#82: "Christmas in Paradise"

Once again, we've hit the Christmas season ... and of course, I couldn't resist buying a few more Christmas movies! Here's my take on the first of several I'll be watching and reviewing this Christmas.

Stats: 2007. Starring Charlotte Ross & Colin Ferguson. TV-PG.

Background: I vaguely remember seeing the beginning of Christmas in Paradise back when I had cable, but I only watched the first few minutes before changing the channel. So why do I have it now? Well, this year Lifetime released a movie boxed set called 12 Days of Christmas which contains (you guessed it) 12 Lifetime Christmas movies. Two movies that I’ve been eyeing on Amazon for a long time are in the set (Recipe for a Perfect Christmas and His & Her Christmas), and to buy those two movies would cost more than half of what I paid for all 12 films. That’s how I rationalized it …

Plot: Dan (Ferguson) and his daughters meet Dana (Ross) and her sons when they all take a Christmas cruise to Puerto Rico. Both families are dealing with loss—Dana’s husband passed away unexpectedly at the beginning of the year, and Dan’s wife abandoned the family to return to the luxurious life she lived prior to meeting Dan. They all begin to bond while exploring San Juan, but their new relationships are threatened when Dan’s ex returns unexpectedly. Along the way, both families are frequently serenaded by the Three Kings.

Reactions: If you look beyond the cheesy Three Kings scenes that open and close this movie, you have a great family drama! I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed Christmas in Paradise. One thing I really appreciated was the romance … or lack thereof. While I’m normally all about romance in Christmas movies, sometimes I get annoyed at just how quickly people fall in love and make lifetime commitments. This movie was different. While Dan and Dana definitely had a connection, they didn’t rush into anything. They didn’t make any promises about the future. They didn’t even kiss! When the film ended, I didn’t know if they would end up together, and that was okay. Really, the film was more about each person dealing with his or her grief and resentment than it was about finding love. Sometimes, in the midst of all the schmaltzy Christmas romance, you need a film like this!

Verdict: Keep