T&K's Xmas Advent Calendar: Day 8

Angel of Christmas, 2015, Ron Oliver (All She Wants for Christmas) -- Netflix

Since Kent put an image from this movie in the post that introduced this series, I was curious about it. This movie was so much that angel image, but it was also so... much... more.

Susan (Jennifer Finnigan, Salvation) is a copy editor for the New York Courier, which explains why in one of the opening scenes we see her actually reading a paper newspaper. Usually movies relegate these things to Old Men who haven't caught up on the fact that paper is dead. But these are the establishing opening scenes, where we understand she doesn't care for Xmas (normal coffee, not holiday blend), she is Not Interested In Handsome Strangers (annoying guy behind her in line for coffee) and that said Stranger is Brady (Jonathan Scarfe, Van Helsing), the Painter With Strategic Dabs of Paint.

Back at the office, Susan is offered a chance to write her first story for the paper if she dives headlong into a Christmas story, that will be published on Christmas Day. And we are introduced to the other male lead / love interest, be-suited co-worker Derek (Tahmoh Penikett, Battlestar Galactica).

Peanut Gallery (J) stated that she could not buy into Tahmoh being the second runner up. He should have been lead.

Also, I forgot to mention an opening scene set in the sepia toned past, where a man obsessed (sorry, in love with) an actress presents to her a carved angel as a symbol of his undying love, but she does not accept.

Said angel turns out to have been carved by Susan's great-great grandfather. Mom passes on said angel, a very creepy looking thing, that is said to connect people to who they are meant to spend the rest of their lives with. P.S. Mom was going to give it to Susan on her wedding day, which makes no sense because doesn't that imply having found True Love already? Thus, more appropriate to get it now, beyond the reason as inspiration for her Xmas News Story.

Second meeting with Brady is at a local gallery, where he is supposed to be doing hosting duties, but looks like he just crawled out of the painting dungeon, covered in Strategic Dabs of Paint (again) and an incredibly messy, and likely incredibly stinky, shirt. He comments on some photos with Susan and hits on her a few times. Thus begins Doesn't Take No for an Answer phase. While Susan finds him cute, and less irritating than Derek (who has GOALS!!!) she wants to focus on her story. Leave her alone Dirty Artist Brady.

But we wouldn't have a Hallmark movie unless she relented, so they begin hanging out. Jennifer Finnigan does ALL her acting through overly expressive emoting, which is distracting to me, because pretty much all the other roles I have seen in her, she was a Very Serious Person. Here, she is emoting like she is the host of a kid's morning show. They have not-dates, because she doesn't want to be distracted from her story but she drags him into the research, looking through notes about her great-great grandfather and the actress he left behind. Brady mentions his great-great grandmother was also an actress in NYC. Ding ding ding!!

Also, in this scene there is a mention about Susan only doing Xmas Trees when she has a yard to place them, as her family tradition is to place Xmas Trees outside. The writers seem to forget this scene, or did some later re-working, as an even later scene has Brady and Susan finding out that BOTH of their families have this tradition.

Also, said box of notes came from her own grandfather, when he decided to clean up the basement where his own father's stuff was stored. "Spring cleaning in August?", she asks her grandfather. Uhhh folks, its December -- get your dates right.

Meanwhile, story is being written on the magical word processor, where the font says "Times New Roman; 14pt" but the scene shows it is definitely "Arial; 36pt". She writes on a screen like she is a hard-of-seeing senior. Days are passing and she's been hanging out with Brady more and more, who by the way is a TERRIBLE artist. Instead of presenting some local Vancouver artist off as his, it looks like they got the set designers to mock up some terrible (TERRIBLE!) renditions of abstract, impressionism, whatever styles they found in an Art Book. So, dude, don't quit your day job doing terrible hosting of other artist's openings. She's getting closer to the submission date and has no ending. Whatever will she do. Oh, breakup with Brady, cuz THAT makes sense.

But finally, in the final hour, she realizes she has made a mistake and runs off to find Brady's whose staying in his family cabin in the woods. They reconcile and while she works to write the rest of her story, she blunders into the letters between her great-great grandfather and Brady's great-great grandmother where they realize what most of us guessed quite soon in --- that the actress was related to Brady, that the love that wasn't meant to be was so that, in the distant future, these two could hook up. Thus the scary wooden angel proves not only the master of love, but of space and time.

And the all live happily ever after, after burning the angel in the woodstove. OK, maybe I added that bit.

The Draw: Well, really? Only because Kent already saw it, and somewhat because the Peanut Gallery wouldn't mind any movie with Tahmoh in it, even if he got to play The Dick. I guess I have a new formula element.

The Formulae: Jilted lead. She got dumped on Xmas Day and has been a Grinch ever since. It only takes The Right Man to make her heart grow three sizes. There isn't an Xmas fair, but there is caroling. And yes, there is an Event near the end of the movie, but its only one of those mythical Office Xmas Parties, but she wears a Red Dress. There HAS to be some sort of Freudian meaning to women in red dresses.

Unformulae: No PST (picturesque small town) and while she seems to have a decent enough job to live in NYC without wealthy parents, she is not uber rich. There was no proper Xmas Fair, which is disappointing.

True Calling? Technically, she's an angel of love, but since she's a tree topper, I guess that makes the title accurate.

The Rewind: So many! All the goofs and editing blunders, script changes and ... well, THAT PAINTING. Oh, didn't I mention it? Terrible (TERRIBLE!) Artist Brady painted her as the Christmas Angel. Its the angel version of a Scary Clown painting.

The Regulars: Beyond the Familiar Cast of Canadians, not too many are regular Hallmarkies. But Supportive Best Friend is played by Christie Laing, who most might recognize from Arrow or Once Upon a Time, has a few under her belt. Mom played by Wanda Cannon, also was in a few, around the same time, which makes me wonder if you are cast to appear in 2 or 3 at a time, as I doubt they are long shooting schedules. Dad, played by Barclay Hope, another "oh that guy from Canada" has done a TON of these movies, and most are Xmas themed.

How does it Hallmark? These Canadian ones, may be a little lower budget than the others (obviously rushed) but the less than formula, but creative twists (magic angel?) make them lovely little romance tales.

How does it movie? This goes into the category that makes many people think Canadian movies, or at least small budget Canadian movies are just not that well done. But at least they are solid.

(BONUS) How does it snow? Oh mi gawd, but for one sidewalk scene (probably show over and over and over on the same night) there is no real snow in the movie. In fact, most of the snow in the background, laying on the tree branches and such, is that artificial cobweb stuff you use at Halloween!!  (D-)