A Christmas Kiss II (2014)

Title: A Christmas Kiss II
Year of Release: 2014
Available On: Hulu as of 9/19
Rating: 3 out of 5 Jingle Bells

Watch out, it’s a sequel! Or a re-do. Check out my review of the original here.

There are a lot of familiar faces here: Lola Glaudini was in Criminal Minds, as well as a load of other watchables. Elisabeth Harnois has been in a million holiday movies and the ever-wonderful CSI. Jonathan Bennett, duh, everyone knows. He’s holiday movie royalty at this particular moment in time, prized for his approachable guy-next-door qualities. Adam Mayfield is a soap opera mainstay.

All that to say that this is some of the best acting you’ll find in the genre. Of course, that says nothing towards the quality of the plot. In this case we’re dealing with a workaholic duo ensconced in their career with no time for love. Like in the original Kiss, there is a kiss which goes awry in the beginning of this classic masterpiece. There’s argument and tension about meaning, about love, about “perfect matches,” about deadbeat fathers, and well, it could be worse. Jenna is assistant to a high-powered fashion person, Mia, at a fashion organization (magazine?) called Trend. Jenna and Cooper – unbeknownst to Jenna, her boss’s playboy brother – share a passionate elevator kiss and cause a whole lotta trouble. Oh, and he’s half owner of the business they run together.

Lordt. It takes about .2 seconds for supposed playboy Cooper to start making mooning eyes and welling up every time Jenna has a bad feeling. I’m not buying it! But I guess it’s cute. I guess. I could’ve used a little more foreplay / build-up.

I really loved Elisabeth Röhm‘s reappearance as Miss Hall, the mean boss from Christmas Kiss original, who also happens to be in the same building as Trend. And is now a changed woman who believes in love.

Miss Hall: In his defense, I do think he is making a change. Maybe he’s worth taking a chance on?

What I said about the first movie stands: This is a solid romantic holiday movie. It’s not going to change your life and you aren’t going to cry, and that’s ok sometimes. Maybe I’m different, or maybe this one isn’t as good… I didn’t feel right with the whole four jingles. It’s probably because of Cooper’s smarmy ass smile. Oh, and the diamond commercial embedded in the plot.