A Lot Like Love at Christmas
Kat (Danica McKellar) and Sam (Dustin Milligan) have been friends since childhood, spending every Christmas Eve together around the table at Elissa Beth Dixon's (Lea Thompson) home, a home which each year became even more adorned in Christmas decorations. But whilst their father's can see that these two have a thing for each other nothing happens and over the years when either plucks up the courage to event think about making a move the other isn't available. But with Sam hitting 30 and returning home for the first time in 3 years he has decided that Kat is the one for him.
For me "Love at the Christmas Table" is one of those movies, a Christmas movie at that, which probably sounded good on paper but the end result ends up a bit flat and drawn out. And it is a shame as whilst not original the story of childhood friends growing up together only to realise when they are grown up that their friendship is really love is a pleasant one. And with "Love at the Christmas Table" being set at a series of Christmases, giving us flashbacks of Kat and Sam's growing friendship in a house decorated to the hilt in Christmas decorations gives it the sort of look which for many is part of the appeal of Christmas movies.
But, and you knew there was a but coming, for some reason this story of friendship ups and downs just doesn't quite grab you. Oh it has its moments of entertainment, it also has some moments of drama as well as a lot of romantic ups and downs as Kat has to deal with Sam bringing a girlfriend home for Christmas when she clearly has feelings for him but something is missing to make all of this special, to feel magical either on a Christmas level or a romantic level.
I think for me part of what is missing is the supporting cast as along side Danica McKellar and Dustin Milligan there are the familiar names of Lea Thompson, Scott Patterson and Alexandra Paul but whilst there are subplots surrounding them they are most certainly pushed to the side lines. So how about Danica McKellar and Dustin Milligan? Well they both play their parts and I am sure many who fell in love with McKellar back in the days of "The Wonder Years" will be just as charmed by her but the characters are not overly memorable.
What this all boils down to is that for me "Love at the Christmas Table" was an okay watch but not one of those Christmas movies I feel a burning desire to watch again despite delivering visually much of what I like about Christmas movies.
Tags: TV Christmas Movies, Christmas Movies
