This Time Each Year movie review

MOVIE TITLE: This Time Each Year

This cheesy Christmas romance is now playing on the Hallmark channel.

RATING: TV-G

LENGTH: 2 hours 1 minute (That’s a bit long for a Hallmark movie)

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about a separated couple who are focused on raising their young son together. They were once in love, but life got in the way. When Lauren’s mother decides to visit, the wife convinces her husband to pretend they’re happily married and living under one roof. The act quickly feels more real, stirring up old memories and feelings. Can Christmas spark renewed love?

The romance was directed by Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe. Writing credits go to Juliana Wimbles.

THINGS I LIKED:

I really liked the opening montage that gave us some background and told us the visual story before the first scene. It was cute to use Christmas cards at the theme.
The leading man and woman are played by Niall Matter and Alison Sweeney, two actors well beloved in the Hallmark world.
We get to learn about the Japanese art of fixing broken objects with gold called Kintsugi. It means “join with gold”. It highligts the imperfections of a broken piece of art like pottery or glass, rather than hiding them. It’s a wonderful idea that teaches us to embrace flaws, recognizing that the repaired object becomes stronger and more beautiful.
The movie isn’t the typical romance where people meet, fall in love, have a crisis that breaks them apart, and then they find their way back together again. Instead, this film features a couple that is already married but who are struggling in many ways. The “living happily ever after” myth is busted and it shows how marriage can be hard, requiring work, compromise, hope, and forgiveness. That’s a great message.
The ending is cute because it shows a family taking pictures for their next Christmas card, just like how the movie started.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The whole premise of the story begins by deceiving someone.
The leading actors are nice, but definitely too old for this script. There are quite a few story points that require much younger actors for things to make more sense about their big mistakes.
A common thread among almost every Hallmark movie is characters who completely unaware how much they’re inconveniencing others. They plow through the situations with their own agenda and opinions. It’s so annoying.
Like almost every Hallmark movie I’ve ever seen, the ending is extremely predictable.
It’s odd how fearful Lauren is about telling her mother the truth about things. Usually, that happens when a child has been traumatized by an overly demanding and even violent parent, but the mother played by Laura Soltis is a nice woman who doesn’t fit that description.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be extremely bored.
Talk of alcoholism and losing one’s driver’s license because of it
People lie to each other a lot.
Someone gets hurt and ends up in a hospital.
Talk of a divorce and imminent divorce

THEMES:

Second chances
Choices
Guilt
Substance abuse
Forgiveness
Embracing mistakes

FUNNY LINES:

“How are you feeling?” – doctor “Any better, I’d be twins.” – Kevin’s dad

INTERESTING LINES:

“Serving drinks ain’t serving anyone. It’s time to find out what you were meant to do and this bar ain’t it.” – Ron (Craig March)
“Who could get sick of Christmas?” – Charlie (Ezra Wilson)
“I can’t take back what happened last year.” – Kevin (Niall Matter)
“What I’m working on is changing our future.” – Kevin (Niall Matter)
“Forgiveness is a wonderful thing to receive from others. Bear in mind, it’s also something we can offer to ourselves.” – Therapist
“You have to find the answers you’re looking for within yourself.” – Therapist
“I’ve had a job for a long time. I need a career now.” – Kevin (Niall Matter)
“Christmas is sacred.” – Kevin (Niall Matter)
“Rather than hiding the imperfections, the mess, kinsugi highlights them, celebrates them.” – Janet (Laura Soltis)
“Things that are broken can be fixed.” – Lauren (Alison Sweeney)