Nov 12

Nov 12 Switched for Christmas

Chris and Kate are identical twins but they couldn’t be more different, and both are certain the other has it better. So they flip the script and swap lives - everything from homes and jobs to romantic possibilities. Will their time in each others’ shoes end in blisters and broken hearts… or will they discover that the Christmas tree isn’t always greener on the other side?

Switched%2Bfor%2BChristmas.jpg — Christmas clichés:

Opens w/ a City Scene
Candace Cameron Bure
Career-Driven Woman
Christmas Festival
Deceased Parent
Mistaken Identities
Tree Buy & Trim
Charity Work
Condos
Playful Food Fight
Carolers
Ice Skating Scene
Mistletoe

Our Thoughts

A movie held in household lore, Hallmark’s 2017 “Switched for Christmas” was thought to be Very Merry in how we remembered it. Two Candace Cameron Bures who switch places and find love in each other’s shoes?

We needed to re-watch and confirm our suspicions.

Kate and Chris (both CCB, at her finest) took different paths in life: Kate, a Career-Driven Woman and Chris, a divorced mom who loves teaching art. They haven’t spoken much since their Mom Died, and during a forced Christmas brunch, they try to convince the other about their more difficult life. Identical twins can prove that theory, though, so they change clothes, change lives, and set out to plan the party the other tried to avoid. Perfect Mistaken Identities setup.

Now here’s where it gets tricky to describe. Chris’s love interest is Greg (Mark Deklin, tall and smiley) Kate’s coworker who never gave her a second glance until Chris brings a homey charm to the firm’s Christmas party and Condo project. Kate, meanwhile, is tasked with modernizing the school’s Christmas Festival with single dad, Tom (Eion Bailey, chiseled smokeshow) who Kate had a crush on in high school during a time when her and Chris switched places.

See? Too many names to describe it succinctly, but it’s easier to follow visually given the distinct wardrobes and city vs. town scenery.

This movie checks an amazing 13 clichés and does it all seamlessly. Plus, there’s plenty of Christmas thrown in as the twins remember their mom or decorate for the season. The Playful Food Fight scene during precise gingerbread blue-printing is genre perfection.

But…neither of us felt that Very Merry spark. The Chris-Greg storyline brought a few tears, but the fast cut from that conclusion to the Kate-Tom climax was jolting. It’s almost like the dual storylines took away from each other vs doubling the cheer.

This film is CCB at her best—warm, a little sassy, and focused on family at Christmas. Definitely find and watch. It’s at the top of the Merry list but not quite in the Very category.

Rob's Final Take: Merry
Oh so close to Very Merry, and this CCB feat of strength deserves your time during one of its many Hallmark Channel replays, but I just didn’t feel flutters.

Jess's Final Take: Merry
It’s a Must Watch but not a Must Buy. (Yes, I still buy DVDs). If the romantic storylines were equally strong, it could have been Very Merry. More Chris and Greg, please!