The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
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Christmas Pen Pals
Romance · TV Movie · 2018
Following an unexpected breakup weeks before Christmas, Hannah, tech wiz and creator of the dating app, Perfect One, heads home for the holidays, challenged to save her failing business by re-conceiving a new romantic dating model. Upon her return she runs into her high school boyfriend, Sam, who she has carefully avoided for years and reluctantly makes a deal with her dad to sign up for the town’s Christmas Cupid, an anonymous holiday pen pal service. As the season progresses, Hannah is smitten by each beautifully written letter she receives and starts to believe that her Christmas pen pal could be her soul mate.
Movie details
Christmas Pen Pals
2018 Romance · TV Movie 1h 30m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.6 / 10
Community rating
Following an unexpected breakup weeks before Christmas, Hannah, tech wiz and creator of the dating app, Perfect One, heads home for the holidays, challenged to save her failing business by re-conceiving a new romantic dating model. Upon her return she runs into her high school boyfriend, Sam, who she has carefully avoided for years and reluctantly makes a deal with her dad to sign up for the town’s Christmas Cupid, an anonymous holiday pen pal service. As the season progresses, Hannah is smitten by each beautifully written letter she receives and starts to believe that her Christmas pen pal could be her soul mate.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Christmas Pen Pals?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Grounded for Christmas
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Write Before Christmas
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A recently single Jessica sends Christmas cards to people who have impacted her life—the aunt who raised her, her younger brother in the military, a popstar who was part of the soundtrack of her life, the music teacher who inspired her, and the best friend who always tells the truth.
Sharing Christmas
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Crown for Christmas
Romance · 2015
Allie Foster, a struggling New York artist, reluctantly accepts to act as a governess to a rebellious Princess Theodora of Winshire. When Allie forms an unlikely bond with the princess, she attracts the attention of the handsome King Maximillian, who’s facing an arranged marriage against his heart’s wishes. As Christmas Eve draws near, Allie finds herself swept up in romance, royalty and the spirit of the holidays.
Catch a Christmas Star
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Nikki Crandon is one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. Whether she's singing the National Anthem or promoting her latest album, everyone knows who she is—none more so than New Jersey high school basketball coach and widower Chris Mitchell, who was Nikki's first love in high school. When Chris' 10-year-old daughter Sophie finds out her dad still has feelings for the singer, she takes matters into her own hands. With her 8-year-old brother Jackson in tow, Sophie succeeds in reuniting the two. But when a misunderstanding and the growing glare of the public spotlight threaten Chris and Nikki's happiness, one can only wonder: will fame get in the way of a Merry Christmas?
Brimming with Love
TV Movie · 2018
Allie is an aspiring journalist who meets Sam, a coffee shop owner who plays matchmaker for his customers. Allie agrees to be matched but going though Sam's process causes her to see that her perfect match might just be the matchmaker himself.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Siobhan Devine
Written by
Carley Smale
Sarah Drew
Hannah
Niall Matter
Sam
William Vaughan
Joe
Jag Bal
Ian
Jesse Carroll
Mike Jones
Vincent Dangerfield
Greg Williams
Kathleen Duborg
Susan
Court is in session
Put Christmas Pen Pals on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.