You're going to expect some great acting when you tune in to Hallmark's Hall of Fame drama Fallen Angel, starring Gary Sinese. But with a lackluster plot that can be found in any number of tv movies (he returns to his small town after his dad dies and falls in love with the girl next door), and very unrealistic details, it's hard to really enjoy it. Everyone (whether they're from Maine or not) knows a person can't jump into frozen water, swim around with full mobility and tug a rowboat. Hypothermia and death would be more realistic. And almost everyone knows that homeless people do not hang around in freezing towns during the winter months. They migrate to warmer areas, or they just live in temperate cities year-round, like Los Angeles. So seeing impeccably clean homeless men gathering around burning trash cans out in the snow of Maine, with no puffs of breath coming from their mouths, just doesn't work.
The beginning sequence is pretty dark for Hallmark. As a child, Gary's character isn't close to his father, who works as a caretaker for wealthy homes in the area. During one Christmas, the patriarch of a rich family takes his daughter and young Gary to the hospital to give away presents to children. On the drive back, he hits and kills someone - and the little children are forever traumatized. How is this a Christmas movie?
As you can tell, I really didn't like this movie. Joely Richardson plays Gary's love interest, a wealthy woman with a heart of gold (because, don't forget, on Hallmark most rich people are mean spirited and in dire need of a Christmas lesson). She has a blind daughter, but she's not convincing as a devoted mother for a minute. She acts like a space cadet, and she's not protective over a little girl who needs extra care when in new surroundings. But to each his own. Try it if you really want to.
The beginning sequence is pretty dark for Hallmark. As a child, Gary's character isn't close to his father, who works as a caretaker for wealthy homes in the area. During one Christmas, the patriarch of a rich family takes his daughter and young Gary to the hospital to give away presents to children. On the drive back, he hits and kills someone - and the little children are forever traumatized. How is this a Christmas movie?
As you can tell, I really didn't like this movie. Joely Richardson plays Gary's love interest, a wealthy woman with a heart of gold (because, don't forget, on Hallmark most rich people are mean spirited and in dire need of a Christmas lesson). She has a blind daughter, but she's not convincing as a devoted mother for a minute. She acts like a space cadet, and she's not protective over a little girl who needs extra care when in new surroundings. But to each his own. Try it if you really want to.