What can I say about A Christmas Treasure? As I watched, the dishes they prepared and discussed made my mouth water a bit. And I do want to try some of that Christmas Caroler's stew, of course. That said, I found the movie to be a bit dull if I am being honest. Moreover, I never really connected with the characters, with the story. That is, the movie did not engage me; it did not pull me in, I'm afraid. The two protagonists in this story are Lou (played by Jordin Sparks), an aspiring novelist getting ready to move to NYC after the holidays, and Kyle (played by Michael Xavier), a chef spending the holidays with his Aunt (Marcy, played by Lossen Chambers) while searching and interviewing for jobs in Chicago. The two meet at the Pinegrove Restaurant (Marcy's restaurant), as Lou and her friend mistake him for a cute waiter. At the annual Pinegrove Christmas show, Lou's father opens the town's 60-year old time capsule, revealing some interesting artifacts. The two start spending time together while, at the same time, exploring and (re)discovering the artifacts left in the time capsule in 1961. In their pursuit to find themselves via the connection to their past, the two begin to find each other, the romantic connection that hopefully leads them into the future. The writers do a good job of intertwining several sub-plots in this one that, at face value, tell a warm and heartfelt story. However, the story seemed to be stuck in third gear with no real highs or lows. Moreover, the dialogue was quite ordinary and dull at times, which made engaging with the movie difficult. This is partly a result of the acting, of course. Though Sparks had some beautiful singing, she had a rather stiff performance, I'm afraid, which was difficult to connect. Simply put, she is not the most expressive actor. Xavier, who is becoming a Christmas movie regular, had a decent performance, I thought. But here too there just seemed to be something missing. The chemistry between the two was not bad, and you could see their relationship develop as the movie progressed, which is a plus. The movie also had a warm and gentle Christmas feel to it, with some interesting items and backstories discovered in the time capsule. And of course, the scenery, props, and sets were well-polished and festive, classic Hallmark. All in all, it is a decent Christmas movie, not one of Hallmark's best nor one of their worse.
Review of A Christmas Treasure
