Finally, a Christmas movie that takes a chance interaction of two characters diametrically opposed and antagonistic to each other and gradually brings them together to find something greater. It is about time!!!! Vanessa Lachey plays Abby, a super organized (i.e. OCD) writer and mother who has her life pre-planned to the Nth degree. Abby has scoured the city to find a special toy robot for her son, Elliot, played by Christian Convery. Abby also learns she that her editor has lined up an for her with her personal hero, child rearing lecturer and author Dr. Baxter (Rick Fox). She quickly rearranges her schedule and heads to the Toy Store. Brendan Zub plays Ryan, a corporate attorney in heavy competition with a coworker for a partner position who learns that his secretary has found another highly sought after toy, a Magic Talking Unicorn, for his young daughter Jasmine (April Cameron).
Arriving at the store at the same time, Ryan and Abby get along together like fire and ice. Arguing about who was in line first, who’s toy is more important, who can get the additional music box they find elsewhere in the store, etc. Luckily, before it reaches the point where they challenge each other to a duel to the death, the store clerk gives them their packages and their acrimonious interaction ends. Abby meets up with her son, Elliot who is displaying hesitation at participating in an upcoming Christmas concert (more on that later). A cancellation of a babysitter requires Abby to wrap presents that night (instead of the pre-scheduled time). Much to her chagrin, she discovers that Elliot’s toy robot is missing and instead, she has Jasmine’s Magic Unicorn.
Abby embarks on a search to find Ryan from what little information she overheard during his phone conversation at the toy store. She soon identifies his firm but when she calls, she cannot get in touch with any attorneys without knowing their name. Unable to go any further online or by phone she decides to visit the Law office in person. At the office she notices Ryan going into a conference room for an important business meeting. She goes to the room's window and, while he tries to ignore her, he finally relents and excuses himself from the meeting. Abby, Ryan and Elliot proceed to Ryan’s office where they find Jasmine who is overjoyed to see the Magic Unicorn toy (which is still unwrapped). While Jasmine is ecstatic to get her toy (Surprise!), Elliot is dismayed to learn that Ryan can’t reciprocate because the Toy Robot is at his ex-wife’s, Brooke (Sarah Smyth), house. Abby doesn’t want to go all the way out there alone so Ryan agrees (thanks to Jasmine’s encouragement – “It’s Christmas Daddy!!!”) to go with her.
I fail to see how Ryan accompanying Abby helps her get the toy any faster than her getting it by herself. It simply takes Ryan’s time away from an important corporate merger he is a part of (still going on in the conference room). Ehh, whatever. It turns out that Ryan IS a big help because he needs to drive after Abby finds her car has been towed from the 15-minute parking space she left it in (She couldn’t have been inside more than a half hour. Is there a tow truck that just sits and waits behind the law office or something?). Add this as yet another reason why no one likes lawyers. During an incredibly convenient long drive (plot wise) to the exes, Abby and Ryan's discussion explores each character's life. Ryan even comments on the obvious difference in their parenting styles (she’s a hyperactive, controlling mom and he’s a distracted, overly lenient dad).
They finally arrive at Brooke’s house and it turns out she is living in a place just slightly smaller than the Buckingham Palace with her famous, hot, rich, cardiac surgeon, husband Kenneth (Matt Dowden). We now see an uncomfortable Ryan, who while being attractive and successful in his own right, cannot hope to compare with his replacement. Abby and Ryan find out that the gift has already been wrapped and placed under the tree (with dozens of other presents). Brooke refuses to open all the presents but Abby comes up with a plan for Kenneth, using his stethoscope, to listen to each present for an internal humming (unique to the toy robot). They subsequently recover the robot (much to the joy of Elliot). On the way out, Ryan promises Brooke to have Jasmine back on Christmas Eve, before their ski trip vacation, and Kenneth gives Jasmine an expensive watch/phone/supercomputer that he takes from his super cool sports car (Ah-ha! Ken isn’t perfect after all. He must have a super small weenie to need to compensate with a car like that.).
This is a turning point of the movie. Ryan goes from the annoying self-absorbed, narcissistic, aloof lawyer to an embarrassed, anguished, sympathetic father and Abby notices. Her empathy changes their dynamic for the rest of the story. It isn’t forced or spurious and actually works quite well. Ryan agrees to pick up Abby’s parents from the airport and even plays along when the parents believe him to be her driver. They all then go together for lunch at Abby’s house. Ryan tries to do work on his laptop but that’s against Abby’s “no screen time” rule of the house. Jasmine and Elliot become fast friends while their parents engage in disagreements over the best parenting style. Abby’s mom then tells Abby how Ryan is a real catch (of course) despite Abby’s dissenting focus on his workaholic, distracted nature. The kids conspire to get their parents together at Santa’s village and Abby agrees so she can interview Ryan for an article she wants to do on distracted parenting.
While the kids and grandparents wait in line for Santa, Abby interviews Ryan which inevitably leads to them ice skating together (Boy, if I had a dollar for every time a magazine interview ended up on the ice . . . sheesh.). Abby learns that Ryan's determination to get the unicorn for Jasmine is based on the guilt he feels about not seeing her as much as he’d like. This way he could record his voice in the toy that she could hear and be reminded of her Dad (Wow . . . that’s actually incredibly sweet. This guy is single???). Ryan asks Abby to attend a company Christmas Cocktail party with him. She finds out that Ryan's supposed girlfriend Lexi, that Brooke had asked about earlier at the mansion, has not been in the picture for months but Ryan was too embarrassed to admit it to his ex-wife.
Abby goes to her re-scheduled (due to the whole toy incident) interview with Dr Baxter at a coffee shop while Ryan takes Abby’s parents and the kids to Elliot’s Christmas Concert. Elliot is still having second thoughts about performing so Ryan attempts to ease his fears. He finds out from Abby’s father that Abby wasn’t always anally retentive about schedules and instead it was her coping mechanism to deal with the loss of her husband. At the coffee shop interview, Abby questions Dr. Baxter’s parenting philosophies versus some of the ideas Ryan had given her. She then learns that Dr. Baxter, with several children of his own, relies heavily on his wife and paid caretakers to implement his philosophies. Abby realizes that she and most parents are not blessed with nannies and chauffeurs and that his teachings are impractical for the modern parent (especially single parents). She politely tells him off and decides to skip the rest of the interview to attend her son’s recital instead.
She reaches the concert just before it is underway. She notices Ryan is missing only to discover that he is actually one of the human trees standing in the background (where he went to offer support to Elliot) of the stage. The entire group then goes out to find a Christmas Tree (Didn’t Ryan have to go back to work sometime today? Maybe I should become an attorney.). At the Tree Farm Abby learns that Ryan used to have Jasmine for Christmas morning while Brooke and Kenneth were building their enormous palace outside of the city. She also finds out that he wasn’t always so work obsessed. Brooke pushed him to be more successful as an attorney but by then it was too late to save their marriage (So she then went out and found someone even more successful? What a betch. Can anyone say “golddigger”?).
Ryan and Abby attend his corporate party as friends but when Ryan’s coworker goes on about his fiance and their impending nuptials, Abby introduces herself as Lexi. She then goes to his boss and tells her that Ryan deserves to be partner more than anyone she knows. While dancing, Ryan admits Lexi dumped him when he couldn’t go off with her to Milan because he had Jasmine that week. Abby replies that “He’s better off without her.”. They then make plans to pick up her car from the towing lot and have dinner at her house with everyone.
That night the family decorates the tree (of course), the kids play with their respective toys and Abby and Ryan both work on their respective projects. Abby heads to the store for cocoa, with Ryan in tow, and a long romantic walk ensues (To get to the nearest store you are required to walk by a peaceful lake on a lighted wooden walkway? What f’in city IS this?). When they return Ryan gives Abby the music box they both admired previously at the toy store for her to give to Elliot. It is only the ill-timed fall of Elliot’s telescope from his bedroom window that stops Abby and Ryan from kissing. It’s not at all disconcerting to see your children and parents secretly observing you from your house is it? Not to mention that Elliot is probably going to need a new telescope.
The family then plays party games before Ryan has to check his email for work. He uses Abby’s computer and accidentally deletes the article she had just completed (Apparently Ryan is a successful corporate attorney but doesn’t know how to minimize a window on a desktop or choose ‘Yes’ when a program asks “Would you like to save your work?”.). Abby is upset she will now miss her deadline, finds out her cookies have burned and lashes out at Ryan blaming everything on his constantly distracted state. She states she isn’t ready for all these changes to her perfectly scheduled and independent life so Ryan and Jasmine head home.
The next morning Abby finds Elliot making a mess in the kitchen. Elliot mentions Ryan is alone for Christmas which gives Abby pause and reflection. Ryan is at work where he learns that even though the merger is on hold due to the clients, he has been promoted to partner at the firm. Abby works on her new article while Ryan and Jasmine go Christmas window shopping. While home making Christmas cookies with Jasmine, Ryan receives an email linking Abby’s new article. In it she describes, the lessons she learned from spending time with Ryan and hints that she is ready for some new surprises in her life.
Ryan goes for his morning jog on Christmas but he returns to discovers Jasmine (Brooke gave up Jasmine for part of Christmas Day just like that? Well, she may be a materialistic, golddigger but I guess she ain’t ALL bad.), Elliot and Abby waiting in his kitchen. Glossing over how she actually got inside his condo, she tells him they are kidnapping him to have Christmas at her house. There they enjoy Christmas Dinner with everyone when the children discover it is snowing (Which should kill all kinds of plants because all the vegetation in this area is still green despite it being December.). While outside admiring the snowfall they are notified they are standing under mistletoe and are thus legally obligated to finally have their first kiss. Merry Christmas!!!
I wasn’t sure about the pairing of these two leads in the beginning, but I’ll go on record now as they hit it out of the park. Their characters flawed but sympathetic and the chemistry between them seemed credible. I also enjoyed their individual relationships with their children which was a nice touch in the movie. Both were single parents who, though far from perfect, had a touching connection to their child. Definitely a movie worth watching. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.
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