Look, if you are looking for a great epic like The English Patient or Lawrence of Arabia, you are looking in the wrong direction. I am one for deep films, but Hallmark movies aien't it. Actually, this is one of my favorite movies from Hallmark. I like that it focuses on the Rose parade, showing us that the holiday season, for so many, extends far past the pile of crinkled wrapping paper on Christmas morning. I like the energy of the female lead and the somewhat cynical-but-willing attitude of the male lead. I know reviewers took issue with the conflict, and I think they were looking for some major tension. I think this film represented internal conflict more than external (which was Andi not disappointing her dad and getting the float finished). Andi's internal conflict was that she had to prove to herself she was a good teacher, artist, and leader. Once she checked these off her list she could move on with her career and life. Grand? No. Heartwarming and fun--not to mention colorful with all those roses!--absolutely.

At best, this movie showed the viewer some of the work that goes into preparing a float of the Rose Parade. That may be the most interesting part of this film. The lead actor is quite attractive and did his best in a role that was predictable but still romantic enough to satisfy the Hallmark movie viewer. The most distracting and almost irritating aspect of the film was Rachel Boston's performance. She is attractive, tall, slim, perky. But her acting range is so limited, it made the role too one dimensional..Her lines seem all to be at the same voice pitch and volume..twangy, flat and very loud. Whatever lines she was delivering all sounded too loud..too forced, not at all nuanced. Her delivery is one dimensional as well..through a smile and gritted teeth..She should have modulated her voice..her volume, her range of emotions in her lines. It is lovely to see an actress smile in film, but this actress smiled throughout every scene..so there was no range of emotions visible.. her costars did a great job..Her leading man is quite talented, handsome, romantic..just what a Hallmark movie watcher wants to see. But the lead actress needs some lessons in how to slow down, tone down, let the word s of the script determine her volume and her smile levelsorry..this film had great potential..but it became almost grating to have to watch it with the sound on.Sorry.

This movie is predictable to a T. It follows the typical romantic comedy recipe where the female lead and male lead are at odds and fall in love in the end. The female lead is your common daddy's girl who likes art, and the male lead is supposed to be this hotshot Mr. Business city boy type who ~~just doesn't understand ART!~~ You pretty much know they're going to end up together as soon as the male lead walks into the room. Another huge problem is that the movie fails at creating any tension. Okay, so Rose needs to build a parade float because her father is too sick to do it. And if she doesn't make the float on time...what happens? She's just not in the parade? Why wouldn't she be able to do it next year? Why should I care about this float and how it's made? Part of the movie is just them advertising for help they need to build the float (which begs the question: how has Rose's father has been making this float for a while if he's not getting the same people or amount of people every year to make it, and why is it a problem this year?). This brings in a bunch of side characters who I suppose are adding a little comedy to the film (like how the blonde college girl sneezes a lot while making the float), but all the jokes just fall flat. There are also some details that the director and crew overlooked while making the film. For example, in the beginning of the movie, Rose is welding something together. She wears the suit and the mask (in a way that hides her face so we can have the clichéd joke where the male lead thinks Rose is a man because he can't see her face and she is doing something some people consider masculine), but she doesn't tie her hair up in a ponytail or bun. (I would've given this movie two more stars if her hair had caught on fire in the middle of the scene.)Overall, this movie is boring. You know how it's going to end, and the writers don't add anything different or unique to try to make this movie stand out. Give this one a skip.

BEWARE OF BOGUS REVIEWS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THAT PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 Christmas MOVIES. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM FARE ABOUT THESE FILMS.Andy is a passionate artist whose family has been building Rose Parade floats for generations. When her Dad gets sick, Andy is forced to take the helm and supervise the construction and decoration of their client's float. And to make matters worse, she's saddled with the extra challenge of dealing with a demanding businessman whose company commissioned the float. She learns they are not happy with her at all!This was the last "Hallmark Christmas Movie for 2016". Even though it premiered in New Years Day 2017.Now I about cringed when I saw Rachel Boston because I still have nightmares of seeing the film she did called "Holiday High School Reunion". Rachel however is a fine actress and brings her A Game Here. Now the plot is very predictable. It offers nothing exciting. What does work the best in this entire story is that you are rooting for the two leads to hookup