Christmas films can go either way, which has been my experience watching overtime the festive output of Lifetime, Hallmark and UPTV. They can either be well-meaning, charming, warm-hearted and don't feel too heavy. Or they can be too over-sentimental, cheesy, contrived and bland. There have been many films of theirs that have fallen in both camps and in the camp where there is a bit of both. 'Holiday Switch' had the sort of premise that had strong potential of being in the former category, with it being quite interesting.
While not exceeding expectations or completely living up to them, 'Holiday Switch' doesn't waste any potential. It is very charming and engages and moves enough, even if the story and pacing are far from flawless what made me see 'Christmas on the Bayou' (primarily the cast) does not disappoint. It is very easy to dismiss outright the film as sentimental, predictable and plot light, understandably, but given a chance without prejudice one may find themselves pleasantly surprised.
'Holiday Switch's' story is very slight and does drag in the sections where the story is fairly uneventful.
The female lead character is not always easy to get behind, with times where she comes over as on the manipulative side. The Christmas theme is underused in my view.
A lot is done right though. T looks attractive enough. The scenery is both rustic and festive and the photography doesn't look rushed or drab, quite beautiful actually. The music doesn't come over as too melodramatic while still having some presence. The direction is suitably sympathetic on the most part while taking a little time to find its feet. The dialogue is not perfect either but the cheese and sentiment don't go overboard and it generally doesn't come over as stilted.
Furthermore, the story, despite its imperfections, is warm hearted and has a lot of well meaning heart, without taking itself too seriously. The characters interest and are worth investing in, not being too perfect or having flaws too exaggerated. The cast are very good and the ending is touching.
In conclusion, nice enough film. 7/10.
