For a movie that is almost exclusively a Christmas rom/com, this may be one of the best I've seen in a long while, and I watch dozens every season. The premise starts out with two common devices but quickly fills in with interesting details. A recluse novelist struggling with writer's block escapes to her home town and encounters a high school crush. A journalist seeking to save his job vows to break a story about the novelist.
As I watched the story unfold, I expected it to follow one predictable line after another and I was usually wrong. Not to say that the broad strokes are not predictable. Natalie's backstory has elements that are a little hard to swallow, but the final one surprised me. The conflict with Nick seemed a little unfair to him, but it represented a development in the story that avoided one of the most common tropes for a journalist.
Probably most impressive was how the story actually sells why the two should be attracted to one another in a serious way. Sure, it was fast, but time compression is always a given in this kind of story. Along with that, the writer's block is dealt with in some detail and not just magically cured by new found love.
The acting and dialogue are good. The protagonists are mostly appealing but not perfect. Most of all, this story is well written.
