and Andra Fuller went on to do cheesy Christmas movies and brief side roles for about 10 years now. The idea here is good, the acting of the American actress playing Sadie ruins the vibe. No chemistry with Ben(Jarod) It's like he has chemistry with everyone in the film, except her. Nice to see The Different World actors reunion. Other than that, mostly ended up here because I'm always following up on The LA Complex actors. Jarod did flawless acting as always.
Tree of friendship
Jackbv1236 December 2018
Friends from childhood reunite at Christmas every year. The movie jumps a few years for each new scene, but the idea is the same. And the story has the same continuity issues that all the others stories with this premise have - what takes so long to progress to the next step?
A couple of reviews didn't like Kyla Pratt, but she did well in my view. I liked her character. She and Jarod Joseph had obvious chemistry. In fact, the rival relationships never seemed the least bit real in comparison. I felt sorry for one of the rivals.
No great surprises, but then it's a holiday romance.
A couple of reviews didn't like Kyla Pratt, but she did well in my view. I liked her character. She and Jarod Joseph had obvious chemistry. In fact, the rival relationships never seemed the least bit real in comparison. I felt sorry for one of the rivals.
No great surprises, but then it's a holiday romance.
Very likable and its nice to see a mini "Different World" reunion
Christmas-Reviewer2 May 2019
Review Date 5/2/2019
I Have Reviewed OVER 500 "Christmas Films and Specials". Please BEWARE Of films and specials with just one review! For instance When "It's a POSITIVE" chances are that the reviewer was involved with the production. "If its Negative" then they may have a grudge against the film for whatever reason. I am fare about these films.
When next door neighbors Sadie and Ben they were eight years old, they planted a Christmas tree behind their church and vowed always to be friends. But as life got in the way, that promise was threatened. Now, each holiday reunion offers them a chance to recommit and, with the help of Christmas magic, turn their friendship into love.
If your a fan of the television show "A Different World" then you will love seeing the reunion of Jasmine Guy & Kadeem Hardison. The story is similar to "Love at the Christmas Table" but it is still a joy to watch. I think people under 30 will enjoy this the most. I think that because they can relate more to the leads about "Being afraid to admitting to someone that you love them".
You can download on Amazon and it is well worth watching.
I Have Reviewed OVER 500 "Christmas Films and Specials". Please BEWARE Of films and specials with just one review! For instance When "It's a POSITIVE" chances are that the reviewer was involved with the production. "If its Negative" then they may have a grudge against the film for whatever reason. I am fare about these films.
When next door neighbors Sadie and Ben they were eight years old, they planted a Christmas tree behind their church and vowed always to be friends. But as life got in the way, that promise was threatened. Now, each holiday reunion offers them a chance to recommit and, with the help of Christmas magic, turn their friendship into love.
If your a fan of the television show "A Different World" then you will love seeing the reunion of Jasmine Guy & Kadeem Hardison. The story is similar to "Love at the Christmas Table" but it is still a joy to watch. I think people under 30 will enjoy this the most. I think that because they can relate more to the leads about "Being afraid to admitting to someone that you love them".
You can download on Amazon and it is well worth watching.
I guess she didn't go to London.
rebekahrox29 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The attractive very diverse young cast is a plus. At first, since the story started in the 80's when the H/h were only 8 or 10 years old or so, I was afraid this was going to be another one of these Hallmances where they would end up in their late 30s and still be romantically unfullfilled and still struggling with their careers, acting like teenagers or in their 20's instead of mature adults established and successful in their careers. Thank goodness most of the action concludes when they are still in their very early 30's or late 20's, with the epilogue in the present day.
The main problem I had with the story was the unlikely development of the heroine giving up her exciting almost fairy-tale like dream career as a photographer who travels all over the world in order to settle in a small town with her guy who runs a gardening center. I mean she kisses away a presumably very well-paid editor job in London? Big Life-style change, there. Huge. That decision needed to be dealt with up front and seriously instead of happening off screen.
Fun, Diversity, Awesome
teamblac8 December 2018
Can friends fall in love?
TheLittleSongbird23 December 2021
2018 was a mixed to unimpressive year for Lifetime Christmas films. There were a few good ones, such as 'Christmas Harmony', 'Santa's Boots' and 'Every Other Holiday'. There were also some real humbugs, such as 'My Christmas Inn', 'Every Day is Christmas' and 'Hometown Christmas'. There are Lifetime Christmas films of all years that fit in both extremes and even more so somewhere in the middle. So expectations were mixed watching 'The Christmas Pact'.
Which turned out to be another one of the films in the humbugs category of Lifetime's 2018 Christmas batch. The idea did sound sweet if predictable, but nowhere near enough is done with it and it is executed in a pretty weak manner. There are a few good things, but the flaws are many and a lot more and the worst aspects are pretty awful. Have seen some good Christmas films over the past few years as part of my completest sake, but 'The Christmas Pact' is on the opposite end.
'The Christmas Pact's' scenery is very attractive and didn't find anything wrong with the photography either.
Jarrod Joseph is an amiable leading man that deserved a better leading lady. The supporting do decently too.
Something that cannot be said for Kyla Pratt, which is like watching anaemic amateur dramatics complete with moments of over-compensating. Am going to have to be another person that really disliked her character Sadie, very annoying from having an over the top negative personality and disconnected from reality and everybody else. She and Joseph have no chemistry together, never believed their love and they didn't look comfortable around each other enough to be believable as friends. The direction goes through the motion and the music has very little character or memorability.
Moreover, the script is like a cobbling together of over-familiar cliches, and then there is the overkill cheesiness and schmaltziness of the awkwardly flowing lines. The story sounded sweet but turned out to be very charmless and bland, not helped by the leaden pacing, the over-seriousness of the tone and how too little content there was to sustain the length. The characters were pretty much standard Lifetime cliches.
In summary, very weak. 3/10.
Which turned out to be another one of the films in the humbugs category of Lifetime's 2018 Christmas batch. The idea did sound sweet if predictable, but nowhere near enough is done with it and it is executed in a pretty weak manner. There are a few good things, but the flaws are many and a lot more and the worst aspects are pretty awful. Have seen some good Christmas films over the past few years as part of my completest sake, but 'The Christmas Pact' is on the opposite end.
'The Christmas Pact's' scenery is very attractive and didn't find anything wrong with the photography either.
Jarrod Joseph is an amiable leading man that deserved a better leading lady. The supporting do decently too.
Something that cannot be said for Kyla Pratt, which is like watching anaemic amateur dramatics complete with moments of over-compensating. Am going to have to be another person that really disliked her character Sadie, very annoying from having an over the top negative personality and disconnected from reality and everybody else. She and Joseph have no chemistry together, never believed their love and they didn't look comfortable around each other enough to be believable as friends. The direction goes through the motion and the music has very little character or memorability.
Moreover, the script is like a cobbling together of over-familiar cliches, and then there is the overkill cheesiness and schmaltziness of the awkwardly flowing lines. The story sounded sweet but turned out to be very charmless and bland, not helped by the leaden pacing, the over-seriousness of the tone and how too little content there was to sustain the length. The characters were pretty much standard Lifetime cliches.
In summary, very weak. 3/10.
The worst Christmas movie I have ever seen!
dzhorwath16 December 2018
Watchable.
adamjohns-4257529 November 2022
The Christmas Pact (2018) -
This story was similar to 'Love At The Christmas Table' (2012), but that film definitely did it more justice, with a vibe that felt far warmer.
This one started with the two leads as kids and they were not good actors in those roles, but once it got past the first few "Generations" it definitely improved, because my finger was hovering on the delete button until that point.
Jarod Joseph as Ben was cute and delivered a nice character, but Kyla Pratt in the role of Abby was annoying. However I still found myself routing for them both to get together.
I didn't think that Hannah deserved what she got in the end though. I would have liked her to have been swept away by someone else who would love her properly.
There were some dodgy bits - I couldn't tell if the fake snow was meant to be the characters choice of decoration or if it was meant to be real snow that had settled, but either way it was too obviously fake.
And I thought that as a photographer she should have come up with a better album of pictures than she did. I can create nicer albums than that with an App on my phone.
Overall, it was fine, but it won't be one that I consistently return to, if at all. There are better out there, that are easier to watch again and again and with sexier actors.
4.25/1000.
This story was similar to 'Love At The Christmas Table' (2012), but that film definitely did it more justice, with a vibe that felt far warmer.
This one started with the two leads as kids and they were not good actors in those roles, but once it got past the first few "Generations" it definitely improved, because my finger was hovering on the delete button until that point.
Jarod Joseph as Ben was cute and delivered a nice character, but Kyla Pratt in the role of Abby was annoying. However I still found myself routing for them both to get together.
I didn't think that Hannah deserved what she got in the end though. I would have liked her to have been swept away by someone else who would love her properly.
There were some dodgy bits - I couldn't tell if the fake snow was meant to be the characters choice of decoration or if it was meant to be real snow that had settled, but either way it was too obviously fake.
And I thought that as a photographer she should have come up with a better album of pictures than she did. I can create nicer albums than that with an App on my phone.
Overall, it was fine, but it won't be one that I consistently return to, if at all. There are better out there, that are easier to watch again and again and with sexier actors.
4.25/1000.
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