Hallmark For All Seasons

Countdown to Christmas 2021

Christmas CEO

“Christmas CEO,” starring Marisol Nichols and Paul Greene, premiered on November 26 during 2021’s Countdown to Christmas on Hallmark Channel. The movie was set in St. Louis, Missouri but was filmed in Ottawa, Canada. Interestingly, the movie aired at 6 p.m., with another one airing directly after. In previous years, Hallmark would air one at 8 p.m. and another at 10 p.m. I think starting at 6 p.m. is a great idea because anyone watching is likely to stay on the channel when the 8 p.m. movie starts, versus switching to another network. Conversely, by running them at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., some older viewers are more likely to just go to bed after the first movie. I’ll be curious to see how the ratings for the 6 p.m. timeslot work out for them.

Jonathan Wright directed the movie – he’s a good director and has done other Hallmark movies such as Mix Up in the Mediterranean and Love, Romance & Chocolate. I know this makes me a movie nerd, but I like the way he and the film editor cut some of the movie’s scenes together. In this movie, my favorite scene fade was when we went from the white sheet of paper that Joe had signed into the white snow in the next scene. Well done, Mr. Wright!

Anna White wrote the screenplay based on a concept by Sharon Price John. White has been a Hallmark screenwriter since 2017 and is responsible for movies such as Sister of the Bride and Check Inn to Christmas.

This movie poster has greenery, toys, a red jacket and green shirt! I like how the poster shows how different the characters are – she’s in a suit holding a cellphone toy, while he’s more casually dressed and playing with one of those old-fashioned phone toys. It’s a good poster!

In a nutshell

I wanted to like this movie, I really did. I’m a Paul Greene fan (“A Christmas Detour” is a must-watch for me every year) and generally look forward to his movies. However, this movie was repetitive and towards the end I just got a little bit bored.

The Plot of “Christmas CEO”

Chris, a small toy company CEO gets a once in a lifetime offer to merge with a mega toy company but will need Joe, her estranged ex-business partner, to sign and seal the deal. What he helps her rediscover will change both of their lives.

Actors & Chemistry

I liked Marisol Nichols, and I hope she does more with Hallmark. Viewers may recognize her from her roles on shows such as “Riverdale” and “24.” While I thought her energy was a bit flat at times, I still liked the character she created, for the most part. I had conflicting feelings about Paul Greene in this movie. First, he was a little too old for the role. It seemed as though the characters were supposed to be in their early to mid-30s at most. Both Nichols and Greene are in their late 40s. I couldn’t understand the timing of it all. As such, to see Greene play a character who was almost kid-like was frustrating. His character came off as more immature and unwilling to adapt or admit fault, than someone filled with child-like wonder.

As for Veronica Marin-Estrada, who played Chris’s niece Emma, I thought she was great. Her character was slightly understated, but still engaging and interesting. She just exuded sweetness during the entire movie. This was Marin-Estrada’s first movie, and she did really well. I was just confused by how old she was supposed to be. Middle school? High school? I never heard a reference (I couldn’t have missed it).

Tropes

This movie had plenty of tropes, which I appreciated. First of all, the lead character’s name is Christmas! We also opened the movie with a big city drone shot. We had empty coffee cups (see pic above!), two characters who didn’t get along, an old red truck (a new trope that has become very popular in this year’s crop of movies), and someone named Nick who just might be a real Santa. We also had some big scarves, a cute kid/teen, some Christmas tree shopping and decorating, and ice skating. Towards the end, Chris held a snow globe in her hands and we had CGI snow.

Did I Hear/See That Right?

I had three main issues with this movie. First, at the beginning of the movie, it was established (to me at any rate) that Chris and her niece Emma were not particularly close. Not long into the movie, Emma was sad about something, and Chris said, “You know you can tell me anything.” I thought, Um, no, she barely knows you.

Did anyone else think it weird that when Emma fell asleep on the sofa after helping to decorate the tree, Joe picked her up and took her to her bedroom? I haven’t picked up my kids and carried them to be since they were in 1st grade. No male friend would be allowed to pick up my daughter or niece and take her – unaccompanied – to her bedroom. Never.

My biggest issue was the resolution to the entire movie. Throughout the movie Joe and Chris argued about Big Business ruining Small Business, and Profit over Providing Joy. Over and over (and over) again, Joe tries to convince Chris that profit doesn’t matter – what’s important is how the toys make kids feel. Then the big conflict arises when he basically says, “I’ve liked who you are these past few days – the one that is more free and relaxed and doesn’t care about the bottom line.” Chris protests (rightly so) and says (paraphrased), “But that IS me – I DO care, and that’s not a bad thing.” But then at the end of the movie, Chris walks away from the merger with the other toy company, and claims that she wants to start a business with Joe.

Well, isn’t that how CJ Toys got started in the first place? Are we to believe that suddenly Chris DOESN’T care about profits? And then in the last scene, they have the #3 toy and that’s considered a win because they aren’t first. But clearly, they are profitable because they have the third most popular toy in the country and have employees and office space and enough cash to throw a lavish party. So clearly profits DO still matter. The movie didn’t establish well enough, in my mind, that Chris doesn’t feel the need to be #1, and Joe is okay with becoming a big company. One single “one year later” scene was not enough for me to believe these characters both changed their views that significantly.

Feelgoods

Any feels I had came directly from Emma, the niece. I liked her character a lot. Looking around Chris’s apartment, “You are in toys. Where are all the toys?” It’s Christmas time, “Where is your tree?” “Don’t do the phone thing – it’s super lame.” I loved her. While her speaking tone was muted, her comments were all valid and I appreciated her candor.

Re-watchability of “Christmas CEO”

Because the movie is so repetitive, with the characters having the same argument over and over again with no forward momentum, I’ll likely not watch this one again.

The Ranking

“Christmas CEO” is in the middle of the pack for the year, and near the bottom thus far for Christmas movies. That pains me to say about a Paul Greene film.

An Unexpected Christmas (air date: Nov 26) – 736 pts – weighted score: 123 (86.3%)
The Santa Stakeout (air date: Oct 24) – 730 pts – weighted score: 122.3 (85.8%)
A Christmas Family Tree (air date: Nov 14) – 730 pts – weighted score: 121.9 (85.5%)
You, Me and The Christmas Trees (air date: Oct 22) – 716 pts – weighted score: 121.3 (85.1%)
Crashing Through The Snow (air date: July 10) – 705 pts – weighted score: 118.1 (82.8%)
The Nine Kittens of Christmas (air date: Nov 25) – 690 pts – weighted score: 116.5 (81.8%)
One December Night (air date: Nov 13) – 695 pts – weighted score: 116.3 (81.6%)
A Mrs. Miracle Christmas (air date: Nov 6) – 688 pts – weighted score: 116.2 (81.5%)
Boyfriends of Christmas Past (air date: Oct 23) – 673 pts – weighted score: 116.1 (81.5%)
Next Stop, Christmas (air date: Nov 6) – 682 pts – weighted score: 114.7 (80.5%)
It Was Always You (air date: Feb 27) – 668 pts – weighted score: 114.2 (80.1%)
The Christmas Promise (air date: Oct 30) – 675 pts – weighted score: 114.1 (80.0%)
Gingerbread Miracle (air date: Nov 5) – 671 pts – weighted score: 114.0 (80.0%)
Christmas In My Heart (air date: Oct 23) – 675 pts – weighted score: 113.9 (79.9%)
A Kiss Before Christmas (air date: Nov 21) – 671 pts – weighted score: 111.9 (78.5%)
Open at Christmas (air date: Nov 12) – 658 pts – weighted score: 111.6 (78.3%)
You Had Me At Aloha (air date: June 5) – 675 pts – weighted score: 111.4 (78.1%)
A Christmas Together With You (air date: Nov 20) – 645 pts – weighed score: 110.9 (77.8%)
Five More Minutes (air date: Nov 21) – 645 pts – weighted score: 110.8 (77.7%)
Sweet Carolina (air date: May 15) – 648 pts – weighted score: 110.1 (77.2%)
Taking a Shot at Love (air date: Jan 2) – 641 pts – weighted score: 108.9 (76.4%)
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (air date: Mar 27) – 636 pts – weighted score: 108.5 (76.1%)
Christmas at Castle Hart (air date: Nov 27) – 639 pts – weighted score: 108.0 (75.8%)
Right in Front of Me (air date: Apr 18) – 637 pts – weighted score: 108.0 (75.8%)
As Luck Would Have It (air date: Apr 10) – 638 pts – weighted score: 107.7 (75.5%)
Her Pen Pal (air date: June 19) – 636 pts – weighted score: 107.1 (75.1%)
The Baker’s Son (air date: June 13) – 637 pts – weighted score: 106.3 (74.6%)
South Beach Love (air date: Oct 9) – 615 pts – weighted score: 105.8 (74.2%)
Love Strikes Twice (air date: Oct 2) – 608 pts – weighted score: 105.2 (73.8%)
A Holiday in Harlem (air date: Nov 7) – 628 pts – weighted score: 105.1 (73.7%)
Christmas Sail (air date: Oct 31) – 606 pts – weighted score: 105.1 (73.7%)
Christmas in Harmony (air date: Oct 29) – 605 pts – weighted score: 104.8 (73.5%)
A Christmas Treasure (air date: Nov 7) – 625 pts – weighted score: 104.6 (73.4%)
A Winter Getaway (air date: Jan 23) – 620 pts – weighted score: 104.4 (73.3%)
Coyote Creek Christmas (air date: Oct 30) – 614 pts – weighted score: 104.3 (73.2%)
Love, For Real (air date: July 31) – 607 pts – weighted score: 103.6 (72.7%)
Christmas CEO (air date: Nov 26) – 596 pts – weighted score: 103.5 (72.6%)
Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone (air date: Oct 1) – 595 pts – weighted score: 103.0 (72.2%)
Mix Up in the Mediterranean (air date: Feb 20) – 590 pts – weighted score: 102.5 (71.9%)
Advice to Love By (air date: Oct 16) – 599 pts – weighted score: 102.2 (71.7)
Two For The Win (air date: Jan 16) – 603 pts – weighted score: 101.8 (71.4%)
Taking the Reins (air date: Sept 28) – 574 pts – weighted score: 101.2 (71.0%)
Raise a Glass to Love (air date: Sept 18) – 590 pts – weighted score: 100.7 (70.7%)
Nantucket Noel (air date: Nov 18) – 585 pts – weighted score: 100.3 (70.4%)
Chasing Waterfalls (air date: Mar 20) – 570 pts – weighted score: 100.3 (70.4%)
Roadhouse Romance (air date: Sept 11) – 571 pts – weighted score: 100.2 (70.3%)
Sweet Pecan Summer (air date: ) – 576 pts – weighted score: 97.3 (68.3%)
Sand Dollar Cove (air date: June 26) – 557 pts – weighted score: 96.8 (67.9%)
Hearts Down Under (air date: Apr 24) – 547 pts – weighted score: 95.2 (66.8%)
Fit for a Prince (air date: Mar 6) – 546 pts – weighted score: 94.6 (66.4%)
A New Year’s Resolution (air date: Jan 9) – 516 pts – weighted score: 90.5 (63.5%)
Finding Love in Mountain View (air date: ) – 504 pts – weighted score: 89.5 (62.8%)
A Little Daytime Drama (air date: Aug 21) – 511 pts – weighted score: 87.7 (61.5%)
Baby, It’s Cold Inside (air date: May 8) – 495 pts – weighted score: 85.6 (60.0%)
Playing Cupid (air date: Feb 13) – 466 pts – weighted score: 82.6 (58.0%)
Beverly Hills Wedding (air date: Feb 6) – 431 pts – weighted score: 80.6 (56.5%)
Journey of my Heart (air date: ) – 450 pts – weighted score: 76.0 (53.3%)
Snowkissed (air date: Jan 31) – 402 pts – weighted score: 76.0 (53.3%)