Grade: B
With the new movie Falling for Christmas, Netflix dabbles in Hallmark Channel territory with absolutely no shame. This is a film that knows exactly what it is, makes no apologies, and doesn’t try to be anything other than itself. We know precisely what kind of happy ending the characters will inevitably ride off into, and oh what fun it is to ride with them.
The movie is touted as a comeback for Lindsay Lohan, who – now at the age of 36 – has returned to show the promise and charm she had in her early career, before it got sidetracked by personal and legal troubles. She plays Sierra Belmont, whose father is the wealthy owner of the fancy Belmont ski resort. It’s a nice place, and the extras…excuse me, guests have festive color coordination, which we see as a pair of skiers descend the slopes in tandem. One is in a red snow outfit, the other has on green.
Sierra has just been proposed to by Tad, her boyfriend of almost a year. He is a professional “social media influencer” – nothing is more important to him than the likes, views, and upward trends. He is shallow, slimy, and we are not supposed to like him. A ski accident causes her to hit her head and get amnesia. She gets rescued by Jake. He is the owner of a humble nearby lodge. He is an attractive guy with perfectly manicured stubble. He is a recent widower. The actress who plays his young daughter has a million dollar smile. Every time we see it, we can almost hear the director telling her to show off that smile for the shot – and I was there for it, every time.
Questions will arise in your head that you’re not supposed to ask in a movie like this. Will Sierra get accustomed to – and even PREFER – the humble country life over that of the hotel heiress? Does a bear shine its shoes in the woods? Will Tad eventually get put in his place? Do iguanas eat papayas? One of the few unpredictable aspects of the movie is what Tad ultimately does. It’s a nice touch – perfectly executed. You’ll know it when you see it.
This is a rich movie, visually. Colorful. Always snowing. The score sounds like a cross between the Home Alone theme and “Somewhere Out There” from An American Tail. Falling for Christmas is simultaneously an exercise in style and a story that burrows into your heart, with characters you root for. It’s a living, breathing, moving Hallmark card. All I can say is once in a while, I fall for it. I certainly fell for Falling for Christmas, and that’s a miracle on 34th Street right there.
Grade: B
Film Reviews by Mark 
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