Greetings, salutations, and a seasonal welcome to all you movie aficionados. Here are my considerations and recommendation for Saving Christmas Spirit.
Story: 1.25/2 - Direction and Pace: 2.50/4 - Performances: 1.50/2 - Enjoyment: 1.25/2
Total 6.50/10
There are few places on this planet where you would think that magic and faerie folk could exist. One such place is the extraordinarily beauteous mountains of the Scottish Highlands, which I was lucky enough to visit this year, so Saving Christmas Spirit was like a memory of good times. Luckily, the director captures the peaks and the Scottish countryside superbly, imbuing the movie with a subtle, heartwarming atmosphere. The writer gives the audience plenty of stuffing as there's not only one love story in this movie but three. One of which involves a meddlesome ghost. There's also the equality story of the girls' rugby team the local school is reluctant to fund, an ongoing feud between two local families and their land rights, and a race to get the funding to release the dram of the moment "Christmas Spirit" and save the local distillery. Add into this mix your typical stereotyped characters, with your more robust "real-life" individuals, and the motherly, yet slightly extravagant, hotel owner, and you have a delightful way to waste an hour and a half with your beloved. The cast is excellent. Though, Ashley Newbrough, who portrays Dr Lucy Stewart, is sometimes a little staid - not exactly wooden, but close.
I have to give you a little warning, though. The movie's beginning isn't great, and it may tempt you to hit the off button. Please stay with it. Once the good doctor leaves America and lands in Scotland, the story and performances get considerably better. Saving Christmas Spirit was a pleasure to watch, and I'd recommend it to Christmas Movie fans and newbies. Should C5 choose to repeat the picture in the future, I'll give it another viewing.
Please check out my HO! HO! HO! Christmas Belles list to see where I ranked the movie.
Take Care, Stay Well, And Best Wishes For A Merry Christmas.
