Just in Time for Christmas: A Romance that Weighs the Future
Some films opt for the ending forwarding their beginning. In some sense, that’s just what this telefilm, Just in Time For Christmas, does.
Just in Time for Christmas (2015) Hallmark Hall of Fame Review
The stars align for Lindsay (Eloise Mumford). She’s living in her small hometown, working as a teacher at the community college and dating the best guy she has ever met. Jason (Michael Stahl David) too is doing well. He is making a go of his coffee shop, and together they are happy. Until Lindsay receives the offer of a lifetime; her paper has been singled out by Yale (an Ivy League school thousands of miles away) to be published and they have a staff teaching position open that they want Lindsay to fill. Ecstatic to have a chance to fulfill her dream, Lindsay plans to accept not knowing that very night Jason has made elaborate plans to propose.
When the night ends in disaster, Jason walks away, and believe Lindsay has already made her plans – without him. Lindsay ends up in tears sitting on a park bench. This one night forever changes Lindsay’s life, and forces her to look at the success she is on the percipience of obtaining… and the people in her life who love her.
Since the Hallmark Hall of Fame films moved to the Hallmark Channel, I haven’t been able to enjoy them “live” on TV. But this year I had opportunity to see it and as with each of their installments, I thought this addition personifies charm. The concept isn’t new and yet, this in no way lessens the smiles, and still catches viewers up in the magical sense of romanticism.
TV MOVIE REVIEW | Christmas with Holly (2012): An Emotional Drama about Family and Love
To start, let’s talk about the cast. I was unfamiliar with the male lead, but did enjoy the chance to see Eloise (Christmas with Holly) in something again, and seeing Christopher Lloyd as Lindsay’s wise and comical grandfather was also a great addition. The relationships the script fosters between these characters is fantastic. Lindsay’s dilemma is about more than herself. She has tight-knit and wonderful relationships with her family, but ultimately, she does have to ask herself the age-old questions and decide what it is she really wants. As the script progresses, Lindsay’s evolution (in a sense) is well expanded and I liked how her future story played into her present.
As with every one of the “Hall of Fame’s,” if you tune into this, you’ll find a well-produced film. The story is super fun and for once, the end arrives full circle with a feeling to please. In fact, the ending takes away “the end” and replaces it with the sweet notion of this being a beginning. Since this is something the romantic in me believes, this alone makes me believe all the more in the magic of this romance. Don’t miss it. ♥
I love your reviews, Rissi. Especially because, with Hallmark movies, it reminds me to turn on my TV at 9 o'clock! LOL I'm booting my siblings off the TV tonight in time for this tonight.
YES! Hallmark films deserve to be enjoyed… even if that means taking charge of the TV for the night, right?! :) I hope you enjoyed this one, Meghan – and THANK YOU for the kind words and most of all, for reading. I always appreciate it. :)
Thanks for writing such a great review of what is now one of my favourite Christmas movies. I loved how complete the story ended up being, and that it was, as you said, more of a new start with the hope of everything that is to come than an ending. The fantastic, easy-going chemistry between all the actors also really showed, with the relationship between Lindsay and her grandfather being particularly sweet and fun; it was great seeing Christopher Lloyd back on our screens again.
The element I enjoyed most, however, was how the love story was written, as it is wonderfully different to what we normally get in my opinion; the love interest present at the start actually does turn out to be the hero, and we get treated to an already mature relationship on the verge of marriage. I've only seen Michael Stahl David in one other movie, In Your Eyes, and completely loved him, so I was very excited to see him again, and he did not disappoint.
My favorite three moments are when Lindsay is in Jason's shop as he's closing up and tells him that's his soon-to-be wife is the lucky one (it's just so rife with tension, longing, regret, and history that I held my breathe until it was over), when Lindsay comes racing back to stop the wedding and finds she's too late, and lastly when she finds herself back in the present and finally accepts Jason's proposal (the spin and kiss were just so cute!!).
God Bless
Eleanor Rose
Hi, Eleanor! As always, so great to chat with you (apologies for the delay in this reply). These days go by way too fast. :)
YES to your first paragraph. Reading through your comments makes me realize how fantastic this cast is. I really liked Lindsey and Jason together; the chemistry between them is fantastic, and like you, I seem to remember really liking their scenes together too – especially, yes, that one scene when his fiancée finds them together. That scene was filled with sparks – and then some.
All wonderfully said. There was something "different" about this love story even though the film was a comic gem of delights. Also, I agree. Lindsey's bond with her grandfather was so sweet.
I'll have to look up In Your Eyes. That's an unfamiliar one to me.
So glad you stopped in. Now, I'm ready to re-watch this one. An inconvenience since my "rule" is no Christmas movies until November (at the earliest). ;)
About In Your Eyes….it's a very unusual film, to say the least, with a really unique premise that I quite enjoyed, but just to warn you, there is unfortunately some language present as well as sexual content, which I just skipped over.
God Bless
Eleanor Rose
SO sorry for missing this comment, Eleanor. Thank you for the information about In Your Eyes. allsounds like a great thing to know, and I always appreciate knowing what I'm walking into. :)