CHRISTMAS WITH A VIEW

CHRISTMAS WITH A VIEW is an UPtv romantic drama about Clara, who manages a restaurant, and falls in love with the chef, Shane, but complications threaten to jeopardize her dream of owning her own restaurant and her obvious love for Shane. The plot and cinematography in CHRISTMAS WITH A VIEW are quaint, but largely forgettable with light Christian, moral elements mixed with Romantic, feminist ideals and two light abuses of alcohol.
Clara manages a restaurant, The Summit, where she falls for a famous chef, Shane. Her dream is to become a restaurant owner. Having tried to fulfill this in the recent past with mixed results, she finds it difficult to foresee her next step. When it becomes clear to both Clara and Shane that they have feelings for each other, his celebrity status and her gun-shy state of mind clash. So, it seems that a budding romance is on the rocks. Further complications regarding her beloved chef and Clara’s suspicious boss threaten to jeopardize her dream and her obvious love for Shane.
Can Clara and Shane’s relationship survive the wind and waves of working at The Summit?
CHRISTMAS WITH A VIEW is a typical Christmas romance with some decent acting, but it falls short on plot and ultimately forgettable. This is largely due to the fact that there is nothing remotely original, or even compelling here. The cinematography of winter scenery is nice and there are many scenes of handsome looking young people in love, but none of this distinguishes the movie in any discernible way. Add to this the negative elements of some very abrupt transitions between scenes and a heroine who is often so self-absorbed that one asks why the hero is interested in her. For example, Shane suggests to Clara that her boss may not have her
best interest at heart, and she gets angry at him. She never apologizes. Clara is not wholly unlikeable, but there is a lack of depth in her character. Beyond this, there is no concept that Christmas is about anything more than young romantic love. Finally, the conflict is resolved not by the heroine and hero growing to overcome their inadequacies, but rather by the heroine getting what she wants, which apparently equals a very merry Christmas.
CHRISTMAS WITH A VIEW has a light moral, Romantic worldview. Some characters display nominal Christian behavior such as when a family prays before a meal ending with, “in the Lord’s name, Amen.” In a light biblical moral moment, a woman tries to right a wrong where a man has deceived her about a business proposal. However, this pales in comparison to the strong Romantic and feminist themes in the movie. A man repeats many times that his wife is “the boss” and that “she’ll make the final call,” clearly not reflecting a biblical understanding of marriage. The female lead also gets hot and bothered by anyone who slightly questions her perceptions. In most cases this reactionary approach is couched in the language of “I can take care of myself.” This gives a feminist vibe to a main character. She never apologizes to her love interest for this, and he is more than gracious regarding the lesser mistakes he makes in the development of their relationship. Finally, a selfish motive (to own one’s own restaurant) drives this same character throughout the movie, and it is the achievement of this goal rather than personal growth which ensures the movie’s “happy ever after.” CHRISTMAS WITH A VIEW also has some light abuses of alcohol and passionate kissing. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children and teenagers.