2nd Chance for Christmas

source: 2nd Chance for Christmas

This is yet another take on "A Christmas Carol" and not a good one. The budget didn't extend to decent special effects, the acting was stilted and unbelievable and the sets were rubbish. The casting was the main problem. The makers would have been better off finding new talent rather than paying for known stars who didn't fit well. Tara Reid is incapable of facial expression and I found her mask like visage distracting. The main character, Chance, was so awful it was hard to believe her 180 degree turn at the end. Brittany Underwood, who played her, was totally unconvincing. Her character was so one dimensional. The romance storyline was cringeworthy. The poor bloke should have run a mile long ago! Avoid! There are much better Dickens' adaptions out there.

Then Grade F-. And in keeping with the Dickensonian theme I think the writer, director and most of the actors should be visited by 3 ghosts on how to make a film. This movie was completely without charm, the special effects were laughable, the acting stilted, and a completely missed opportunity with a new premise. I am assuming this in fact was a failed high school AV project to which I will see you all in detention.

This is yet another take on "A Christmas Carol" and not a good one. The budget didn't extend to decent special effects, the acting was stilted and unbelievable and the sets were rubbish. The casting was the main problem. The makers would have been better off finding new talent rather than paying for known stars who didn't fit well. Tara Reid is incapable of facial expression and I found her mask like visage distracting. The main character, Chance, was so awful it was hard to believe her 180 degree turn at the end. Brittany Underwood, who played her, was totally unconvincing. Her character was so one dimensional. The romance storyline was cringeworthy. The poor bloke should have run a mile long ago! Avoid! There are much better Dickens' adaptions out there.

source: 2nd Chance for Christmas

I finally watched 2nd Chance For Christmas all the way through and I enjoyed it. It wasn't a heavy-hitter type of movie meaning it wasn't real deep and neither was there a lot of intense acting/directing, yet it kept my interest. Chance was a diva-type singer that had no regard for the people who worked for her or her family. She hates Christmas (it is never revealed why). She was mean and indifferent even to her fans, which is a major no-no! A mother brings her sick daughter to see Chance and possibly get an autograph, but Chance treats her fans like dirt and the mother and her daughter walk away heart-broken. As in the Dickens classic, Chance is visited by 3 ghosts who take her on a trip to her past, present and future. The way the ghosts presented themselves was very interesting and I looked forward to see what would happen next. There was a scene with the ghost of Christmas future that was scary because she changed from a beautiful woman to an angel of death or something. It certainly got Chance's attention! Its really a modern take on the old story that's been retold over and over, but I liked the changes. As always the message is clear: Be helpful and respectful to others while living your life to the fullest!

Then Grade F-. And in keeping with the Dickensonian theme I think the writer, director and most of the actors should be visited by 3 ghosts on how to make a film. This movie was completely without charm, the special effects were laughable, the acting stilted, and a completely missed opportunity with a new premise. I am assuming this in fact was a failed high school AV project to which I will see you all in detention.

It's an old story, there's been a ton of versions of "Scrooge" which I normally love watching to see how the writers/directors/producers interpret the classic Christmas tale. Hands down, this was by far the worst take on it I've ever seen. Everything, from the mis-casting to the wooden acting and the poor writing and direction, was just awful. It was almost hard to believe it was a Hallmark movie, just a hot mess. I'm not familiar with the actress who played the lead, is she also a musician? That was the only reason I gave it two stars - I thought she had a great voice, but acting skills, not so much.

I've been watching a different Christmas movie every day since December 1st, it's been a lot, I've been trying to watch things I haven't seen before. And while I have seen plenty of A Christmas Carol adaptations, as far as they go... this one is not bad. I recognized a lot of the actors, the song the lead character sings but seems to hate isn't bad, and honestly... it has decent enough acting for a Christmas movie (my expectations aren't high there and I don't know why anyone's would be). All and all, totally watchable.

Not a bad movie for early in the morning when you're looking for a bit of an uplift. Not great but not terrible. Do you know what to expect and there are a few cute lines of dialogue.