The Christmas Parade (2014) starring AnnaLynne McCord, Jefferson Brown, Jennifer Gibson, Drew Scott directed by Jonathan Wright Movie Review

The Christmas Parade (2014)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Jefferson Brown and AnnaLynne McCord in The Christmas Parade (2014)

Parading Old Ideas

Hailee Anderson (AnnaLynne McCord) doesn't do Christmas so to try and avoid it she is at work as an entertainment reporter for a big New York TV show. But it is at work that she ends up humiliated by discovering live on air that her boyfriend, property investor Jason (Drew Scott), is cheating on her with a celebrity. Having gone for a drive to clear her head she ends up distracted by a text and crashes in to the fence of the judge at Carver Bend, narrowly missing artist Beck Thomas (Jefferson Brown) in the process. Forced to attend the judge's court room in the morning she finds herself not only with a fine to pay but forced to stay in town to serve 25 hours community service. It is whilst there she becomes close to Beck and helps him build a float for the Christmas Parade in order to help a local children's community centre to stay open.

Michael J. Fox went back in time in "Back to the Future" whilst he also ran in to a judge's fence in "Doc Hollywood" and forced to stay in a small town where he finds love and falls in love with small town life. Well as I watched "The Christmas Parade" it was me who went back in time to when I first watched "Doc Hollywood" whilst it is AnnaLynne McCord who as Hailee totals a judge's fence in a back water town. Whilst some might sigh at another made for TV Christmas movie which uses ideas from other movies I don't mind it as the city girl or guy ending up in a back water town has been done before and tends to be a generally okay experience.

Generally okay doesn't exactly gush with praise does it but that is what "The Christmas parade" is as it doesn't bring anything new to proceedings and reworks things in only acceptable way. As such we have a lot of obvious going on as Hailee goes from not doing Christmas to enjoying it. She also goes from having a self centred business focussed boyfriend to falling for the more laid back and nicer Beck. And of course it doesn't take a movie expert to know that by the time the clock runs down and we enter the final movie furlong Hailee will have a decision to make over her future. But as I said it works this familiar story in a solid but only ordinary way with AnnaLynne McCord and Jefferson Brown having that Hallmark Christmas movie appeal.

What this all boils down to is that "The Christmas Parade" is anything but original but it means for those who enjoy the unchallenging, easy going nature of Hallmark Christmas movies it will be a fun distraction.

Tags: Christmas Movies, TV Christmas Movies


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