Continuing with the Christmas movie watching on Netflix, I head onto watching A Christmas Kiss II. I’ve never seen A Christmas Kiss but I took the bet that it wasn’t going to be a continuation and it turns out that I was right. At this point, I’m just looking through the Holiday Favorites on Netflix and what they recommend that I’d like, so no idea what I’m getting in except its probably going to have a happy ending. Lets check it out.
A Christmas Kiss II (2014)
Director: Kevin Connor
Cast: Elisabeth Harnois, Adam Mayfield, Jonathan Bennett, Lola Glaudini, Celesta Hodge, Steven Schub, Elisabeth Rohm
At a Christmastime event, Jenna shares an impromptu, unforgettable kiss with the dashing billionaire, Cooper Montgomery. Unaware of his intentions and fearful of getting hurt in another relationship, Jenna vows to resist his charms, but begins to realize his affection is real as the two spend more time together. – IMDB
A Christmas Kiss II is one of those romantic comedy TV movies that has me slightly on the fence. There are aspects of it that I enjoyed but at the same time, as I get older, perhaps the romance magic of instantly falling in love isn’t quite there anymore. Does that make me bitter? I don’t think so but I also don’t think that its necessary to end it with an engagement after knowing someone for a week (or something like that) even if you think they are the love of your life. That is the infatuation of being in love at the beginning of a relationship and doesn’t make for anything lasting until that feeling is gone and other things sink in. Of course, that is a very realistic way of looking at things and its one of reasons why I can’t seem to get behind A Christmas Kiss II. However, that is a happy ending nonetheless so in the feel-good aspect, it hits its goal. But, I’m not one to bash this movie completely because before the ending, it did have an okay run.
For one, it follows the rule of being set during Christmas and not really stuffing the Christmas stuff down your throats. There are Christmas jewellery photo shoots and costumes as well as like a ton of poinsettias and of course, everyone’s favorite mistletoe in the elevator bit. Like I said in Merry Kissmas review, mistletoe in elevators is apparently a thing that I didn’t know about. It fits into the Christmas theme, so I’m alright with it now. Who doesn’t love a playboy being changed by a girl that he sees and does everything to try to get on her good side and prove that he is for real and even be a better him? I sure do. This is one of those romantic comedy plots that work because its probably not going to happen in real life (Man, its a really bitter review going on here..I blame today). A Christmas Kiss II does have this really deliberate and some forced dialogue between the two. And I can’t say that I’m really into the main couple, Jenna (Elisabeth Harnois) and Cooper (Adam Mayfield). They lack a bit of the usual chemistry that I’d see in these movies however, they are quite pretty to look at and there are a few laughs here and there.
Talking about the cast, there are some redeeming points here. I do like the last gesture that Cooper does here for Jenna. Its really heartwarming and awesome. Its believable and romantic that he would do that and have it set up to make her dreams come true and fight for her goals. The cast also includes some cool supporting roles. Lola Glaudini plays Mia, the boss at the company, but I remember her from Criminal Minds and while its odd seeing her in this role, I enjoyed her performance here. Jonathan Bennett also was in this one as Sebastian, Jenna’s neighbor and best friend who also happens to pose as her boyfriend when she’s trying to push away Cooper. There are some funny moments there as well. I like Jonathan Bennett quite a bit and its a nice twist to make him the make believe boyfriend but never toss them into a love triangle and the obstacle of Cooper and Jenna being solely their own trust in each other to determine whether they would get together in the end.
Overall, A Christmas Kiss 2 is alright. There are some things I can’t get behind but there are some redeeming points to it. Would I rewatch it? Probably not. In this category of films, there are a few others I’d prefer.
Tranquil Dreams 