Christmas in Paris (2019 TV Movie) User Reviews

Pluses and minuses

[Becky145 · 6/10 · 21 December 2019]

This was not a Hallmark movie. The video quality was actually awful. It looked as if the movie was shot 10 years ago. The CGI snow was ridiculous. It really added nothing to the story.

The storyline was not completely typical. There were some usual parts though: Dead parent and misunderstandings. The storyline, acting and music made me feel like I was watching a soap opera. There were series parts that I actually laughed at. Like when he's having that stern conversation with his father. It was so fake stern that it was laughable.

It was entertaining enough to watch once. All in all the acting, wardrobe and scenery (minus the snow) was done well. And minus her lit up country drapes in her bedroom. What was that? She seemed way more sophisticated than that. She was a model, so she probably had good money.

I don't "highly" recommend it. If you miss it, you miss it. If there's nothing else you want to watch, you may be entertained if you like soap operas and typical cheesy Christmas romance movies.

It looks like a lot of the French filming was done in Lyon and not Paris. Especially, by the river. You get a couple shots of the Eiffel tower and that is it. If you're looking to see a lot of Paris scenery, you will not find it. I was just there two months ago. That is how I figured out they were shooting in Lyon. Scenery was not matching up to what I saw, so I did a little digging. The Café 203 they eat at is in Lyon. When you look at pictures of the river in Lyon, they totally match up with what was shown in the movie. Lyon actually looks more Italian than French. It looks a lot like Florence. At first I thought it was Florence but then I looked up the café. There is only about one or two minutes of French scenery shown.

"Chirpy Chirpy Cheap Cheap!"

[adamjohns-42575 · 4/10 · 5 January 2021]

Christmas In Paris (2019) -

Having been a tad distracted by a jigsaw puzzle the last time I watched this one, I thought that I would try it again, but I actually found it even worse on the second viewing, because I could clearly see the faults this time.

Overall I found the production values to be lacking, with sets that didn't seem appropriate for the successful business people that they were playing and the camera filter was too pale, while the soundtrack was really cheap. There were also some very odd wardrobe choices too.

The lead female, Rebecca Dalton wasn't exactly the stunning actor that I would have expected to play an ex model and I didn't really like her character much either.

And he was very "French", that is to say, brusque, even though he was trying to flirt with her. The last time I reviewed this I commented how attractive he was and although I don't think my tastes have changed that much, I have to say I must have been a few glasses of wine in, because actually his character was not very pleasant, which made him unattractive physically too.

The story was actually a sweet romance and with potential, but let down by all the issues that I saw. They obviously spent the budget on actually going to Paris, which was something I suppose, unlike 'Christmas in London/A Christmas Exchange' (2020), which was just dire.

And the character of Gerald was made out to be some kind of 'Godfather' character as well, which I found very weird and distracted from the main romantic storyline. It was very dramatic and Randy Thomas in the role gave a terrible acting performance.

Also, and once again it seemed, the argument that broke them apart, that we all knew was coming, was daft and she sulked a lot, far too much for one film.

It doesn't look like I will be revisiting this one for a third time, as there are too many to watch that are much better from this genre.

4.07/10.

Christmas? Paris? Nope!

[FridayGal · 5/10 · 26 November 2021]

The plot was set at Christmas but Christmas had little to do with the plot. Ditto Paris. Don't you love it when the native, French-speaking actors speak English when they're alone? (I guess subtitles can get tricky even when used elsewhere in the movie.) The two leads were good looking but the romance moved too fast. One critic pointed out the Harlequin-romance-type hero and that was so true! Tall, dark, handsome, wealthy, etc. Etc. Glad she had a good job & didn't need to be rescued. The hero's asthma was an unusual frailty to give him; ditto the biological father/son relationship. I did like her Dad & his real grief for his dead wife. Sorry, but if I was his daughter, I'd tear up every time he did, but she didn't muss her makeup. I found the party people funny as they stood behind the couple during his proposal, her refusal, his insistence & finally her capitulation. These people would be watching in anticipation, cheer his proposal and then go back to chatting as the hero pleaded his case. In real life, I think anyone near the proposal drama would be glued to it. It was indeed a Harlequin romance.

Worse than soulless

[pretzelsnyder · 1/10 · 18 December 2020]

Now, for starters, I would like to say that I am all for the Hallmark/Lifetime formula. It works! This film does not. It is so boring that it actually became confusing at times because I had trouble focusing for more than 30 second intervals. The characters are not even two-dimensional. They have no personality traits besides "bad relationship with dad" or "dead mom," so the "deeper" themes that they were going for fall flat. The decorations in the background clash, but even by themselves, they are ugly (see poorly painted wooden snowflake things on barn wall). Furthermore, the audacity to call a movie Christmas in Paris and a) have most of it take place in Montana, and b) not even shoot in Paris, is astounding. I wish that this had been a soulless Christmas movie like Hallmark or Lifetime would put out, but it isn't. Instead, it feels like my soul has also been crushed.

Hey! I think these 10/10 revirews are fake

[Mlle_Chouette · 3/10 · 12 December 2019]

I saw so many 10* reviews and was a bit suspicious since it was not a brilliant masterpiece (then I did some digging and found out that most of the reviews are the only ones these users ever made. Coincidence? I don't think so).

Ok, so we all know these cheesy Hallmark-ish movies, and we still watch them and that's fine. This one tries to be like this too but also touching some deeper drama moments, like the loss of a parent both literally and metaphorically. But here's a thing when I try to think what this movie is about, I don't know the answer. The main characters meet, kiss the next day, fly to Paris the next one, then have an argument and then he proposes to her. Like, come on, seriously? And still I have no idea what's the main argument of the whole movie, since most of the time they just walk and talk how they want people to see them for who they are. This gets a bit more interesting only in the last half an hour when we get a plot twist. But we see the solution in the next ten minutes.

And there's almost zero Christmas in this movie. Like yah, there is some but it could be any holiday, actually and it's not that visible for a movie with the word "Christmas" in it's name. All in all: it was rather boring and dull and the handsome lead characters had no chemistry at all.

The only plus: they used real French-speaking actors who even spoke some French between themselves, so that's nice.

Christmas in Montana you mean

[Jackbv123 · 1/10 · 23 April 2020]

I will allow that the story is not a rehash of all the other Christmas movie plots. There are several common plot devices, but the basic story is not the usual.

But the story was clumsy and shallow. Lucas complains that Robin painted him shallow but he was. Poor rich playboy. It was obvious before he got out of the car that he was hunting her like a prize. And he used his position to blackmail her into spending time with him. Even her boss recognizes it. I never trusted him but at this point I didn't realize the half of it.

The couple got too deep too fast and I never bought it. There were a couple of montages that were way too perky. The pictures with Santa scene was ridiculous. There is almost no relationship building shown at the start other than a couple of overly personal conversations taking place way before real people would have had them. Clumsy. There were no middle of the road personal conversations. Bing, bang, boom, they were in love. Then after they had more or less seemingly cemented the relationship, we see them spending the time together that would normally be used in most romance movies to build the relationship in the first place. But even those were short relative to the whole movie.

The confrontation scene about Gerald Fortune is also clumsy. Lucas is all "anything for you" until Robin brings it up and then he goes nuclear and blames her for it all. Then it's like "get lost". Run Robin, run. The gist of the scene might have been somewhat realistic, but the way it was written was not. And it only magnifies how shallow their "love" relationship was to that point. I don't know why she loved him, but I don't question that a fraction as much as I question his commitment.

Of course there was a convenient explanation which allowed reconciliation. It gives Lucas an excuse for how he acted and even though he apologizes, he never would have without it. Even after his first attempts at apology, Lucas seems more like a manipulator than sincere. Even when he is trying to reconcile with her and apologize, he blackmails her over her job again and then again manipulates by bringing up the color purple as some kind of proof he knows the real her.. Again I say, run Robin, run. I give this relationship a month after they finish the campaign, maybe even before they finish it.

Then for her to agree on the spot. Unbelievable. Clumsy. It doesn't fit the scene to that point.

It's hard to tell if the acting is any good because of the clumsy way the story develops. I wasn't impressed with either of the leads other than their physical beauty. Dalton does look good enough to be a professional model.

Literally half the movie took place before they got to Paris. I see what another reviewer said about buildings being too white. They look they were whitewashed in editing. I compared to pictures I have and nothing in my pictures was that white. Then with 20 minutes (commercial run time) left, they are back in Montana. And Christmas is just a convenient backdrop to the story, not part of it.

There are a few nice scenes along the Seine.

UpTV is about life lessons. Frankly I'm not sure what that was in this movie. Obviously family is part of it but it fell flat given Lucas' manipulating.

As the movie was going on, I was ready to rate this 4 or 5 stars a little over half way through. But after that, my thinking was steadily revised downward. And most of that is due to the story, and Lucas' character.

Old fashioned Harlequin fantasy come to life.

[rebekahrox · 7/10 · 8 December 2020]

This is a straight up Harlequin Romance Movie and as such it's pretty OK. And I don't mean the Hallmark movies based Harlequin novels. This is right out of of the playbook that produced about 11 or so TV movie romances in the 1990s and early 2000s that Hallmark had nothing to do with. Since I saw this on ION television it really does have that different and old-fashioned approach to a romance. The hero was very attractive and a stereotypical early prototype romance hero: A Rich, Powerful, Mysterious Playboy who is a genius at business. He falls for "normal(ish) girl: beautiful, good, and spunky. it was well-cast and fun. I liked the side story of our hero hating and then reconciling with his biological father(who really looked the part as well) and the asthma angle. For anyone who liked this movie, I urge you to look up these old Harlequin movies some of which are available on You Tube.

SO obviously NOT Paris

[dragonlady92 · 1/10 · 16 November 2020]

I had to stop watching this movie when the shots of Paris were so obviously Canada (looks like Montreal). One of the only reason to watch these types of films set in different countries is for the scenery & daydream of the days when we may be able to travel again. So disappointing!

DIfferent story - authentic accents but difficult to understand

[phd_travel · 7/10 · 12 December 2019]

A woman meets a wealthy French businessman and he whisks her away to Paris for a trip. It's nice to see someone not struggling financially on TV for a change. It's fantasy after all But he has some demons about his biological father. A little crisis ensues. They used a real French actor which has good and bad pionts. His accent is real but hard to understand. The girl is pretty. Liked seeing Daphne Zuniga as her boss. This is not Hallmark so it's something different from the usual fare. UPTV usually has some message of forgiveness.

Awful

[spark20 · 2/10 · 25 December 2019]

I'm shocked to see any reviews praising any form of authenticity in this film! The French "accents" were atrocious. The mother was clearly not French, confirmed she is Canadian. Apparently the main actor was born in Paris, but I found most of his French to be inaudible with an accent that sounded more like he was from backwoods Louisiana.

And anyone who thinks any second of this this was filmed in Paris is clearly blind and/or dumb. Paris is DIRTY! Do not misunderstand, I love Paris, but the buildings are not white or even ivory. They are covered in soot from the large amounts of pollution.

Nevermind the authenticity. The story was also completely unrealistic and so poorly written, with deep family revelations being discussed in the first 10 minutes. Real people do not talk like this. 2 stars because while the beginning was awful, I'm willing to throw in one extra star because the story got a little bit better as time went on. Otherwise, it's complete garbage and I'd never watch this again or recommend it to any friends. Just my enemies.

Family values and Christmas Spirit

[LoveBless · 9/10 · 13 January 2020]

We could have seen more of Paris or had a bigger plot. But I truly loved the chemistry of the couple. Not use to ear the French Accent but it really brings something for a change. Authenticity. Good actors, soft story but meaningful with real family issues. A good watch. God Bless. L.

6.5 stars, but rounded up

[jml1988 · 7/10 · 12 November 2021]

I loved the plot, but it somehow felt rushed. The ending happened all at once, when in reality, it would have taken longer to get to those points, both with the engagement and his dad. I can get with a fast engagement if it's believable, but the chemistry just didn't sell it.

Unlikable Female Lead

[VOinTN · 2/10 · 6 December 2020]

This movie starts out ok although the French accent is sometimes hard to understand (watch with someone so you can help each other understand the lines!). But Robin, the female lead, is spoiled and overly sensitive. I was routing for him to find someone else by the end. I can only imagine how horrible his life will be after they marry.

Dreadful. The only positives for this is scenery and the Christmas decorations

[mandababycakes-52820 · 2/10 · 12 November 2022]

I got excited for the title. Admittedly I missed the beginning of this film but that's not normally a problem for a hallmark style Christmas romance. I tried to persevere, I haven't laughed, or felt any sympathy, and some of the accents were terrible, I seem to have missed any of Paris that might have been in it, and there is nothing engaging about the storyline. The only bonuses are the beautiful scenery and the lovely Christmas decorations in the houses, also loved the main character's outfits. I think the 10 out of 10 reviews are fake, they all appear at the same time. Someone was very busy.

Boring

[susanrosshill · 5/10 · 6 November 2022]

A little bit disappointed. Just an average movie. Nice having the real french actor player French character though his accent is super thick. I had to rewind multiple times to understand some of what he was saying. The story never really developed. And there's a few stories in there but it never caught traction. It's like the whole movie was just simple and blah. A little unbelievable how the two main characters so quickly fell in love. Nice message about forgiveness I suppose, though the movie does not cause you to have a true deep feeling either way. Not sure that was really paris? Loved seeing Daphne zuniga her part was too small! Acting was good.

Steaming pile of shmaltz

[katejess44 · 3/10 · 20 November 2022]

I'm not sure where to begin with this film. I love a good cheesy Christmas film but there was absolutely nothing endearing or plausible about this one. The actors would have benefitted vastly from removing the sticks from their arses (and more than a few acting lessons).

One of the most irritating things about this was the dialogue in English between the main character and his French Mother....why would they speak English to one another when having their 'deep and meaningful' mother and son chat? And don't get me started on the 'poor old man' who was his estranged father....a 53 year old actor caked in grey tinged foundation and dark circles around his eyes does not make for a convincing 'sickly old man'.

The plot of the film (of which there is very little) is contrived and uninteresting. There was no build up in the romance - he was a stuck up business man and she was an ambitious career woman but before you know it, they are having a snog and he's invited her to Paris for Christmas. I mean, we all know where this is going and if we are watching this sort of nonsense then we know there aren't going to be any surprise twists but the formulaic storyline is not embellished in any way and it proved itself to be tedious and utterly disappointing. This film had no charm whatsoever. Save yourself a couple of hours and watch something else instead.

A movie full of clichés set mostly in Montana....not Paris

[regisdesilva-99818 · 2/10 · 26 November 2023]

I'm used to seeing real French movies made by serious directors in with a good script. However, I am not averse to a cheesy, romantic Christmas movie once in a while. But this is not one of them. For starters, there are too many 9/10 and 10/10 'reviews' that make me wonder who these people are. At the other extreme there are several 1-3/10 reviews as well which seem more authentic.

The rich French billionaire arriving in a black stretch limo with his own private jet meets gorgeous Big Sky former model - perfect setup. Flies her to Paris for Christmas to meet his maman. What's not to like?

The movie should be called "Christmas in Montana" since 90% of the movie is actually shot in the US with a bit in what is allegedly Paris. The whole sleigh ride with jingle bells and the Santa scene are ridiculously absurd and the dialogue is full of clichés. There is also the usual clichés of French fortunes based on vineyards, wine, fashion and fragrances. As Sam Goldwyn said "We need some new clichés".

The lead male actor Karl Landler does not seem at all authentic. He shows absolutely no passion, character, charm, or knowledge about anything remotely related to French cultural life or events. He is both shallow and callow. His dialogue is stilted and, oddly, he speaks to his maman in English. (Living part-time in Paris, I have never seen a mother and her son, speaking in English!) The director should have striven for more authenticity and done a more completely French dialogue with the French actors. Rebecca Dalton however, is lovely as the all-American (Canadian) gal who, despite uttering love-struck clichés walking along the Seine, does a creditable job.

But one saving grace is the first falling out between the smitten lovers in his wine cellar and it's ultimate resolution. The denouement is also a little bit of a twist that is the only genuinely emotional scene in the entire movie.

Dialogue a bit to easy but very Romantic

[liliasstati · 9/10 · 10 December 2019]

Sorry my english is not great- but I see the movie in France and the dialogue was not best best - the people speaking in french on it maybe it's different that the actors ? - But I like the story it is really romantic :))

Good film - Christmas with a French accent

[gregolocau · 9/10 · 29 November 2019]

I saw it in UK this week. and was Curious about what those actors have done before - except for Daphne Zuniga of course. Rebecca Dalton soooo Beautiful. love her I ll check out her other films if I can see them on Neftlix or Amazon. Karl Landler's accent so..... romantic :PPPPP. Not sure if I can watch his work I don t speak french. :(((.

Jingles Bell great Duo

[Hallmarkies · 10/10 · 17 November 2019]

Really cute little Xmas film. You can watch it with the whole family. Glad The French dude Lucas enjoyed the beauty of Montana - I mean Robin haha. So French... I guess. Both good actors - looking good together - and Daphne Zuniga always loved her so great little Christmas Film the way we expect them to be. Not sure if they really shot in Paris did not recognized "Notre dame". it might have been burn down already... cheers

Best Christmas Surprise of the Year

[Danny-goler · 10/10 · 22 November 2019]

It doesn't take much to make family film for Christmas it seems, it does however, takes a considerable effort to make something that will not only keep you leaning forward entertained, while at the same time keeping a constant sweetness and true meaningful surprise that the entire family can enjoy.

Yes, the fact the the star Karl. E. Landler is our modern world french adonis, does help, A LOT. But aside from the perfect faces in this film, the plot is elevating and tasteful, while the pace keeps us riding it up and down in a constant pleasurable ride, and leaves us satisfied and ready for holiday hugs.

I give this flick two thumbs up and would love to see much more of this symmetry perfection, rising star, Karl. E. Landler in many more flicks.

A winning combination, this wonderful movie has Romance, Christmas.....

[AlexxChesney · 10/10 · 24 December 2019]

And filmed in a gorgeous location as it whisks us away from Montana to the beautiful City of Love.....Paris! Storyline is exactly what we love about Christmas movies, handsome leading men (bonus French accent), beautiful & talented lead actress, romance, detailing relationships whether it's business, romantic (Lucas and Robin) or ohana (Family), they are all hard work! We all have a past, present and future! You will enjoy this movie! A great collaborative effort of writers, producers, directors, actors & actresses, crew and staff, wove it altogether to provide us a lovely Christmas movie! Enjoy!! Mahalo to all and Mele Kalikimaka Kakou! (Merry Christmas to all!)

Very Sweet - Would Have loved more Paris !

[totimocrave · 9/10 · 28 December 2019]

Enjoyed it. It is a typical Xmas film like we expect them to be. A good looking Dude - with a a sexy accent, brillant! Good looking girl. They like each other and not anymore, but they end up liking each other again. Xmas Romance is Safe ! I liked the fact there is more to it. Both experienced dramatic events in their lives and they had to overcome it. they grew or will grow from it. Very cool arc for Lucas' character. Good surprise over all. I would have loved more locations or maybe I don't know less long dialogues scenes or sometimes repetitive scenes But the acting is really solid wonder if they will go for a sequel ? They have done it in the past with others " Xmas franchises". Love from Sidney. Jocelyn.

Absolutely Love Christmas In Paris

[sauje · 10/10 · 8 November 2019]

I bought Christmas in Paris only for Karl e Landler I think he is a great actor. I was surprised cause the movie was so perfectly done. The entire cast was Awesome! It was such a fun movie. This is a must for everyone to watch.

Cosy and Heart Warming

[stacijones-17503 · 10/10 · 27 November 2019]

This is a classic hallmark movie that has the slightly more cringe and cheese than romance recipe. That being said, it was a cosy, easy watch film with added eye candy in the shape of, chiselled from marble Karl E. Lander. (Who is actually French).

At first, Lucas is the type of smarmy, playboy millionaire that you'd quite happily serve a cold coffee to with no regrets, however, he becomes more tolerable throughout the film (The man does dishes!). Although there is an outburst in a cellar that has been decorated with a random Christmas tree (why, when the rest of the house is bare as nails?!) Where you want to throw wine on him, but hey, once you see that ring and when he answers all your questions (that man listens too!) you'll say yes and be Mrs Lucas Boudin.

The film is also very tastefully done, the romance between Robin and Lucas focuses on their hidden vulnerability and loss. As well as helping each other achieve their dreams (Lucas takes Robin to Paris and Robin shows Lucas her hometown in Montana)

As per hallmark Christmas cannon, Lucas proposes with a beautiful shiny ring, but, there is a twist (of sorts). She says ... Watch it and you'll find out.

Definitely recommend getting the winter hot chocolate out, putting your cosy onesie on and curling up to watch it.