The 2021 Christmas Hallmark output was a very mixed bag, but could have been far considering the circumstances. There were five or six real winners, but also some below average outings and plenty in between either extreme. Also saw 'The Christmas Contest' as someone that did like the premise and because of liking Hallmark regular (and it is not hard to see why she is popular with them) Candace Cameron Bure and Barbara Niven in other things.
While not a terrible film (or at least to me it isn't), 'The Christmas Contest' disappoints drastically for reasons already summed up very well. Bure herself comes over quite well, but she certainly deserved much better than what she is given in one of her worst Hallmark Christmas outings. 'The Christmas Contest' is not quite one of the very worst 2021 Christmas Hallmark films, but it is in the lesser half of that year's batch rather than one of the best. Hallmark did do some good festive films that year, but this isn't one of them.
Bure makes it just about tolerable. Would have liked her character to have been a lot more interestingly written, but Bure is actually very charming and tries hard to bringing energy and honesty to the film. Niven also comes off well, bringing a lot of class and vim to a role that is quite standard for Hallmark but has been known to be done well.
Also thought that the production values were quite nice, not lavish but not the hasty looking amateurish look that was feared considering the budget and time constraints and also the present circumstances. Some of the music is pleasant.
However, too much doesn't work. Am another person who found John Brotherton poor in the film, with an oft tendency to overact while also not looking comfortable. A major problem with 'The Christmas Contest' and in a way that is enough to unbalance the film is the way his character is written, think Paul Greene's character in 'Christmas CEO' with the similar negative characteristics yet worse and you have Brotherton's here. And these negative characteristics are so overblown in writing and acting that looking for virtues is hard and one of the big questions one is asking throughout the film is what does she see in him. He and Bure have very little chemistry together, with it coming over as too forced and antagonistic, nothing romantic. The supporting cast are okay but don't have much to work with, only Niven stands out.
While there are pleasant moments in the soundtrack, too much of it is intrusive and could have done with a toning down. The script is constantly awkward and over-heated, the bickering was very overdone and increasingly repetitive, with there being too much of it and the cheese filled dialogue itself for the bickering induces cringing. The story is formulaic and by the numbers, with too much plodding pacing and a too abruptly introduced and out of the blue 180 degree character change. One that comes over as incredibly unrealistic and tacked on, considering the character it applies to. The direction at best is workmanlike.
Overall, semi-watchable due to Bure and Niven but underwhelms with the poorly written male lead character. 4/10.
While not a terrible film (or at least to me it isn't), 'The Christmas Contest' disappoints drastically for reasons already summed up very well. Bure herself comes over quite well, but she certainly deserved much better than what she is given in one of her worst Hallmark Christmas outings. 'The Christmas Contest' is not quite one of the very worst 2021 Christmas Hallmark films, but it is in the lesser half of that year's batch rather than one of the best. Hallmark did do some good festive films that year, but this isn't one of them.
Bure makes it just about tolerable. Would have liked her character to have been a lot more interestingly written, but Bure is actually very charming and tries hard to bringing energy and honesty to the film. Niven also comes off well, bringing a lot of class and vim to a role that is quite standard for Hallmark but has been known to be done well.
Also thought that the production values were quite nice, not lavish but not the hasty looking amateurish look that was feared considering the budget and time constraints and also the present circumstances. Some of the music is pleasant.
However, too much doesn't work. Am another person who found John Brotherton poor in the film, with an oft tendency to overact while also not looking comfortable. A major problem with 'The Christmas Contest' and in a way that is enough to unbalance the film is the way his character is written, think Paul Greene's character in 'Christmas CEO' with the similar negative characteristics yet worse and you have Brotherton's here. And these negative characteristics are so overblown in writing and acting that looking for virtues is hard and one of the big questions one is asking throughout the film is what does she see in him. He and Bure have very little chemistry together, with it coming over as too forced and antagonistic, nothing romantic. The supporting cast are okay but don't have much to work with, only Niven stands out.
While there are pleasant moments in the soundtrack, too much of it is intrusive and could have done with a toning down. The script is constantly awkward and over-heated, the bickering was very overdone and increasingly repetitive, with there being too much of it and the cheese filled dialogue itself for the bickering induces cringing. The story is formulaic and by the numbers, with too much plodding pacing and a too abruptly introduced and out of the blue 180 degree character change. One that comes over as incredibly unrealistic and tacked on, considering the character it applies to. The direction at best is workmanlike.
Overall, semi-watchable due to Bure and Niven but underwhelms with the poorly written male lead character. 4/10.