The only reason to watch "Christmas Plus One" is Corey Sevier's performance.

I've seen him in many TV Christmas movies, and he always strikes me as quite genuine. Without a word, he can run through a full range of emotions with just his face. If he had been born near the beginning of the Twentieth Century, I believe he would have been a major silent film actor and have had the ladies swooning as well! Move over, John Barrymore!

So why haven't I seen him in any movies at the cinema???

The other actors were okay, going through the motions, but Corey carried this film.

Special mention goes to Leighton Alexander Williams, who played Pete the coffee shop owner.

This movie has plenty to offer - quite a big three-generational cast with several storylines running. Unlike many Christmas TV movies, bereavement is not included as the lead's parents are both present and the child character is a nephew. There are lots of relationships covered - parents/adult children, sisters, uncle/nephew, lovers, friends and colleagues so most viewers will connect with at least one situation. Aside from regular work issues, the plot features a variety of familiar Christmas and Wedding traditions, plus a few original ones along the way, making the tale accessible yet interesting throughout.

Not even sure where to start with this one. My goodness it is awful in the messages it sends.

Cara and her sister Amy both wish for true love one Christmas, the next year Amy is marrying her true love and Cara thinks she's met hers by chance - but then loses his number - and maybe he isn't the one. At a basic level this plot would be fine, but the way it is done in this movie left me feeling pretty gross.

One issue is how the two male characters of Chace and Michael are drawn. Chace, who is the chance-meeting-but-lost-the-number dream guy is incredibly charming from our first encounter with him and remains that way for the whole film. He really feels like the guy you should be rooting for to find the girl. Michael on the other hand, is an abrasive jerk at the start and is the cause for losing Chace's number. I understand the formula is the one of the romantic leads has to be in some way grumpy/rude/broken at the start so the magic of love/christmas/whatever can win them over, but given how 'perfect man' Chace is, Michael's character is not written well. And while he has about half the film being fine he never manages charming and in the last third goes all the way to manipulative.

The second issue is the actors. Corey Servier also has less chemistry with Emily Alatalo in the entire movie than Andrew Bushell manages with her in their three shared scenes, so who we're meant to root for and who actually seem to have a potential for love are completely different.

But the big problem that had me yelling at the screen while watching comes in the last third of the movie. Cara has been trying to find Chace and Chace has been trying to find Cara, and finally Chace leaves his number with Pete at the cafe they both go to (side note: Pete's a jerk). Pete, being a jerk, gives the number instead to Michael. Michael then does not give the number to Cara. When she and Chace finally run into each other at Pete's cafe and she finds out Michael had the number for several days but didn't tell her she is rightfully upset.

So Cara and Chace finally go on their date but she spends her time talking about her week with Michael because of course he's really her soulmate blah blah blah. Again, if there had been no lying and manipulation around Chace's number this storyline would be fine and a pretty standard storyline (I'd still critique the chemistry in the love triangle as being the wrong way round). But Michael did manipulate and lie to Cara, and gave a pretty gaslighty speech when she called him out on his lies. Yet they are the couple we're meant to root for, and Cara even apologises to him at the end?! Really?! Just yuck.