Angels Fall Christmas Review: A predictable film, further let down by stiff performances

2/5

Story: Ally, a workaholic doctor struggles to maintain her work-life balance until she finds solace in barista Gabe

Review: Angels Fall Christmas is yet another holiday film soaking in the festive vibe. There are angels, there is the lighting of the Christmas tree, there are Christmas cookies and gingerbread, all that you need to bring a cheer to your face.

The plot revolves around Ally (Jessica Lowndes), a workaholic ER doctor, who is struggling to get into the festive mode and maintain her work-life balance even as the Yuletide spirit grips the entire city . A few days ahead of Christmas, Ally and her boyfriend Josh (David Reale) break up after she tells him that she cannot spend Christmas with his family as she is held up with work. Tired of constantly hearing work-related excuses, Josh, who is about to propose to her, changes his plans and decides to part ways with her. Ally is in desperate need of some intervention, that too, from an unlikely place.

A newly single Ally decides to change herself for the better and draws up a list to get into the Christmas spirit, and to prove that she is not the person that Josh thought she was. She soon bumps into Gabe (Chad Michael Murray) and instantly strikes a chord with him. With his help, she manages to tick off all the items on her list. We also meet his mentor Maureen (Jane Luk), who constantly sports a smile and has a know-it-all look, which sometimes gets annoying.

Though the plot is run-of-the-mill, the biggest drawback of Angels Fall Christmas is the cosmetic performances. Chad Murray appears pretty stiff right from the first shot,  or is he behaving so because he is an angel, who is devoid of human emotions? The love story of Ally and Josh, too, doesn't really strike a chord as the couple lacks chemistry. So, neither do you root for them when they get together, nor do you feel bad for them when they break up. Though we expect sparks to fly between Ally and Gabe even as all their friends begin to call them the it-couple in the town, the climax, however, has a different story to tell, which is an interesting twist.

While the film works as far as setting the holiday mood is concerned, as for the story and the performances are concerned, the film has nothing much to offer. Angelic intervention does seem like an interesting proposition, but as far as this story is considered, it doesn't really work. Jerry Ciccoriti's film is strictly a one-time watch.

Verdict: Strictly a one-time watch!