User reviews

I enjoyed this Lifetime original Christmas movie. It is a low-key, simple story that focuses primarily on the dialogue between the leads, which is its strength, I thought. There is not much in way of sub-plots and other storylines in this one. The script was solid. Another reviewer on here talks of the various clichés and stereotypes used in the script. I notice some of these (plot devices) as well, but they did not bother me or take away from the film, from my viewing experience. To be fair, we are talking about the TV (romance) Christmas movie genre; it is not the most original genre of film. The strength in this one for me was the dialogue between the two leads, and of course the acting. The acting, overall, was strong. It was 90210 meets One Tree Hill (sorry, I could not help myself). Jessica Lowndes's portrayal of Hayley Parker, I thought, was pretty good. I agree with the other reviewers on here, I think, she has improved over the years (since 90210). Chad Michael Murray's performance (playing Paul) was strong. I think he does great in such roles, in this genre of film. Members of the One Tree Hill cast have been in some of the best Christmas movies I have seen this year (well done). The chemistry between the two is very strong, one of the strengths of the movie, I felt. The dialogue and interactions between them were convincing; it pulled me, as it were. I did feel the ending was rather rushed, or put differently, the writers could have done a better job setting up Hayley's reaction at the end. The supporting cast was good. No complaints about music or music editing, which has been an issue with some of Lifetime's Christmas movies this year. There is a little bit of festive cheer in this one too, but you should not expect a Hallmark production in this one. All and all, this is a low-key Christmas movie with some strong performances by the leads. It is a nice new edition to Lifetime's 2020 lineup. If you like dialogue and chemistry, this one is for you.

Expectations weren't particularly massive for 'Too Close for Christmas'. Am not a fan of Jessica Lowndes and have not been impressed by a lot of her performances. Chad Michael Murray generally has come on a lot, though some performances and films are better than others dependent on the material. The premise also wasn't wow worthy. But there was hope as there were good films in the unsurprisingly uneven 2020 Lifetime Christmas batch.

Of which 'Too Close for Christmas' is one of the better ones and has one particularly big surprise that was not expected at all. Is it a great film? No, none of the 2020 Lifetime Christmas films are though in all fairness. Is it worth watching? Absolutely yes (as is enough of this particular batch), and one of the recently seen Christmas films that surprised me a lot. While not everything in 'Too Close for Christmas' works, a lot does and very well indeed.

Am going to start with what could have been better. The plot is nothing special formula-wise and in terms of how it maps out. It's another film that is a bit of a slow starter, where it takes time to set up and the dialogue is on the awkward side.

Did think that some of the conflict was a bit forced and that the ending was too neatly resolved.

Having said all of this, 'Too Close for Christmas' succeeds in many areas. Visually, the film is professional looking rather than looking on the cheap, the scenery is lovely. The music is not used too much and has an appropriate sound. The direction shows somebody at ease with the genre and while there is nothing innovative it's not routine or dull either. Murray tries too hard at times, especially in the argument, but he brings energy and charm to his performance. Even better, surprisingly, is Lowndes in one of her best performances, much more relaxed and expressive than usual. The chemistry between them endears. The supporting cast are strong all round.

Characters were ones worth rooting for, they may not be complex but they at least have personality and the personalities are interesting and appealing. No overblown character flaws. Furthermore, a great job is done with the Christmas atmosphere, where it does feel like Christmas and in an affectionate way. Some lovely Christmas touches and there are some very sweet, but not sickly, scenes. Was not crazy about the script early on, but it did have a nice mix of funny and poignant lines. The story may be thin but has a warm heart and charm and doesn't take itself too seriously.

In conclusion, a pleasant surprise. 7/10.

Couldn't get past Chad Michael Murray's bird nest hair. It was like someone roughed it up before every scene.. He was trying too hard to look rugged and ruffled and laid back. It just looked phony.

I have never been a fan of Jessica Lowndes with her Valleygirl/Kardasian inflection and her eyeliner. But she has really really improved. So much so that she is the main attraction in this very watchable movie. Her acting is very good and I can't always say that this has been the case. Her beauty has been indisputable but kind of unapproachable. She has scaled down the make up which has allowed her natural beauty to shine through. Well Done! Now to work on that unfortunate southern California accent.

Her chemistry with the messily coifed Chad Michael Murray was palpable. I just wish they had tamed those locks a bit at least for the gala.

This was pretty darn good with most of the Hallmark/Lifetime set pieces avoided or toned down. Not a stand out, but I liked most of it and it had very few if any cringey moments.

I have always been a fan of Jessica Lowdnes. But it is my first time watching Chad Michael Murray and I like the way the two actors play off one another. It is a wonderful Christmas love story. The only affectation I found distracting is the character's eating granola in so many scenes. After watching this program I went looking for other movies starring Chad Michael Murray because I am interested to see what he did with other acting roles.

This Christmas movie is filled with laughter, love and family. It's what Christmas is all about.

The story has a bit of snowed-in-for-Christmas and of newbie-event-plans-gala. But the approaches were different both in story and dialogue.

I agree completely with another reviewer concerning Jessica Lowndes. For a long time, she was my least favorite of the actors we see repeatedly in Christmas stories. Maybe she's improved, or maybe she's just grown on me. Also she and Chad Michael Murray developed some great chemistry once Paul stopped insulting Hayley with virtually every word he said. Was Hayley a bit too sensitive? The "argument at the wedding" might have been overblown, but if Paul was as relentless then as he is for the first half of the movie, it's no wonder Hayley was unhappy. Just before half way, their banter goes from rude to playful and from there on it was fun to watch.

Some of the usual devices are there, but like I said, they seem a little unusual. I especially liked the ending. A lot of it is expected. Usually the final scene is what's expected but doesn't overly impress me. In this movie, I really enjoyed that final scene.

I mean, we all know what to expect from a Christmas movie and this has it all. Houses that are way too heavily decorated, far too many homemade cookies and a local Christmas gala etc etc. This one however, has an awful male lead, he's kinda creepy even more so after they start to like each other. This turned me off the entire movie.

I mainly watched this movie because of CMM and Jessica Lowndes. This was an okay storyline. I wasn't expecting much from a Lifetime Chrisfmas movie. Everyone that watches these already know what will happen and such. I still loved it regardless and it kept me entertained.

As much as I usually love him, Chad was actually quite an annoying character in this and as such, not easy to fall for. To be fair Jessica didn't do much for me either and not just because she's not a man. She was too perfect and it grated a bit.

It's not badly acted or put together, so I didn't feel the need to turn it off, but it doesn't hit high on my scoring list and probably only as high as it does, because Chad looks good in a dinner suit. I might tune in again in a few years, however it will not be a film I feel the need to watch at least every other year and definitely not annually. I'll just watch 'The Snowman' (1982) 3 more times instead.

It does feel a bit more like how a family Christmas should be and the activities all blend with the story nicely.

4ish?

OR this script and JMM make her seem better. Typical storyline but not annoying. Dialogue very believable. CMM made the romance work. Supporting characters entertaining.

Lowndes does a great job here and that's a good thing, because Chad Michael Murray's overacting is pretty hard to stomach in this one. If you can get by his ridiculously over processed hair style (clearly provided by a taxidermist) you'll find his, or his Character's arrogance a little off-putting. Despite this however, the leads have chemistry in this movie, largely due to Lowndes. The story is interesting enough to hold your attention until the end and is worth watching.

This movie's predictability honestly turns it into a snoozefest.

I have no idea what happened to Chad Michael Murray in this film. I've really enjoyed him in Christmas films in the past (Write Before Christmas and Road to Christmas come to mind), but his acting was so poor here, I started wondering if he legitimately was trying to get himself fired off the film. His character was distant and cold and never really warmed up, not to his family and not to his love interest. He had this deep, almost Southern twang (completely unlike the rest of his family!) that kept making me think he was filming a movie about a grumpy rancher on the side and that character kept bleeding into this one. The lack of family chemistry was super disappointing, especially between the brothers, which not only felt inauthentic, but was a seriously missed opportunity for comedy. (I kept thinking back to Hallmark's The Christmas House, also from this year, where the fun and believable banter between the brothers really made the movie for me).

Jessica Lowndes has become a staple in these Lifetime/Hallmark movies, and I agree with other reviewers that she's slowly but surely improving. She's loosened up considerably and become much less wooden, but still needs to work on bringing emotion into her voice.

The movie's biggest failure, though, is that its plot is so predictable that the audience will literally never be surprised or even impressed by the storytelling. This plot has been told a million times before, and nothing helps it stand out from all the other recycled versions of this exact same movie. There's a calendar of almost rigid holiday traditions that the family follows to a T every year shown near the beginning, which would've been much more enjoyable to watch than what actually happens when everyone else is too sick or indisposed to participate: the two leads have to plan an event together. It's disappointing that this script was approved, because it lacks creativity and any real ingenuity.

Hayley accepts an invitation to spend Christmas with her sister's new in-laws, her seemingly perfect holiday takes a turn when Luke, Hayley's brother-in-law's brother, shows up unexpectedly. When Hayley accepts an invitation to spend Christmas with her sister's new in-laws, her seemingly perfect holiday takes a turn when Paul, Hayley's brother-in-law's brother, unexpectedly shows up. Still harboring a grudge against Paul for ending her last relationship, Hayley reluctantly spends time with Paul and slowly realizes she may have been too quick to judge on Paul

Chad Michael Murray, always so handsome, he was unrecognizable in this funny, boorish version... Film about adults who act like teenagers are even cute, deep down, we're still a little teenagers, of course, especially with love, but here they forced it too much... Embarrassing and the spoiled and self-centered protagonist... Cute, convenient ending...

Reasonable viewers quickly learn to keep modest expectations of a Hallmark/Lifetime holiday romance movie. Most are utterly predictable and long on stock characters and tropes (some of them grating). They're vanilla as hell, any romance is chaste, and 'merry' doings often have the feel of a forced march through a glossy Small Town America that never existed.

The trick, within those parameters, is whether the production can arrive at 90ish minutes of moderately charming viewing to bake cookies with.

The stars don't matter that much, imo, unless they're terrific or terrible. So far as 'Too Close for Christmas Goes' I DVRed hesitantly, given previous overacting from one of the stars. (Whose acting was better here.)

What sank the movie was the sheer weight of the tropes and stereotypes.

-The controlling Mom who's OCD about all things Christmas.

-Gauntlet of family Christmas events, complete with mondo calendar.

-The under-appreciated workaholic protagonist gal who can't keep a guy.

-Blunt as a brick wandering romantic interest who just can't settle down.

-Prickly twosome trapped under 1 roof by ridiculously contrived circumstances.

-Heroine miraculously saves event with zero time and elementary knowledge.

It still wasn't too bad-as these films go-till the romance's manufactured stress point. Which was such a junior high eye roller (no spoilers), it became the trope-too-far that broke the camel's back. There's stale, and then there's stooopid!

You can do much better than this one.

What a wonderful Christmas film. Jessica Lowndes was fabulous, I have watched and enjoyed everyone of her Hallmark/Lifetime films and they just get better and better, such a multi-talented lady and as ever, a strong female lead. The movie has a great supporting cast, everyone gels so perfectly. I found it funny with plenty of touching and romantic moments. It's the sort of film that you can put your feet up with a glass of brandy and watch from start to finish. It's a real early christmas present for sure. It might have been predictable for some but whats wrong with that when its such a great film. I loved it, one of those movies for me which you can watch over and over again and still feel good about it. 10/10 for me.

Where do they keep getting the funds to make movies like this. Complete cliche trash. Chad Michael pls value yourself more than this man. There are SO many better stories out there waiting to be told.

Very average, predictable Christmas movie. Nothing touching or catching attention. It seems like nobody cared to make a good movie: neither the actors nor the director. I would not recommend to watch it as a special one- just put as background if you are bored)

I usually find the lead actor really annoying but he was tolerable in this movie. The story wasn't unique because the lead actress usually has the same job and same conflicts in other Christmas movies.

But I thought it had some good moments. It was Christmassy. Good supporting cast. I may watch it again.

LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! AMAZING STORY and AWESOME ACTING BY HIGH QUALITY ACTORS AND ACTRESSES!! WORTH THE WATCH!!! NONE OF THE CULTURE TRASH THAT HAS PERMEATED MAJORITY OF HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTS.. WORTH THE TIME AND WORTH BINGE WATCHING OVER AND OVER AGAIN!! THANK YOU PRODUCERS AND WRITERS FOR WHOLESOME PROGRAMMING!!! MUCH APPRECIATED!!

Ok so if you were a fan of the shows One Tree Hill or 90210 from the early 2000's you know who Chad Michael Murray and Jessica Lowndes are. They were basically the heartthrobs of each of their shows. When I saw they were in a Christmas movie together as the leads I had to check it out. They did not disappoint. Their chemistry was amazing...it was so good in fact I actually had to google them after the movie to see if they were really together. They aren't, so that just made me even more impressed with their connection on screen. The storyline is great as well it is not cliche like a lot of other Christmas movies. I would definitely recommend this Christmas movie especially if you were already a fan of these two. Lifetime Christmas movies are giving Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas a run for their money lol.

I love Chad and Jessica together in this movie. It's a Christmas movie. I read the very critical reviews and felt like maybe all critics went to the same Scrooge school. These type of movies are feel good happy movies. The world could always use more happiness.

Chad and Jessica have good chemistry. The sarcasm and stubbornness reminds me of old school type of flirting. The thin line between love and dislike made it fun to watch. Chad represented the secret admirer, a real friend who tells it like it is, no holding back. Jessica, as beautiful as she is, plays a wholesome kind girl that every girl wants to be.