Film Critics United

Wrapped up in Christmas (2017) – Lifetime   After the stressful and emotional beatdown that yesterday’s movie ‘Lucky Christmas’ gave me, I began to seriously doubt if I could honor my obligations this year, but fortunately today’s movie, ‘Wrapped up in Christmas’ presented its predictable tale in a much more palatable package. Heather (Tatyana Ali) is a hard working Mall executive bucking for that big promotion from her hardcore boss Arlene (Jackee Harry).   Ryan (Brendan Fehr) is a somewhat aimless former attorney trying to find his way by creating paintings of suspect quality and helping his aunt Patty (Cindy Pickett) in her flailing mall store that sells stuff. Heather has been tasked by this boss of hers to close down all underperforming stores in this mall… during the Christmas Holidays.   This would obviously include the store of Ryan’s aunt.   Seems like a terrible business decision to me, maybe wait until after the Christmas buying seaso...

Dear Secret Santa (2013) - Lifetime Jennifer (Tatyana Ali) is a busy career woman, no time for love, no time for Christmas... bla bla bla, we know the routine.  Jen has gotten word from her bestie Abby (Jordin Sparks) that her old man Ted (Bill Cobbs) has taken a nasty spill, and Jen has to jet up the I-5 from L.A. to Berkeley to check on the old angry dude. When Jen gets there, other than being ridiculously old, because he's being played by Bill Cobb, the old guy is okay.  Still, Jen decides to stick around to keep an eye on him, maybe sell the family house out from under him and stick him in a nursing home or something.  It's for his own good.  Jen and her dad aren't too terribly close, Jen being more of mama's girl, but the thing her father is still a little bent about is that she missed Jack's funeral three years ago.  Jack (Lamorne Morris) was Jen's next door neighbor and best friend growing up and when tragically he died in a car accident she inex...

The Christmas Consultant (2012) - Lifetime  The Hoff.  Really... do we need to continue on?  Do we need to say anything more than those two simple words?  Simply by saying... The Hoff... you know already that we are in for a high quality TV Movie watching experience.  Unless, of course, you do not care for David Hasselhoff... which is almost like not liking baby Jesus... but I know there are some of you out there, despite the fact The Hoff unleashes all of his tools in this one. Maya (Caroline Rhea) and Jack (Barclay Hope) are a couple of super hard working suburbanites struggling mightily to hold down their demanding jobs, raise their three kids, handle their troublesome in-laws, and do all of this with Christmas barely a week away.  Idea!  Let's hire Christmas Consultant Owen (Hasselhoff) who will do all the Christmas planning, decorating, cooking, arranging, shopping and anything else Christmas related you can think of. Maya was a little hes...

A Snow Globe Christmas (2013) - Lifetime Looking back, we could've theoretically done 30 days of Alicia Witt Christmas movies, and the fact that it took eighteen days to finally get to one with her in it is proof positive that there are far too many of these things in existence, but here we are with A Snow Globe Christmas. Meg (Alicia Witt) is a hard driven TV Christmas movie producer who slave drives everyone around her, doesn't stop to smell the roses... bla bla bla.  She also constantly and sensually massages a snowglobe  that she pretty much takes everywhere.  It's strange. Showing up at her TV station is a magical Black Woman (Christina Milian) who KTFO's this poor woman to  magically transport her into the snowglobe she's always rubbing on. Now Meg can see the life that could've been.  In Snowglobe World, she's married to her ex-college boyfriend Ted (Donald Faison), has two beautiful children... and we don't mean that flippantly because...