MOVIE REVIEW
Movie: A Puppy For Christmas
Network: UP
Original Air Date: November 25, 2016
*Please Note: This is NOT a family-friendly movie. See my review below.
CAST:
Cindy Busby ... Noelle
Greyston Holt ... Liam
Christopher Russell ... Todd
Allison Price ... Joyce
Derek McGrath ... Gramps
Victoria Snow ... Helen
Toya Alexis ... Felicia
Grant Roll ... Stanley McGibbons
Nadine Roden ... Mary
Tamara Almeida ... Beatrice
Liz Gordon ... Pam
Brigitte Kingsley Cymek ... Erica
Michael McCrudden ... Todd's Drinking Buddy
Phillip Samuel ... Barkeep
Shawn Meunier ... Lumberjack Guy
Chris Gleason ... Mullet Man
Dave Barclay ... The Chief
Adam Chuckryk ... Hot Guy
Daniel Park ... Farmhand
PLOT:
via Marvista: Noelle has the perfect set-up: a successful job, a handsome boyfriend and the life of her dreams. She is only missing one thing. Deciding to finally take the plunge, Noelle adopts an adorable puppy. However, her life does not become the dream she imagined it would. Instead her new furry friend turns her world upside down and soon they are facing Christmas alone. Accepting an invitation to spend the holidays with her coworker, Liam, she is surrounded by the Christmas cheer of a warm, happy family. Sparks soon begin to fly between Noelle and her host as the warmth of the season ignites something between them. But when Noelle’s estranged boyfriend tracks her and proposes in an attempt to win her back, Noelle must decide which life she wants. Will it be the safe, successful world she knows, or an unpredictable future with the man who is quickly winning her heart?
Movie Review:
PLEASE NOTE: This Movie Review below contains SPOILERS!!!
Beware of Dog – Christmas Movie!
During the 2016 Christmas movie season, UP premiered on their network a new Christmas movie titled “A Puppy for Christmas.” The movie stars Cindy Busby (“Heartland,” “Unleashing Mr. Darcy,” “Date My Dad,” etc…), Greyston Holt (“The Christmas Secret”) and Christopher Russell (“Merry Matrimony!”)
As soon as I saw the movie poster for “A Puppy for Christmas” with Cindy Busby looking fun and Christmassy – in a cute winter hat, coat, and red scarf… while holding an absolutely adorable puppy, I thought this would be another sweet family-friendly Christmas movie and I was excited to watch it - with my family. However, that first assumption was very wrong, as this movie is filled with immorality and excessive drinking.
Cindy’s character Noelle to start off with – is refreshing, exciting, and very likable, but when she wants to get married and her boyfriend Todd merely wants to live together, she easily gives in and proceeds to move in with him with her new puppy in tow. Noelle and Todd are then shown co-habiting together in his apartment for a short period of time – until he suddenly decides he cannot live with Noelle or her puppy, and he throws them both out of his place just before Christmas. (Great guy, huh?) Left alone and homeless, Noelle begins to stay over-night at her work, with her puppy, until a co-worker, Liam, notices and asks her to go home for Christmas with him. Proceeding that moment, Noelle does not like Liam whatsoever, but she’s desperate and agrees.
After Noelle leaves town, her ex-boyfriend Todd has a party with his friends and they all get passed-out drunk at his place. In the meantime, Noelle arrives at the home of Liam’s family and also has too much to drink, after she is offered moonshine. She ends up going to bed drunk, wearing Santa’s coat, not at all what she arrived in.
While spending her Christmas vacation with Liam and his family and friends, Noelle finds herself more and more attracted to Liam (who has a girlfriend) because is kind to her and loves her puppy. She also keeps in close contact with her co-worker Helen over the phone as they each give one another relationship advice. Unfortunately, Helen’s advice is not good, at all. She is a widow, whose husband has been gone for two years and Helen has recently decided to finally get back into dating by having one fling after another with much younger men. In fact, she can’t even remember all of their names. This sleazy, shameless display is completely offensive and distasteful, as they show a man leaving her place shirtless and warning another man that she would break his heart.
To sum it up quickly… (SPOILER ALERT!) by the end of the movie, Noelle and Liam are also shown co-habiting together. Not exactly the warm fuzzy family Christmas movie I had anticipated and hoped to see. It was, sadly, overall quite disappointing. Even the cute, adorable little puppy couldn’t save this movie.
See or Skip:
I must recommend skipping "A Puppy For Christmas." It is definitely not family-friendly!
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images via: Marvista
I am so ready for christmas movies! Lovely review!
ReplyDeleteLauren,
http://www.atouchofsoutherngrace.com
It has ben shown on Danish television to night. Very nice movie.
ReplyDeletewhat kind of dog is the puppy?
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a cockapoo to me but I'm not sure.
DeleteDoes anyone know the name of the song that was playing while they were driving to the cabin?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI'm also interested to know what the song is. It's so matched with the scene and sounds quite cheerfully.
DeleteI also want to know what this song is, I tried to shazam it, but it said it couldn't recognize it. I googled some of the lyrics. but couldn't find anything. It must be one of those Hallmark movie songs that we all want to see on a cd someday but Hallmark wont make us happy and do that. Hallmark movies have some of the best songs.
DeleteI have been wondering this as well :(
DeleteWhat happened to the cute puppy's tail? Think it will be asking Santa for the rest of it back this Xmas.
ReplyDeleteCheesy family movie that won't surprise but entertained us for a while. Just a shame people still remove dogs tails for no reason.
Puppy is a Cockapoo
ReplyDeleteI have three puppies of own poodle.multi poo an ah terrier an I've seen the northern lights in Alaska. The movie is picture perfect for the holidays. The green Jeep northern lights dog sled, snow ball fight ,snow machine, puppies, beautiful girls trees it's ah wonderful life.
ReplyDeleteWhere can I buy the coat that buster was wearing for my dog!?
ReplyDeleteAMAZON OR EBAY MY FRIEND :D
DeleteWhere was it filmed?
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy this movie, but I don't have any kids but agree it is not kid friendly. The part of the movie that bothered me the most was Liam's sister clearly wanting to be Noelle's girlfriend. I get that they were trying to make it funny, but that part I could have done without. I love the movies where the main actor or actress goes to someone's family lodge or home, and then falls in love with the family, that is what I loved about the movie. And Todd was a terrible guy, he was clearly cheating on Noelle with that other girl. That may have been going on the whole time they were together. I liked Noelle and Liam together and the family, it was sweet.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion this was last year's worst movie.
ReplyDeleteWhoever heard of bringing your dog to work in your handbag albeit a large one?
I was also upset by the casual attitude towards the sexual side of relationships and it was totally unnecessary to see the hero get drunk after he received a letter from his ex-girlfriend dumping him.
Definitely not the warm family-friendly Christmas movie I was expecting to see.
I agree with you both, Sabrina and Anonymous. This was definitely not the feel-good family film I anticipated, either. I sure hope mine and your reviews save others from watching with their families.
DeleteThank you for sharing! :)
What was the name of the female puppy at the very end of the Movie? Was it Holly, I couldn't make it out?
ReplyDelete