The first time I checked this out, I wasn't overly impressed. I watched it again to see if I liked it any better the second time. I didn't. This is definitely standard Christmas fare--you can predict the entire story simply from the trailer: Hardened city guy returns home to the country, rediscovers his small-town roots, finds love. That being said, the story and dialogue are pretty weak. I did not find Wyatt to be particularly unlikeable: Porte is handsome and plays the role of Wyatt with a quiet restraint, sensitivity, and vulnerability, which is somewhat endearing. Di Pace has a bad habit of overacting and he does so in several scenes here; Heath sometimes came across as an annoying, ungrateful, whiny brat. Moreover, Di Pace seemed a bit miscast: He didn't achieve or exude that special combination of toughness and vulnerability, or possess the rugged handsomeness I thought the role/character required. The characters' back sob stories weren't overly melodramatic, which was a refreshing change of pace. Harris (Blake) was cute, but was underutilized; MacDowell (Deb) was a typical sweet mom character, but even she seemed to be struggling with the weak dialogue. You might enjoy this if you approach it with very low expectations. Otherwise, I'd skip it. On a totally random note: Is bison chili really considered romantic fare in Colorado? That was a laugh-out-loud moment for me and an example of the strange dialogue in this weak entry.
Review of Dashing in December
