Another Horse Tale
Christmas is coming and city accountant Michael Thompson (Patrick Muldoon - A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale) is frustrated by everyone taking holidays whilst also struggling to be a single dad to his rebellious teenage daughter Chloe (Mandalynn Carlson). So his assistant suggests he should kill two birds with one stone as her uncle Cliff Harrison (Rick Herod) has a horse ranch and could do with some financial advice as his business is struggling whilst it would give Michael chance to bond with his daughter. But one of Cliff's daughters Samantha (Charisma Carpenter - Obsession) initially doesn't want any outside help and is certainly not going to go out of her way to make Michael feel welcomed. But with the bank going to foreclose on the 26th December unless they pay off their debts there needs to be a Christmas miracle or two.
For some Christmas is the season of forgiveness, for others it is the season of gift giving whilst for me it is amongst other things the season of watching Christmas movies. But as such whilst I come across a few gems each Christmas season far too many of these Christmas movies end up being forgettably average thanks to the simple fact that either they are not really Christmas movies or do little to disguise familiar cliches whilst are sometimes too cheesy. Sadly there is something about "A Christmas Promise", which is also known as "A Horse Tale", which doesn't quite work, simply stopping it from being an okay reworking of those familiar cliches.
Now you can break "A Christmas Promise" down into those familiar cliches; we have a family run ranch in financial trouble as the bank is about to foreclose, a city business man who doesn't do country who has problems, a rebellious teen daughter causing her single dad issues, some horse drama and of course there is the obligatory slice of romance. For those who love their TV movies will know exactly how "A Christmas Promise" will end and for those who don't just think about what the best outcome would be for all those involved and you should be able to guess. The trouble for me is that it doesn't really attempt to disguise these cliches or do anything with them which breaks the mould.
But there is no denying that "A Christmas Promise" is a good looking movie with plenty of modern day horse ranch charm, good looking people, good looking scenery and a good heart. And in a way it is the goodness in "A Christmas Promise", that everyone in this movie is good in their own way that makes it watchable. Well that and the entire cast from Charisma Carpenter and Patrick Muldoon down to Dominique Swain and Mandalynn Carlson are likeable.
What this all boils down to is that "A Christmas Promise" is nothing new, in fact everything about it is incredibly familiar which means it holds few surprises when it comes to how things play out. But at the same time it is a nice looking movie with a likeable cast which helps to make it watchable.
Tags: Christmas Movies
