Very slow and boring movie! A lot of bad acting and terrible script!!
81 Reviews
Slowwwwww
rachelle-663107 November 2018
Very bad start, very good finish
barlowralph19 December 2018
Okay, I've just read most of the other reviews of this movie and I completely agree with a couple of them who said the first few minutes were so bad they just turned it off. I felt that way too at about the 15 minute mark, but I just left it on because I was just chillin' at home with nothing else in particular to do. Those two ditzy chicks were awful. I was sorry to see the bad plastic surgery on Jess Walton-she used to be so attractive. And I just couldn't buy Vivica Fox as the Mom. I was ready to hate the character of Shane, but before long he had won me over. And Kaitlyn Leeb as Clara was really quite engaging. I won't give away the ending, but trust me that it really does make enduring the first half of the movie worth the pain it takes to watch it. I give it 6 stars: 1 for the beginning, 4 for the plot development later in the movie, and 10 for the finale, making an average (in my mind) of 6.
This has become a yearly watch in my house
JenniferVBridges28 November 2023
Ya'll. It's bad. And yet, my roommate and I watch it every. Single. Year. We love it.
The strange floating people in the beginning at what seemed like a Top Chef competition but definitely wasn't? Perfection.
Unappetizing food plated poorly by the winner of the competition? Yes.
Deceased moms, non-existent steaks, non existent STAKES, and what seems like a deliberate PR campaign to make sure we the audience are excited by the idea of dating a city planner? I'll take it.
Also, bonus for a very ethnically ambiguous family lead by Vivica A. Fox. I don't know who is related to who, no adoption, foster or "chosen family" storyline to follow. It's perfect.
You ask, every year we watch this? The answer is YES.
There is truly nothing better than the cinematic universe of Christmas MOW's made in Canada, and this one definitely takes the cake.
The strange floating people in the beginning at what seemed like a Top Chef competition but definitely wasn't? Perfection.
Unappetizing food plated poorly by the winner of the competition? Yes.
Deceased moms, non-existent steaks, non existent STAKES, and what seems like a deliberate PR campaign to make sure we the audience are excited by the idea of dating a city planner? I'll take it.
Also, bonus for a very ethnically ambiguous family lead by Vivica A. Fox. I don't know who is related to who, no adoption, foster or "chosen family" storyline to follow. It's perfect.
You ask, every year we watch this? The answer is YES.
There is truly nothing better than the cinematic universe of Christmas MOW's made in Canada, and this one definitely takes the cake.
Tesla's with V8s. Magic Steak.
scottdavort11 December 2018
Such a bad movie. It's actually funny. If you're playing drinking games. This is a 10. Drink when you spot the silly errors.
Waitress I ordered my steak rare...only problem there is no steak on the table.
Cell phones that are clearly off when you pretend to use them.
Tesla's with V8 sounds.
This one is just hilarious, we couldn't stop laughing.
Waitress I ordered my steak rare...only problem there is no steak on the table.
Cell phones that are clearly off when you pretend to use them.
Tesla's with V8 sounds.
This one is just hilarious, we couldn't stop laughing.
Serial killer vibes
nikkithomson-7700820 November 2019
Every interaction in this movie felt like 4th graders with crushes trying to talk to each other. The main guy gave off serious serial killer vibes, I'm 90% sure the movie ends with him burying her under the mountain. Overall, not bad, would recommend to my babooshka
Potential Missed
kiwijws7 November 2018
I'm a HUGE fan of these Christmas movies. They're cheesy yet lovely and always have a happy ending. Really for me they're a form of escapism. But this one is so disjointed and awkward. The story line is off and nothing makes much sense and the blatant miscommunication of the two main characters becomes quickly annoying. I won't even start on the best friend. I really wanted to like it more but, simply put, I just didn't. I was disappointed.
Not a bad movie
amarnold-524536 January 2021
This was actually pretty good. I was impressed by Kaitlyn's acting. The lead actor was really a surprise. Very handsome indeed. My only question is why was Vivica A. Fox in the movie? They gave her nothing to do. I loved the best friend's boyfriend/fiancee
Watching with sorry
riozzherself16 November 2018
Making a reaction between potassium chlorate and candy would be more interesting than watching the chemistry between Clara and that handsome-but-plain cook. And Clara, oh well, I'm sorry for your poor acting. I got bored to the moon and back.
Needs more Clive!
ChristmasFanz122514 November 2021
I didn't believe in the movie
naggiej12 December 2018
Bad movie, but fun to watch drunk
thendalbro19 November 2018
Not a good view...
rixiane8 November 2018
One of the things that sprang to mind halfway through this film was: they must have wanted a 'big' name attached to this movie (Vivica A. Fox) but it was an absolutely supervacaneous role. In my opinion, this whole film was actually dispensable. There's nothing really right about it, I don't feel.
The acting is so so.
The story is quite lame and could've pretty much been set at any time of the year so it's not so much a Christmas movie (apart from the fact that they have Christmas trees in it). There's no family feel (a hugely important part when it comes to Christmas flix for me), the girl always wants to get away from her mom (that's why Fox's role is so redundant) to get to work...
And honestly, I don't quite get the title either. But that may be me...
Not worth the viewing
TheLittleSongbird11 January 2019
Love Christmas with all my heart. Love the fun and nostalgia it brings, and cherish all the time spent with family and friends every year. As well singing all the Christmas songs and carols and re-visiting as many of the films and special as possible. Recently wanted to see some different and new Christmas films to stretch my horizons beyond the ones traditionally watched every year. Feelings have been extremely mixed doing this and even when trying to take them for what they're meant to be quite a good deal of them have been lacking.
Of which 'Christmas with a View' has stood out in a bad way, in that it was one of the worst. Did watch it expecting some cheese and schmaltz (as long as it wasn't overdone), but was not expecting to bombarded so excessively by both that it made for uncomfortable viewing. And then there is the further problem of pretty much everything done on an amateurish level, this was another example of a film when there was the serious temptation to turn it off (another recent example being 'New Years Eve') but stayed with it to be fair. Absolutely hate judging films unfairly or on a biased level, have always really tried to make it my duty to not do it.
'Christmas with a View' has next to nothing good about it apart from the scenery. Which was wasted by photography and editing suggestive of somebody who was not sober. Nothing memorable about the music, which sometimes was placed questionably. 'Christmas with a View' felt like it was directed by someone who had no idea what to do with the film, it was just so disorganised.
As was the script, as well as being heavy gratingly so on the cheese, soap, cringe and schmaltz, it was as others have said jumpy and borderline incoherent. The story is the same, on top of being very dull and predictable, next to nothing made any sense and was ridiculous. As said already, did have to refrain from switching the film after being so embarrassed by the first portion due to how bad the dialogue and camera work and how the characters had already grated on my nerves.
Something that continued for the rest of the film, either the stereotypical characters were dull as dishwater or were insufferably irritating. There was no chemistry between the leads, with the actors looking like they hated each other. The acting is a mix of going over the top and robotic, nobody looked comfortable as their characters and it made me uncomfortable watching them.
In summary, awful and not worth the viewing. 1/10 Bethany Cox
Of which 'Christmas with a View' has stood out in a bad way, in that it was one of the worst. Did watch it expecting some cheese and schmaltz (as long as it wasn't overdone), but was not expecting to bombarded so excessively by both that it made for uncomfortable viewing. And then there is the further problem of pretty much everything done on an amateurish level, this was another example of a film when there was the serious temptation to turn it off (another recent example being 'New Years Eve') but stayed with it to be fair. Absolutely hate judging films unfairly or on a biased level, have always really tried to make it my duty to not do it.
'Christmas with a View' has next to nothing good about it apart from the scenery. Which was wasted by photography and editing suggestive of somebody who was not sober. Nothing memorable about the music, which sometimes was placed questionably. 'Christmas with a View' felt like it was directed by someone who had no idea what to do with the film, it was just so disorganised.
As was the script, as well as being heavy gratingly so on the cheese, soap, cringe and schmaltz, it was as others have said jumpy and borderline incoherent. The story is the same, on top of being very dull and predictable, next to nothing made any sense and was ridiculous. As said already, did have to refrain from switching the film after being so embarrassed by the first portion due to how bad the dialogue and camera work and how the characters had already grated on my nerves.
Something that continued for the rest of the film, either the stereotypical characters were dull as dishwater or were insufferably irritating. There was no chemistry between the leads, with the actors looking like they hated each other. The acting is a mix of going over the top and robotic, nobody looked comfortable as their characters and it made me uncomfortable watching them.
In summary, awful and not worth the viewing. 1/10 Bethany Cox
Boring
zackcrouch-5844113 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Quite possibly the worst Christmas movie I've ever seen. The acting is like they went with the first take of people right out of a graduating acting class, the green screen is so distracting and I've seen better on a YouTube video, way too many shots that linger on random things, and the music is the definition of stock music. The only good thing is seeing Patrick Duffy.
Epic fail
trishanamaharajpersonal13 November 2018
The script in incherent and non existent...i struggled to understand how the story line all fitted together.
The acting was that of a high school play that was out together at the last minute and overall it was very disappointing.
If i had a chance to choose to watch the movie again or paint dry...i would watch paint dry.
Feel sorry for the cast being stuck with such a bad script
The acting was that of a high school play that was out together at the last minute and overall it was very disappointing.
If i had a chance to choose to watch the movie again or paint dry...i would watch paint dry.
Feel sorry for the cast being stuck with such a bad script
Horrible
nour-haytham-622-87041917 November 2018
Not bad for Xmas movie
jake_pugsley14 November 2018
Watched this with my wife and we both were entertained. The setting was beautiful and the lead actress and actor were good. As a guy would I watch this by myself? No... but it was a nice chill movie with my wife, a drink (maybe 2) and a piece of apple pie :). Give it a shot!
Boring and Uninspired
themunchkym28 November 2018
This is a really terrible movie, tbh. The plot is boring, the characters are rude to each other and possessive. There are long shots that make no sense to keep but are there, a lot of awkward or unnecessary dialogue, just really really sad. A lot of secondhand embarrassment while watching this.
First 20 minutes were enough
Jenn_i24 November 2018
One of the worst movies I have seen (well, based on the first 20 minutes) and I couldn't even watch it through. Everything was wrong. Starting from the actors who were terrible and had no clue how to act. The storyline seemed just so off that it makes you think if the writers were drunk or what. I don't know why this movie was made and I highly doubt it got any better towards the end.
Slow and Slower!
rwl-3172321 November 2018
Didn't like the Storyline
tramblea21 April 2020
The main thing that stood out to me is the creation of a biracial family, however the main character doesn't personal exhibit or hold those as her personal truths (she is biracial but not mixed with African American). There are plenty of Afro-____ biracial actresses that would have been a better fit for that part. I personally feel if movies / shows make a key point on a characters race (I.e. a parent stands out as a certain race) the characters should actually be that race. For me it makes the story more believable.
Secondly, the storyline didn't really line up throughout the movie. I felt it was too jumpy and didn't give enough detail or background. We didn't get to truly get to know each character. I love Vivica A Fox as an actress, however, even her role as the mother wasn't believable. It came off as mediocre.
Secondly, the storyline didn't really line up throughout the movie. I felt it was too jumpy and didn't give enough detail or background. We didn't get to truly get to know each character. I love Vivica A Fox as an actress, however, even her role as the mother wasn't believable. It came off as mediocre.
So disappointed
suga_dumpling6 December 2019
Quite frankly, I liked it quite a lot
Interestedviewer224 December 2018
At first when it started, I thought, "Oh NO, this is terrible". The acting was so stilted I was shocked.
But as I kept watching while doing other Christmas things like wrapping presents, I started to really enjoy it. Yes, it seemed the acting was flat, but it grew on me. The characters were not over the top, they seemed like true, nice people. (Except for the two women named Janice I think - they were a stink bomb - no one behaves like that, or if they do, I certainly wouldn't want to meet them).
Yesterday I decided to watch several Christmas Romantic movies: Christmas Inheritance, A Christmas Prince and The Princess Switch. This well out weighed them in the genuineness of love. There was none of that stupid shlock about "making this the season" to suddenly be nice to others (shouldn't people behave that way always?). There were no stupid jokes or people falling all over the place, or being dunderheads.
What I experienced was a nice love story, subdued in its way, but warm and very intentional. I really enjoyed Scott Cavalheiro in his role as the "famous" chef Shane. He was always so kind even when those dips the Janice's crowded into his space at a coffee shop. He could have been rude, but he wasn't. I don't believe Scott was actually acting...I am bound to think this is his true persona and that makes me want to see other movies he has been in.
Kaitlyn Leeb, as Clara, was also very understated in her acting. I thought initially she was a terrible actress, but again, I found her sincere and not over the top character like Hollywood likes to make people. Some people complained that Clara's mother was black and they made Kaitlyn look white. I prefer to think that the movie showed incredible diversity. I gather that Clara's father was white; and I appreciated the fact that Clara's brother was married to a woman who was white or possibly Asian. Because in the end, we are all people, and we should all be able to sit down at the same table no matter how we look and appreciate one another. Patrick Duffy and his wife Jess Walton (Frank and Jackie) added a nice treat of comfort and the feeling of being with just darn nice people. They do exist and these two made me wish to be married the length of time they had been and so in love and appreciative of each other. A great model for us all. The evil bad guy was also realistic. He wasn't some stupid monster, he was working like most true nefarious people do. We all knew there was something skeptical about him, and it came out, but not so overblown obvious, again, like Hollywood likes to make evil characters. Because in real life, we don't always see them, they act like the rest of us, only they lie. But, to top it all, I loved the location shots. I have tried to find out where this was filmed but to no avail. I grew up in a mountain ski town so it really hit home as far as the beauty of the snow and the mountains.
But as I kept watching while doing other Christmas things like wrapping presents, I started to really enjoy it. Yes, it seemed the acting was flat, but it grew on me. The characters were not over the top, they seemed like true, nice people. (Except for the two women named Janice I think - they were a stink bomb - no one behaves like that, or if they do, I certainly wouldn't want to meet them).
Yesterday I decided to watch several Christmas Romantic movies: Christmas Inheritance, A Christmas Prince and The Princess Switch. This well out weighed them in the genuineness of love. There was none of that stupid shlock about "making this the season" to suddenly be nice to others (shouldn't people behave that way always?). There were no stupid jokes or people falling all over the place, or being dunderheads.
What I experienced was a nice love story, subdued in its way, but warm and very intentional. I really enjoyed Scott Cavalheiro in his role as the "famous" chef Shane. He was always so kind even when those dips the Janice's crowded into his space at a coffee shop. He could have been rude, but he wasn't. I don't believe Scott was actually acting...I am bound to think this is his true persona and that makes me want to see other movies he has been in.
Kaitlyn Leeb, as Clara, was also very understated in her acting. I thought initially she was a terrible actress, but again, I found her sincere and not over the top character like Hollywood likes to make people. Some people complained that Clara's mother was black and they made Kaitlyn look white. I prefer to think that the movie showed incredible diversity. I gather that Clara's father was white; and I appreciated the fact that Clara's brother was married to a woman who was white or possibly Asian. Because in the end, we are all people, and we should all be able to sit down at the same table no matter how we look and appreciate one another. Patrick Duffy and his wife Jess Walton (Frank and Jackie) added a nice treat of comfort and the feeling of being with just darn nice people. They do exist and these two made me wish to be married the length of time they had been and so in love and appreciative of each other. A great model for us all. The evil bad guy was also realistic. He wasn't some stupid monster, he was working like most true nefarious people do. We all knew there was something skeptical about him, and it came out, but not so overblown obvious, again, like Hollywood likes to make evil characters. Because in real life, we don't always see them, they act like the rest of us, only they lie. But, to top it all, I loved the location shots. I have tried to find out where this was filmed but to no avail. I grew up in a mountain ski town so it really hit home as far as the beauty of the snow and the mountains.
Drinking game?
virginiab338826 December 2019
If you're down to watch a movie to completely laugh at, this is the film for you! The acting is awful the story is nonexistent. The girl is whiny and just wants attention. Make it into a drinking game and this movie is much easier to watch! P.S. Clive is the real hero of the story! He needed more lines!
Awkward...
lynette-5449224 March 2019
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