A Nashville Christmas Carol

I'm not a big fan of the Nashville/Graceland series of films, which always seem to snare (my draw) lead Wes Brown. They have a nice sense of place, but are generally weak on plot and heavy on singers who can't act. You'll usually find at least one flat or embarrassing performance-hello, Wynonna Judd and Kimberley Paisley-Williams of the varying accent. Leads Jessy Schram as Vivienne and Brown as Gavin are good here as a TV producer and talent manager with history. Less good are the three apparitions who take workaholic, demanding Vivienne through her life to open her eyes; only Kix Brooks hits the right notes as a wry guide to her past. What follows is a convoluted trip back and forth through Vivienne's life and some handwaving drama around a Christmas country music special. More push/pull time with Vivienne and Gavin would've been time better spent. Country music isn't my first choice, but Sara Evans sounds terrific here, and a couple duets with RaeLynn will probably be enough to thrill country music fans. Next time, I'll skip any new Hallmark Nashville/Graceland movies. Sorry, Wes.

I'm tired of every version of, "The Christmas Carol". I'm never tired of seeing Jessy Schram and Wes Brown. They always come through whatever the script....whether they are together or have different co-stars. They deserve better. And so do we.

Schram is very good at being the good looking skinny blonde with excellent thigh gap. Overall, it works there is a little Christmas magic. Kix Brooks with a very good performance. However, Judd's acting is not that good. The lead man is tolerable. There is a little chemistry. Sarah Borne is excellent in this movie. Watch The Christmas Train to see Kimberly Williams-Paisley at her best. I only watched this for her and it was a little disappointing.

Most of us have seen many takes on the Christmas Carol originally by Dickens. There is nothing that unusual about this one except possibly that it is definitely a romance story. There are some good songs performed in this mainly by Sara Evans and RaeLynn, including two duets. I think at least one is an original. Jessy Schram and Wes Brown have chemistry. Unfortunately for me, I am a huge fan of the energetic and cheerful Jessy Schram. I just couldn't buy into her as a Scrooge. The efforts to make her look like one seemed weak to me. She is just too likeable. Schram has a varied resume, so it is probably just me and my perception. I'm disappointed that she didn't get a chance to feature her singing because she is talented there as well. This is a pleasant enough rendition of the Christmas Carol but lacking any real tension nor surprises, highs, or lows.

I've seen my share of really bad Christmas movies. This has great writing, great acting, likable characters, and great filming. It was a sweet take on a holiday classic. My family enjoyed it! Not sure why there are bad reviews honestly.

Wouldn't it be remarkable if Hallmark developed a story of the successful woman who helped a vulnerable man reach his potential, and didn't have to stumble in the middle of the plot. Many of these actors are very poor and that makes it even more difficult to want to finish. By the way, why is Kimberly Williams-Paisley missing from these credits. Was it because she's humiliated by this story, or because she's beginning to look too much like Michael Jackson now? Sorry...pass this one up.

I love Hallmark movies and you really missed the mark on this one. The lead is a self absorbed brat. She has zero empathy and no social skills or cues. It was cringe worthy. The acting was okay, but the plot was awful. I would not spend your time watching this.

I agree with another reviewer on here about the Nashville and Graceland Hallmark movies. They are not my favorites (though they are not bad either). I do not understand why the producers cast singer/songwriters if they can't act. Sara Evans (as Belinda) and RaeLynn (as Alexis) were unimpressive (they are not good actors...hmm...where was the direction, the director?); I would have preferred some better acting as opposed to a few minutes of their singing. Don't get me wrong, they sounded good, but the writers/producers could have worked them into the script to (just) sing and cast some actors in their roles to actually do some acting. I thought the story was fun and cute. It is, of course, unoriginal and predictable, but I do not come to Hallmark movies for those things (i.e., originality and unpredictability). I like watching Jessy Schram (as Vivian) on screen; she does a good job in such roles. I found her performance engaging. Wes Brown (as Gavin) also did a decent job, though he might want to tone down on the use of tanning lotion (kidding, of course). The chemistry between the two was pretty good, believable; they had some nice interactions together. The Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present were fun too. Overall, it was a cute and fun movie. Not at the top of my list this season, but an entertaining movie, nonetheless.

I haven't been a fan of the Nashville/Graceland types of movies. They are a mashup of a typical Hallmark type script, which let's face it, aren't Oscar winners to start with, then they try and shoehorn every bit of Nashville they can into it. This one is no different. I'm a big fan of Jessy Schram, but neither her nor Wes Brown could help this sloppy, Dickens inspired story line. There are cute parts played by Kix Brooks and Kimberley Williams-Paisley, and for some reason they chose Wynonna Judd, even though she wasn't likeable when she was at the top of her game, let alone now. The best part is by far the singing. Sara Evans blows the roof off the place out of the gate, then does a couple of fantastic duets with Raelynn towards the end that sound that these two were born to sing together. Not a musical peep out of Schram however, what a missed opportunity.