'Making Spirits Bright' is a decent Christmas movie, not one of Hallmark's best nor one of their worst this season. Though a sweet romance with a noble underlining message, the story, at times, is slow, even tiresome, I'm afraid. This mildly entertaining Romeo and Juliet tale meets the art/business of Christmas decoration revolves around Grace (played by Taylor Cole) and Tony (played by Carlo Marks) whose fathers are former business partners/friends turned feuding adversaries. The old rivalry is stirred up again this Christmas as the two families enter the Bright Nights competition (with its $50,000 grand prize). As Grace and Tony work behind the scenes to help each other and their fathers, they begin to realize that they must find a way to work together to win the competition. They also begin to discover their feelings for each other along the way. One of the strengths of the story, I thought, was the dialogue and interaction between Tony and Grace. The writers do a good job of developing and capturing a romantic connection between the two that is believable and engaging. Moreover, the underlining message about the value of friendship and forgiveness resonates well on-screen with, for example, a heartfelt and touching scene towards the end between the two fathers, Bill (played by Garry Chalk) and Frank (played by John Cassini). However, the story is slow at times, boring even. Simply put: it lacked that X factor, something to make it stand out in a crowd. The acting, overall, is strong. I was impressed with Cole's performance in particular. She had a warm and gentle vibe to her performance that was lovely to watch on-screen. A very convincing performance, I felt. The two have good chemistry as well, which is a plus for a romance film. As I alluded to above, this storyline is what makes this movie appealing. Chalk and Cassini both had solid performances, which climaxed in a touching scene at the end (as noted above). Given the story is about a Christmas decoration competition, it has plenty of Christmas spirit and festive cheer. Thou a bit slow at times, all in all, it is a sweet romance with a good message and some strong performances by the leads. Worth checking out if you are a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies.
Review of Making Spirits Bright
