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Reviews
Mistletoe Mixup (2021)
The Whole Thing Is Mixed Up
Wow. I chose this movie based on a friend's recommendation. Won't do that again. The script dialog is terrible and the casting questionable. I get the hook- have a real family (of former Tigerbeaters) play the movie family - but the whole contrived ploy falls seriously flat. Joey Lawrence gave me the creeps the minute he steps on the scene with his bad haircut, Guido pinstripe suit and Gumba accent. His brother Andrew is more natural but not rugged and handsome enough to win over the fancy city girl - he's more like that ski bum you meet in a bar who's probably wearing his boxers inside out because he doesn't do laundry. The karaoke scene of ridiculous lip syncing wasn't funny, it was painful. Their mom who plays Grandma delivers some of the worst Christmas movie acting of all time and I couldn't take my eyes off the overdone plastic surgery. She looks like a drunk, live-action Muppet. And she rides a horse when she exits a scene??
Danielle Ryan is charming and about the only watchable thing here. However, there's no way one can believe that the woman cast to play her boss is actually anyone's boss. In fact, all of the direction left me scratching my head. Why would they cast Joey's ex-girlfriend to be basically Danielle Ryan's double? Same height, hair, eyes, personality. Then there are the random characters that step into a scene, say a line and then disappear. Were these favors the director needed to fulfill? For example, the Xmas tree lot worker pops in to ask (quietly) if he can help and they ignore him, the young 'mistletoe girl' at the beginning delivers her line about a wish straight to camera after the leads walk away, and what was up with the constant pan to a skier and snowboarder chasing each other down the mountain that had absolutely nothing to do with the story? It's all too weird. Usually with Christmas movies the story is cliche but at least things make scene.
The Fighting Preacher (2019)
Yet Another Movie About Mormons Overcoming Haters
I wanted to like this movie because I try to give everything a fair shot but I couldn't make it past 15 minutes. The story, the acting, the editing- it's all so forced. The title pretty much sums it up - a preacher who literally fights for his faith. Maybe the LDS community has heard these stories over and over so a title doesn't matter but I might have stuck around just a bit longer if I didn't see the boxing thing coming a mile away.
I'm guessing the wife "Rebecca" dies because her credit is far down the list but couldn't stick around long enough to confirm. She has zero personality and Willard is just way too goofy and milk toast to be appealing.