Once Upon a Christmas Wish

I live near Long Grove, been going there for decades. I used to go there with my late mother, sister and other sister. It brought back a lot of memories of the Apple Haus, LG Confectionary Store, going there to get chocolate covered strawberries. Shows the church my brother was married in. Some of the scenes were filmed in my favorite stores. I'm curious how there were able to film in-between the famous bridge being hit. It's been hit over 60 times, one of which a few years ago almost completely destroyed it. No matter how many warning signs they post on the allowable height, people still try to go through it. Cute movie, but for me the town was the star.

I was excited about this movie because I actually live in Long Grove, and it was really cool seeing the small businesses, landmarks, and scenery in the movie.

The movie itself was less than good. I feel like the concept was different and could have been more interesting if it was executed better, but something was just off with this one.

The acting wasn't good, which is weird because they are married in real life, but the chemistry was missing.

Efrain Figueroa who played the father was excellent though. Really enjoyed his performance!

However the random dancing and singing felt very disjointed and forced, and I found myself bored and glad it was over when it finally ended.

I enjoyed this film that takes a slightly different direction than the run of the mill Christmas rom-com. Yes, it's a small town that is struggling and yes, there is an antagonist trying to build there and put the local shops and inns out of business. Yes, there is a Santa figure that adds magic to the mixture. And yes, the love interest is from the city. But the premise of old Christmas wishes long forgotten being sent off and then the spark of them coming true made for an enjoyable, albeit sappy/corny, holiday movie. I was not expecting the seemingly random song and dance pieces, which were good, but not enough or too sporadic/not interwoven to tag it as a true musical. The main very talented leads, married in real life, had good on-screen chemistry and for lack of better words, were cute together. I appreciated that the culminating conflict was actually a semi-reasonable one, rather than a silly miscommunication/misunderstanding that everyone outside of the love interests could see a mile away or resolve with any meaningful human interaction. Nothing to blow us away this holiday season, but an enjoyable and uplifting family friendly Christmas movie to help us feel the magic and spirit of the season.

The movies where I have seen Mario Lopez, whatever his role, he walks like he is in total command of everything around him. The very first glimpse of him walking down the street here reminded me of that. Perhaps it his experience as dancer. It does take long before Lopez' Brian Ortega is in the middle of a big dance number right in the center of town. The character Brian is apparently surprised by that. Something is up. Soon after we are introduced to the evil developer aiming to buy local shops. And the town can't make its budget. The last piece to add to the plot is Nina played by Mario's real life wife, Courtney Lopez, whom Brian has obviously had a crush on since grade school. Looks like they will be planning the town festival together.

Along with the frequent musical numbers, the acting has a "big" feel to it. Slightly overacted, but intentionally so. It's no surprise that the married Lopez couple fit together perfectly even dancing together. And Courtney can really belt it out when she sings. There is a nice closing number with both Courtney singing and the couple dancing.

The climax is overly optimistic, no cheesy, even for a Christmas movie. If viewers can keep from taking the story too seriously, I think the movie can be quite enjoyable.

BTW - Joey makes me think of one of the elves in The Santa Clause. His voice is just the same. The acting credit here on IMDb doesn't make sense since it says he is 56 years old. I think he is actually the son of the two leads.

The Lopez duo lift this outing with a touch of class, a special spirit, and an amazingly different approach. Part musical, without the dragging touch of been there, some drama but with a joyful heart, this little show is one you would be able to see again, and happily at that. A few notes: Yes, the leading characters are in real life are married - 12 years as of the movie's debut. And one of their 3 children does have a minor but semi-strategic role in the film. As with all good Christmas flicks, there is a touch of fantasy involved in the plot, but it neither dominates nor distracts from the pulse of what we feel. Compared to the usual suspects flooding our screens this time of the year, the best word to use would be Refreshing! Hope to see the Lopez touch again. There is something special there.