This movie is a knockoff of the enchanting "A Gift Wrapped Christmas". I enjoyed the original so much, I thought I would give this one a try. Boy, was I disappointed. There was zero chemistry between the leads. The script was largely uninspired. It was like the director took the story boards from the original and turned out a two-dimensional talk fest that echoes the movie on which it is based solely by its plot elements. There were times I could hear the cue cards in the actors' delivery. In particular, the lead actress turns in a performance so wooden, that I wondered if she had recently overdosed on Botox injections. Her constant smile never got to engaging and went right to creepy. If you have not seen "A Gift Wrapped Christmas", find a copy of that to watch rather than this garbage.
The Secret Gift of Christmas
2023
Action / Romance
The Secret Gift of Christmas
2023
Action / Romance
Plot summary
Bonnie is a personal shopper who helps her new, widowed client Patrick reconnect with his young daughter. Though Bonnie and Patrick's ideas of shopping couldn't be more different, she is determined to get Patrick and his daughter everything on their wish list.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
December 17, 2023 at 01:25 AM
Director
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Knockoff of a much better movie
Meh
Was the main character played by Meghan Ory contractually obligated to laugh every 10-30 seconds? Also, who did she anger in the costume department because the wardrobe was abysmal.
The concept was good, and I fully understand that this a fluffy Hallmark movie, but I really think it would have been a better movie if she had toned down the happy, happy, happy by about 100%.
Christopher Russell and Ellie Cluett as the father and daughter were good, and of course who couldn't benefit from a personal shopper, especially at Christmas!
The movie was fine, there's definitely been others this year that I've enjoyed much more.
Christmas shopping
The plotline of a personal shopper is not the most common one. Meghan Ory fills this role with a lot of positive energy. She certainly smiles a lot. When it comes to Christmas stories, I prefer the upbeat ones to those that sow doom and gloom through over half the movie. However, the story sets Bonnie up as being shallow.
There is nothing exceptional in this story. It is mostly about keeping Ory and Christopher Russell together as much as possible. There also isn't much tension beyond Patrick's resistance to being fancy and to social media.
There is a subplot where we see that Bonnie has a shopping addiction. The story doesn't really deal with this issue other than love conquers all. I am disappointed that for an issue like this that ruins some people's lives, it was treated, in my opinion, rather flippantly. It doesn't even add much tension to the overall story since there doesn't appear to be any ominous consequences threatening Bonnie.
As in many Christmas stories, the female lead bonds with the widower's daughter which always adds a little bit of positive flavor for me.
The acting is OK. There is some good dialogue.