Movie Review: Christmas Waltz

    

    Hello, Hearties, and welcome to another Wednesday! It's only a little over two weeks until Christmas! Gee, willikers! Just 16 days until we get to see that "special surprise" that Brian Bird mentioned awhile back!

    Yes, if you haven't seen it yet, Erin Krakow tweeted about a never before seen clip of WCTH Season 8 that will be airing on Hallmark Channel Christmas night! I'm assuming it will be shown after the special presentation of last year's WCTH Christmas Special that will also be playing Christmas night! Now the big question, (At least for me) is will I watch it, or avoid the possible spoilers and just wait for the season to premiere in the new year?

    Honestly I'm not sure at this point. It really all depends on what is shown. If it's a promo then probably not. But if it's a 1-2 minute clip of a particular scene then maybe. Again it all depends on what is shown. But then again I'll probably end up finding out what it was from somewhere else, so....Lol!

    Any who, as exciting as this is, WCTH is surprisingly not the topic for today's post. Today I have another Hallmark movie review for you all, and guys....this may be my favorite Hallmark movie all year! Yes, I'm talking about Christmas Waltz starring Lacey Chabert, and Will Kemp!

    This movie was SOOOOO good!!! I mean, wow. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire movie. There was romance, there was dancing, there was humor....Let's just get to the review, and I'll tell you all about it. :)

 

 

Characters

 

 

    So first up we have the "Queen of Hallmark" Lacey Chabert playing the leading lady, Avery. Now pretty much every single time I put on one of Lacey's movies, I enjoy it. Lacey just always plays these fun, and sweet characters and has a nice sense of humor. This movie was no exception. 

    Avery is a sweet and kind woman who's a hard working and determined lawyer. The thing I liked about this movie is the story wasn't centered on her job. It was all woven into the story nicely. She went from being too busy to waste time on something she thought she wasn't very good at, to throwing caution to the wind and dancing just because it made her happy. (And...let's face it, if I had a dance instructor with a British accent I would make the time. Lol!)

    Honestly I need to give Lacey some major kudos here, as she did a great job dancing. That was not your average "sway back and forth waltz" and she did a nice job. (Including the "flying pretzel" maneuver. Lol!)

    Onto the leading male, Will Kemp plays Avery's dance instructor Roman. Will is in my favorite list when it comes to Hallmark actors. I have seen all of his Hallmark movies and have enjoyed every one of them. That would also include his prier movie with Lacey, Love, Romance, and Chocolate, which is one of my favorite Hallmark movies from 2019. 

As for the character of Roman...oh my goodness guys. I loved him! Will did an amazing job as the carefree, kind, and sometimes goofy Roman! His antics made me laugh multiple times! I loved how fun, and spontaneous he was. I also loved his wonderful large family, which was so heart-warming to watch.

    And this guy is a good dancer. I mean, did you see that high kick he gave as they were dancing in the street? Will Kemp is actually a dancer as well as an actor, and began attending dance classes at the age of 9. I'm very glad Hallmark allowed him to put his talents to use for this role, as it was a lot of fun to watch.

 

    I, of course, can't leave out John Talan Church who played Nicky. Everyone give that kid a round of applause for his wonderful performance! That kid can dance, and he was a great addition to the movie!

 

    And finally we had Jeremy Guilbaut who played Avery's disgusting ex-fiancé. He also played the dirty railroad man, Ray Wyatt in WCTH Season 4, so there's your WCTH reference to validate my reviewing this movie. Lol! Ugh, that man! He was terrible with a capitol T! I mean, the nerve of that guy!

    Not only does he obviously not care about Avery at all (Or else he would have not so easily canceled her dream of a Christmas wedding) but thinks he has the right to just come back after ditching her because their relationship became more "convenient" for him. AND he stepped so far over the line and went behind Avery's back to lie to Roman about him and Avery being back together again! Ugh! I have to admit I was cheering Avery on when she finally told him off. (You go girl!) 

 

 

Scenery

 

    The scenery was great in this movie. I'm very much a fan of "white twinkling lights" and to have them in Roman's dance studio gave a wonderful romantic feel to the dance scenes. And then of course Roman had to dim the lights and just have the Christmas lights on so Avery couldn't stare at her feet. (Sigh...so romantic. :)

    I also enjoyed how this whole movie opened with that dance scene during the opening credits. It was different compared to Hallmark's usual "view of the city" openings, and it was a nice change. It also gave the movie a special edge and made it feel like Hallmark put some extra care into it. Something I very much appreciated.

Chemistry

 

    Alright, I'm just going to come out and say it. This entire movie just oozes with chemistry and romance! And I absolutely loved it! Will and Lacey have such wonderful chemistry together! My actual thought after watching it was, "Alright, Will now needs to replace Brennan Elliott in Lacey's Crossword Mysteries." Lol! Yes, yes, I love Brennan and Lacey together as well, but after watching this movie I now need another with Will and Lacey. Immediately. :D

    They were SO good together! It was fun to watch Roman teach Lacey not only how to dance, but how to take a leap (Literally) out of her planned life where she was good at everything she did. 

    There were so many sweet and romantic moments throughout this whole movie. I could make a big list, but I'll just name a few of my favorites.

    The first would be the scene I mentioned earlier when Roman cut the lights so Avery wouldn't keep watching her feet. The room was then lit by the white twinkling Christmas lights, and they had this beautifully romantic moment where they slowly danced. The whole thing was just so dreamy and sweet, and I loved the whole vibe of the scene.

    The second would of course be where they were dancing down the street for all to see. Avery summed it up pretty well when she said, "I thought evenings like this only existed in Christmas musicals." I'm used to seeing Will Kemp playing the more stiff character who the girl has to shake up, but boy did he really come to life here. He was just dancing down that whole street, sliding down a banister, and even doing the classic "spin around a lamppost with an umbrella" move like nobody was watching. The whole scene just brought a smile to my face.

    The last scene I'll mention was where Roman brought Avery to his family's Christmas party. Apparently he's Russian (And picked up the accent from all the time he spent in England) and he has a great big Russian family who gets together for the holidays. And it was so sweet! I loved watching Roman with his little nephew, and then him and Avery just pitched right in and helped out with the food preparations. The whole thing was just so heart-warming and sweet to watch.

    Bringing us back to the subject of chemistry, if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a very big fan of Lacey and Will together. Lol! Their banter is so fun, and they really compliment each other nicely. I would absolutely love to see them in another future Hallmark movie! (Or maybe three? :)

Plot

 

 

    The plot for this movie was great. It was a little different from your average Hallmark movie storylines, as the focus wasn't on a topic like "I want a promotion" or "saving the ranch" or "falling in love with the old boyfriend." It was about a busy woman who had a plan for her life stepping out of her comfort zone and doing something just because it made her happy. In the end her choice made her a better person, and caused her to meet her true love.

    I loved the mixture of romance and humor in this movie, and the whole story with Avery's ex made for some great tension throughout. I mean, come on. As much as we hate the villains, we love the drama, right? Lol! It was also fun that not only did we get to see the main characters dance, but we also got that fun performance with the kids at the end. That was a great added bonus! 

    The story of Avery and Roman falling in love was so sweet, funny, and swoon-worthy. I couldn't believe it when Avery actually knocked him down and sent him to the hospital! Lol! I did not see that coming! And Avery coming afterward and making him that incredibly "crunchy" breakfast sandwich was very sweet....and pretty funny. :D

    As for the kiss, once again in typical Hallmark fashion we had to wait until the last minute for it. However, the whole movie was so chock full of romance this factor can be overlooked. I was actually hoping they would kiss during the "big fight" after Roman was told by Avery's ex David that she was back with him. There was such a push-pull internal fight going on for both Avery and Roman, and it would have been a great place to have the "Oh no, I kissed them/I can't do this" moment. But once again the whole movie was just so darn romantic, how can I complain? Lol!

 

    All in all...I really, really enjoyed this movie! It has now claimed the title of my favorite Hallmark movie this year, and I suspect it will remain that way. I also will totally be re-watching this movie in the future, and I highly recommend giving it a watch if you haven't. I give a great big round of applause to the cast as well as the crew for bringing this movie to life! Thank you!

    Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts on the movie below or on my Twitter page! Have a great day, and God Bless!

    P.S. Need a last minute gift? Feel free to stop by the Heart and Family Mercantile and take a look! (Be sure to check the shipping time to ensure you receive your purchases in time for Christmas.) https://shop.spreadshirt.com/heart-and-family-mercantile