marciaoh
Although this Hallmark plot is similar to others in the Hallmark Christmas collection, the well cast actors in this appealing story and the uniquely picturesque setting contribute to the special charm of this film. The opening scene with Nikki as a young child making Christmas ornaments with her grandmother, then the grandmother filming a video of she and her beloved granddaughter on the sleigh adds unity to the plot and theme. Long after the grandmother's passing, the video she made is part of the motivation for luring Nikki back to live at Christmas Land. The conflict is strong throughout complete with a Scrooge like real estate agent who conspires with Nikki's heartless, big city boyfriend to steal the farm from her. The negative reviews of this lovely film on this site baffle me because the reviews seem to be critiquing a plot device that merely reveals the reality of the real estate business today. It's as if some Hallmark viewers cannot accept any realism in a Hallmark movie. In the final scenes of the film, the forgiving attitude of Nikki and the townspeople toward the ruthless estate agent seem to anger many viewers. Yet, it is not out of character for the generous, yuletide-spirited townspeople and the transformed Nikki who is re-energized by Christmas cheer to forgive the greedy real estate villain as they celebrate saving Christmas Land. The ending of Christmas Land offers the happy-ever-after idealism of all Hallmark films complete with the loving couple kissing in the final scene but it also adds a dose of realism that contributes to a larger message. If you have a chance to see this captivating movie, you should do so.
Mark Barritt
One of my wife's favorite things to do leading up to and during Christmas is to watch Hallmark Christmas movies. So we've watched a lot. I've come to expect the normal formula for this type of movie: setup a situation with someone who has some sort of anti-Christmas issue, then they somehow overcome it (and most likely an antagonist) and all is well by the end of the movie, with the added bonus that most of the time someone falls in love as well. The plots differ, but there is a basic formula. This movie takes a slightly different approach but it falls into the general category. You also have to expect that the movie will be somewhat unrealistic when compared to real life, but that is what makes it fun watching, especially at Christmas. I think everyone, deep down, wants a "happily ever after" ending and Hallmark movies always deliver. Well until now and if you watch this movie. I will not go into the details (you can read the other reviews with spoilers, which I recommend before investing the time to watch this movie) but the way they ended this movie just made me shake my head. I was frustrated enough with the plot development and final conflict resolution that I created an account on IMDb to vent, I looked for a way on Hallmark's site but did not see a user review section. I was actually surprised the overall rating was so high, considering how much of a downer the ending was. I almost gave it a 1 to do something about it, but ended up giving it a 2 because of the two lead characters. Their acting was good and their chemistry was engaging. They did their part, its just too bad that the writer, producer or director did not. If you want the typical feel good ending so that you can feel better about humanity during the Christmas season, one that Hallmark usually provides, then DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE, find another!
Carycomic
Because Tucker's "nice-play-to-visit-but-don't-wanna-live-there" attitude _most definitely_ makes him anti-big city/pro-small town. Which, in turn, is not an entirely good thing. As it's basically just a latter-day version of the exact same isolationism that was so unfortunately predominant throughout the United States during the Great Depression. Thereby making Tucker's naivete as proportionately unhealthy as Jules' initial, materialistic skepticism."Central Park is nature, now?" For youngsters born and raised in NYC who can't afford to get bused off to some rural nature preserve for just one day: frig, yeah! It's as close to nature as they're ever going to get. Especially, if those same kids don't come from the fortunate few families who have _successfully_ raised fruits and vegetables in urban community gardens no bigger than one square acre! And for those latter acts of "going green," such city-slickers should be praised. Not begrudged!I, myself, come from a not-so-small town in Northwest Connecticut. Population: over forty thousand! Yet, while that admittedly disqualifies us from ever being a tri-state metropolis like the Big Apple, neither are we (in the immortal words of FOOTLOOSE's Christopher Penn) "stuck in Leave-It-To-Beaverland." In short; you don't have to spend your _whole life_ in an actual small town to have small town values.A legitimate point more successfully demonstrated by the 2005 Hallmark Xmas movie, SILVER BELLS.
thechrischick
I enjoy Christmas movies when I want to forget about all the lousy news in the world. This movie COULD have been nice - cute story line, good- looking actors... but part of the story included an evil businessman who basically tricks the main character out of her property then is willing to give it back to her if she pays him over a MILLION DOLLARS.So you'd think with a nice Hallmark movie, the bad man would come to his senses on Christmas Eve and all is right. Well, no, he showed up on Christmas Eve to collect his money - and all the poor working people had to hand over their life savings to this thief while they all stood around together with him saying 'Merry Christmas'! It was ludicrous!
AD
