'A Taste of Christmas' Review: Lifetime's entertaining holiday film highlights the importance of spreading joy
Spoilers for ‘A Taste of Christmas’
For many, Christmas is a time of hope and happiness. Along with the holiday spirit, this festival marks a positive approach for the future. Positivity and hope is something we all crave in abundance and in these unusual times of the pandemic, even more so. Lifetime’s holiday movie ‘A Taste of Christmas’ reminds us that we should not let go of hope and the spirit of spreading cheer, no matter how hard it seems.
The film opens with Natalie (Anni Krueger) juggling multiple jobs – from being a personal gift shopper to a pet sitter, she seems to be acing and enjoying the responsibilities she is juggling. Right from the beginning, it is clear that the female protagonist represents the beacon of positivity. Her mantra is "problems are just opportunities in disguise".
Her initial plan of spending time with her cousin Olivia (Nia Vardalos) is halted because the latter gets stuck due to heavy snowfall in Rome. Olivia also expresses her disappointment that she has to cancel the Christmas Eve opening of her new Italian restaurant. However, the kind and sensitive lady's heart goes out to the guests who were looking forward to the restaurant’s opening and how they might be sad for not being able to celebrate the way they had imagined.
So, she decides to go ahead and open the restaurant as planned, and surprise her cousin — and also because no one should be unhappy during Christmas. Once she reaches the small town, she comes face-to-face with the handsome chef Stefano (Gilles Marini). The two are extremely opposite – Natalie is hopeful that they’ll pull off the opening of the restaurant in three days but Stefano is skeptical.
Even though positivity and practicality clash, ultimately the two decide to work together. And as the cliché goes "opposites attract", Stefano and Natalie have visible chemistry. They bond while planning the restaurant opening as well as when the chef is trying to help Natalie, who is a disaster in the kitchen, to cook. Their potential romance is threatened by the entry of a certain caroler, but we won’t spoil what happens at the end.
Krueger and Marini are perfectly cast as the leads. The acting and dialogues are on point and balanced without excessive mush or being preachy. The Christmas decorations and the snow-filled locations are a delight for the eye. A shout out to the supporting cast including teen assistants of Natalie and Stefani – BeeBee (Emma Myers) and Tyler (Andrew Brodeur), the tough yet endearing restaurant reviewer Miles Croaker (Charles Green) and the flamboyant Savannah (Mara Hall). These characters make the film even more interesting and festive.
‘A Taste of Christmas’ is a fun and entertaining watch. It leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy. The film very beautifully drives across the point that it is important to spread joy in whatever way one can to keep up their own spirits as well as the ones around them. So, if you are wondering what to watch on a Friday evening, this film may be a good bet.
‘A Taste of Christmas’ will premiere on Friday, November 20, at 8 pm ET on Lifetime.