Beanbioca
As Good As It Gets
ShangLuda
Admirable film.
Quiet Muffin
This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.
Christmas-Reviewer
This film tries to be an update of "The Front Page" and fails. The actors are talented but the writing fails them. The entire cast however can not be blamed for the writing. The biggest mess in this television film is that it fails to explain the major plot line. More On that Later.Now this film is about Tom Lane is the star columnist for the media conglomerate owned San Francisco Sun newspaper. The company is thinking about increasing Tom's exposure by producing a new television show around him. Liz Madison is the advice columnist for the little read community newspaper, the Marin County Voice, which is a throwback to gentler times. Besides their journalistic occupations, one other similar aspect between Tom and Liz is that they are both currently single, with their friends and family doing whatever they can to find that special someone for their personal life. On November 2, the staff at the Voice learn that the Sun ownership has bought their newspaper, with the probable goal of folding it into the operations of the Sun. If this move does happen, the staff at the Voice will lose their jobs. To fight back, Liz decides to change her column to an editorial espousing the meaning of Christmas and the newspaper to the community. Because of the feisty and entertaining stance of Liz's new column, the circulation of the Voice increases so much so that the owner has second thoughts about folding it, which in turn would put Tom's new television show in jeopardy. To protect his career advancement, Tom decides to write a counterpoint column to Liz's, his about instilling some practicality into Christmas. The competing columns become a personal battle for the two columnists. But as Tom and Liz spew their mutual loathing for each other, their respective friends try to convince them of the old adage that there is a fine line between love and hate.Now what makes no sense is that she is suppose to work for a small town News Paper however its San Francisco. Hello that is not a small town. My biggest gripe is that Tom Lane Television show will not happen if "The Voice" stays in circulation. How does a newspaper impact a television show. Now what saves this film from 100% garbage is the fact David Sutcliffe is very charming. I couldn't think of what I have seen him in before and then it hit me. He reminds me of John Stamos.I wanted to like this film but I didn't. I did however like some of the scenes but I did not like the film in general.
Meaghan Edwards
For a few years now it has been a tradition of mine to watch a Christmas special or movie I haven't seen before on the wee hours of Christmas morning. This year, I was skimming through my PVR and thought the summary of this little movie sounded cute, reminiscent of You've Got Mail. So, I gave it a try.I am glad I did! It was pure fluff and rather a poor man's You've Got Mail, but after the stresses of shopping, it was good to sit down and watch something lighthearted. Not for someone with overtly high expectations and/or looking for a deep storyline, but worth a try. I really enjoyed the storyline and the chemistry between the actors. The lovely shots from British Columbia were a bonus.
jannagirl65
I liked seeing David in something other than GG. He's a very nice looking man, and not a half bad actor; however, I'd like to see him in more mature roles concerning something more domestic or even more dramatic. Don't get me wrong, he's great at the roles he has been in - mostly comedy driven. I would just like to see how well he can extend himself as an actor. Like a lot of actors, they are only seen as that one main character they portray (for him it would be Chris on GG), and then those like me can't get past him playing anything else. Most actors will agree they get typecast when going out and auditioning roles. I'd just like to see David doing something a bit different.
tsasa198
The one thing you can count on with Lifetime movies is that they will feel like Lifetime movies. This one is no different as they team up with Walgreens ("Don't worry we can get everything we need at Walgreens.") to retell "You've got Mail," only it is kind of Christmasy. David Sutcliffe, who plays nearly an identical character on "Gilmore Girls," here plays Tom Lane a sexy suave career columnist who is far above the quaint community he lives in. His current reason for being is to bring culture to middle America, by golly, so his own TV show is in the works to do just that. Then, thanks to the magic of contrivance, he gets involved in a blood feud with a rival newspaper columnist. Liz (Dina Meyer) works at a paper that is sadly going out of business, but she is convinced that her and her gumption can save it. So she begins writing a pro-Christmas column for her paper (edgy, I know) and circulation skyrockets. Tom feels as though he has to respond because the survival of her newspaper spells the end of his TV show (I didn't buy it either). They fight, they squabble, they fall in love. We learn that corporations can never stand in the way of true love. In the end the CEO says down with profits and gives the beleaguered paper a reprieve. It is all very fantasyland-ish, and that is fine. Only when Liz implores you to get away from the TV and the video games and spend some quality time with your family I (and forgive the cliché) threw up a little. . .in my mouth.The film wasn't good, but it wasn't half bad either. The Scrooge in me enjoyed Tom's anti-Christmas columns. Sorry, but it is not evil to point out that Christmas is a commercial holiday. It is just that there isn't an unpredictable bone in its body. Of course he's a playa and she's on her way to becoming a spinster and of course only they can save themselves from these terrible fates. Being a Lifetime movie it was none to kind to the idea of bachelorhood. Somehow these pro-marriage types seem to think that invoking the image of you growing old by yourself is their ultimate trump card, as though the world will actually still be here in 40 years. I did like that the film took the side of newspapers, something that I read every day. I'm just saying that the whole production was so blah that having it on your side really isn't a net gain. All the great Christmas movies out there ("Christmas Vacation," "Elf," "Bad Santa") realize that there is something a little perverse about our obsession over this one holiday. "His and Her Christmas" made no such realization. It serves up an idealized view of the holiday and our world in general. One where the vigorous defense of Christmas is enough to sell papers, and where the religious aspect of it is whitewashed out of the picture, and where the commercial side of it is only there so that employers can actually keep their employees (that's right kids, no Christmas equals no jobs). Fine. The film was entertaining at times, but mostly just tedious. One big, tedious Walgreens commercial. **3/4
