I know that right away you'll want to down vote this just for that headline, but bear with me for a minute.
There are some good things about this movie. For one, it's not drenched in Christmas decorations like most Hallmark productions. Overall, it has a more subdued, more 'normal' feel than the other movies. Also the actress that plays Martin's daughter is very good, very natural as is the girl who plays her new friend.
But when it comes to the main actors -- and it's really the director's fault -- both leads are TOO subdued, and seem almost annoyed they're taking part in this.
Kelly Martin spends the first half of the movie, if not longer, staring at her costar with a blank, expressionless look -- devoid of feeling or emotion. Like she doesn't care what happens. And if she doesn't care, why should the audience?
And Colin Ferguson is just all wrong for the part. And I can PROVE IT. If you have the DVD of the movie, skip to the scene where he introduces Martin's character to one of his horses -- freeze the frame -- and it's really almost chilling. He looks disgusted by her, almost like a serial killer. Seriously...he shows absolutely no interest in what she thinks, no hint of any charm or kindness. Instead, he has this look on his face like he's telling himself "She doesn't like me, but she'll pay for it soon!"
I know, sounds CRAZY. Yes, there are moments where he smiles and laughs, but for most of the movie, he's very glum, very pale and drawn looking, like he'd rather be down in the basement, sharpening his KNIVES. :)
They're both good actors, just not in this. And again, that's mainly the director's fault.
There are some good things about this movie. For one, it's not drenched in Christmas decorations like most Hallmark productions. Overall, it has a more subdued, more 'normal' feel than the other movies. Also the actress that plays Martin's daughter is very good, very natural as is the girl who plays her new friend.
But when it comes to the main actors -- and it's really the director's fault -- both leads are TOO subdued, and seem almost annoyed they're taking part in this.
Kelly Martin spends the first half of the movie, if not longer, staring at her costar with a blank, expressionless look -- devoid of feeling or emotion. Like she doesn't care what happens. And if she doesn't care, why should the audience?
And Colin Ferguson is just all wrong for the part. And I can PROVE IT. If you have the DVD of the movie, skip to the scene where he introduces Martin's character to one of his horses -- freeze the frame -- and it's really almost chilling. He looks disgusted by her, almost like a serial killer. Seriously...he shows absolutely no interest in what she thinks, no hint of any charm or kindness. Instead, he has this look on his face like he's telling himself "She doesn't like me, but she'll pay for it soon!"
I know, sounds CRAZY. Yes, there are moments where he smiles and laughs, but for most of the movie, he's very glum, very pale and drawn looking, like he'd rather be down in the basement, sharpening his KNIVES. :)
They're both good actors, just not in this. And again, that's mainly the director's fault.