I struggled a bit with assessing and reviewing a 'Christmas for Keeps'. On the one hand, I liked the friends' group concept, especially the individual storylines (and backstories) for each friend and how these intertwined together (with their past). On the other hand, I did not connect with some of the individual characters and their stories as much as I would have liked. Put differently, aspects of the story did not engage me, pull me in, unfortunately. That said, 'Christmas for Keeps' is still an entertaining movie that highlights friendships and the positive impact teachers can have on their students (the student-teacher bond) in a warm and heartfelt manner. The story follows a group of close, high school friends - Avery (played by Christa Allen), Sarah (played by Ashley Newbrough), Mia (played by Marielle Scott), Noah (played by Cardi Wong), and Ben (played by Ryan Rottman) - as they return home at Christmas to celebrate the life of their favorite high school (drama) teacher, Mr. Massey (played by Everick Golding), who recently passed away. However, getting the gang to spend time together this Christmas is not going to be easy, as each one of them is busy with jobs, kids, and much more. As I alluded to above, the writer does a good job of intertwining the friends' individual stories (i.e., the struggles they face in their personal lives) into a coherent narrative. The beauty of the movie lies in the love, support, understanding, and encouragement the friends give each other in their time of need. I also enjoyed the individual flashbacks where we learn how Mr. Massey impacted their lives and how this influence helps them reconnect and strengthen their friendship. Moreover, the individual stories are quite diverse so that most viewers can find a bit of themselves in the characters. Of course, there is some romance in the movie as well, a sweet friends-to-lovers storyline with some heartwarming scenes between Avery and Ben. The acting, overall, is pretty good. Both Allen and Rottman have strong performances. The chemistry between the two is great (it is convincing). They have a couple of touching scenes together, which are lovely to watch on-screen. Wong especially has a brilliant performance as Noah, the stay-at-home dad with unfulfilled career goals and a passion for baking. Out of all the friends, I found his performance the easiest to engage with; it pulled me in from the start. Finally, the movie has all your classic Hallmark Christmas elements, from lovely decorations and hometown traditions to Elf and Santa Klaus costumes and much more. All in all, 'Christmas for Keeps' is a sweet, festive, and heart-warming story. It will likely have you wanting to catch up with friends and reminiscing about the good old days.
