Deck the Halls (2005)

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.If your child recently lost a parent or grandparent then keep this film away from them. If your child has lost a pet then keep them away from this. If you are GAY you will hate this film because there is gay reference/joke that Holly says to Nick and he seems offended that she would think he was gay. This is insulting to me as a gay men. If you are over 12 chances are you have seem this story done 10 x better in 10 other films that have a similar plot. In this film a woman meets her next door neighbor and they are not off to a good start. She argues with him twice in one night and then next she sees that he is the new hire at her days toy store company! Now this woman is a recent widow. Her son misses his dad and soon the family dog gets very ill. The son however seems to get out of his funk when he thinks the new neighbor/moms co-worker is Santa Claus.I think the film would of been better had Gabrielle Carteris not played her role as a stark raving witch. Yes makes for a good transformation but she is so nasty through most of the film. Most viewers will have CHANGED THE CHANNEL by the time she comes around. I do however love the man who plays Nick. His part is to be sweet to her sour but there is no chemistry between the leads. Steve Bacic however was a delight and saves this film from being a complete waist of time. This film is part of the LIFETIME 12 FILMS OF Christmas DVD PACK. This is the least enjoyable one. I have seen about 95-100 Christmas films in the past 2 years. This is near the bottom.

Recently widowed "Beverly Hills 90210" TV alumni Gabrielle Carteris (as Holly) is not ready to date the many men who find her attractive. She finds new next-door neighbor Steve Bacic (as Nickolas "Nick" St. Clair) annoying, even more so when father-in-law Ken Pogue (as Jack) hires him to work marketing for their "Dreamland Toys" store. However, Ms. Carteris' eight-year-old son Josh Hayden (as Ben) finds Mr. Bacic appealing. He tries to hook his mom up with Bacic. Young Hayden, who seems a little old for this, has asked God and Santa to bring back papa. There is also some intrigue about Bacic having a secret Christmastime identity. He has a sleigh, wears red, and works with little people...**** Deck the Halls (12/12/05) George Mendeluk ~ Gabrielle Carteris, Steve Bacic, Josh Hayden, Ken Pogue

If you want to spend a couple of hours with a wonderful, family film that warms the heart and makes you laugh at the same time DECK THE HALLS is it. Great acting by all. Pretty cool to see Steven Culp in this (being a fan since 13 days). The story is basically of a woman (played convincingly well by Gabrielle Carteris)lost her husband to a car accident that is spending the first Xmas without him. Her son is doing his best to brighten up the holidays. They have relocated to her parents home town getting a job at her fathers toy factory. She is hardened by the reality of losing the love of her life and confronting her first holiday season without him. She is slowly warmed over by Nick, played brilliantly by Steven Bacic, a consultant helping the company increase sales who also happens to be her neighbor. Being tired of the lame blockbuster scripts, this one is very well written and the delivery of the lines comes off in a genuine, often touching way. Well done.

It's wonderful to see a sentimental, funny, Christmas film with romance, Santa, elves and reindeer. For a change Christmas wasn't marginalized. In a way, it is reminiscent of "Miracle on 42nd Street". A perfect holiday movie for young and old alike. Great family experience. Loved the music. Actors Steve Basic and Josh Hayden's performance were touching. A great duo. The dog was funny-especially in the street hockey game. And Rudolph- I can't remember seeing him in a movie for a long time.Gabrielle was a bit harsh as a character, but in a typical Scrooge tradition. Inspiring message. Look forward to seeing it every year!