All About Christmas Eve (2012)

Dull, clichéd redo of "Sliding Doors" that's utterly devoid of charm or magic. Duff is okay, but the rest of the acting is subpar at best. There was zero chemistry between the lead actors. Poor Duff could have been acting with a giant tree trunk with as wooden as her costar was. I couldn't understand what she saw in any of the men she had to choose from. Add in some bonus unexpected gross sexism to boot! What was with the inappropriate comments in the boardroom and in the phone call from her client!??! I expect these kinds of movies to be unrealistic but that was ridiculous and unnecessary. All in all a complete waste of time.

Ever wondered what a Sliding Doors rip-off Christmas Made-For-TV movie would be like? Well, now's your chance. To run a mile, that is.The appropriately named Eve is trying to get a plane from New York to Los Angeles so she can clinch a very important deal. One of two things could happen here: Either she breaks the heel of her shoe en route and misses it, or she gets to her flight unscathed.The movie then unfolds through both scenarios... At first, it looks like she'd be far happier if she'd boarded that jet... She finds herself surrounded by glamour, gets an expensive hotel, attracts the attention of The Hunk who's in charge of the company she's schmoozing...Whereas if things had gone differently... She loses her job, walks in on her boyfriend cheating on her, and the only shoulders she can cry on are those of her bar-owning best friend, and two ugly drag queens.But... GET THIS. In an entirely unexpected twist, she discovers that GASP being a corporate executive means you have to lose some of your soul!! SHE MIGHT BECOME LIKE HER BOSS!! AND she's always had a thing for painting murals... Until the realities of life as a hard-assed business person came crashing down on her.What'd think the chances are of her finding out that losing her old position was THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO HER? And she can finally LIVE HER DREAM?! As well as ending up with The Hunk, of course.As for her current partner... Well, he just plays video games all day, doesn't listen to a thing she says and as I mentioned, sleeps around. There is no indication as to what our heroine ever saw in this complete loser... Just think as him as a placeholder for when the The Hunk arrives.All dreary stuff, with little Christmas cheer about it... Despite the ubiquitous presence of non-stop obnoxious festive tunes on the soundtrack.At one point, IN A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE, an American Idol finalist that I've never heard of turns up at a party to torture the audience's eardrums with her caterwauling. All I can say is... It must have been a VERY weak line-up that year.What have movie producers got against those that are well off, anyway? I've seen no end of films that depict them as out of touch, shallow, materialistic jerks who have no idea how the less wealthy but much happier ' common folk' live. Even The Hunk gives up fame and fortune at the end because 'it did not feel right'.The ironic thing is... Most of those behind this mindless slush (and similar themed efforts) are probably rolling in cash themselves, too. Are they going to throw everything away, to live a Simple Loife of goat herding or flower arranging? Of course not. 'Do as I say, not as I do.' Hypocrisy at it's finest. 4/10

I popped this on just to have a movie on, while nothing else was on. Figured a Cheesy, Holiday, Romantic Comedy is always a nice idea.As most reviewers have already pointed out, its very much a remake of sorts to the movie Sliding Doors. While I did enjoy this movie, it was a nicely done little piece of cheese, there were a few differences between it and Sliding Doors that for me, made it much more a TV Movie and personally, distracted.The time from first scene to last was apox 2 weeks, if that. The whole event just zoomed through and felt far too unrealistic to find remotely believable. The way they also seemed to 'meet' bothered me as well. It just felt too weird.I also discovered how nice it is to watch a cute movie that's not Hallmark, but also not a 'based on a true story' drama fest. And while they weren't a HUGE part, the 2 drag queens were a wonderful addition.All in all, I did enjoy the movie. It was perfect for a chance to just ignore the world and veg.

When I sat down to watch "All About Christmas Eve," I was expecting the traditional Lifetime romantic comedy. However, the commercials didn't really do this one justice. It's a surprisingly deep and witty fantasy about a woman (Haylie Duff) who gets to experience two alternate lives for Christmas. In one, she becomes a super successful businesswoman and meets the man of her dreams (Chris Carmack). In the other, she loses her job and reconnects with her true passion, painting.Connie Sellecca is fantastic as the Miranda Priestly-esque boss, and there's two great musical performances from Diana Degarmo... who I loved on American Idol. (And a surprise cameo from another Idol alumni... I wont ruin it!) If you're looking for well-acted, well-made Christmas fantasy that is completely unpredictable (and even a little artsy!)... then this is a must see. I loved it!