Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas (2014) Reviews

• Extraordinarily Well Crafted - The Meaning of Christmas

  dial911book2014-11-30

  My wife and I saw this program when it was first aired on Hallmark a few days ago (Nov 2014). We had watched all the previous episodes of Signed, Sealed and Delivered, and had enjoyed them for their story lines as well as for the individual characters who are nicely developed and who also form an effective ensemble. This Christmas special is almost breathtaking. I'd love to know more about the writer(s) involved and how the director and actors viewed the project also. Particularly good is how this Christmas episode provides enough background and details about the characters so that a first-time watcher of the series is not lost or bewildered. I plan to add to this review after I watch the program again (on DVR). The actors in this series and the guest stars all deserve recognition for their work. Right now I can say this beautifully filmed and edited show offers a lovely composition of interesting characters, dynamic and subtle relationship issues, tension and pathos, familiar cinematic devices that older viewers will recognize and all can appreciate ... and ... some clear, eloquent expressions of doubts about Christmas and then a stirring vision of the most basic true meaning of the Christmas message. Whether the viewer is secular, Christian, or of another worldview, the overall presentation is at once intriguing, uplifting and satisfying. This two-hour program showcases the best of what the Hallmark Channel aims to offer viewers.

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• Incredibly well written / crafted

  critic_w2015-06-10

  It is rare to see a special-episode that is so carefully well crafted. The script had a lot to accomplish and it did so with excellence. Having followed the series, my household watched in amazement as newcomers in our audience picked up on and enjoyed as if they'd been following the show all along. The series core strength is its abundance sentiment, with nuances of miracles / belief in God. For the Christmas 2-hour episode they "took it up a notch" in both areas, yet were never heavy handed or preachy. Amazing. This series, perhaps better than any other on television, weaves fun and funny suspense that manages to draw the viewer in tugging on heart-strings along the way.

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• True Christmas Values

  stephenabell2016-12-19

  Ever since I watched "The Crow - Salvation" I've been a fan of Eric Mabius' acting as his portrayal of a "Crow" was one of my favourite, second to Brandon Lee. I've not seen him in anything for quite a while, then I saw he was in this movie called Lost Letter Mysteries for Xmas (English Title). And what a joy it was. In his role as Oliver O'Toole, he plays a stoic, straight-laced, upright, and honourable postal worker, who thinks nothing of going the extra mile to do the job right. I loved the idea of a team of postal workers sorting through undelivered or undeliverable letters with the purpose of giving help. Even though, I now know, this is part of a series this Christmas episode works well by itself. It's well written and the direction is carried out well and progresses the story and cast at a steady pace. After seeing this I will be looking at getting the series on DVD.

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• Unusual approach to Christmas

  Jackbv1232017-12-02

  This is a bit of an unusual story with quirky characters. Even some of the props are strange. The story has a number of Christmas related messages but doesn't get overly preachy and in fact some of them are subtle. There are elements of the story that are quite predictable, some that become predictable with clues, and even a few false clues. The characters would be called losers by many people, but certainly not by anyone who loves Christmas movies. As we get to know them (if you haven't seen the series) they become quite lovable. They have backstories of their own, which are kind of sad. Because the characters are so quirky, I hesitate to evaluate the acting, but I found that it was fine for the story.

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• Signed, Sealed, Delivered for a 2014 Christmas...featuring Rob "Silk Stalkings" Estes and Marion "Happy Days" Ross

  safenoe2016-12-19

  Signed, Sealed, Delivered the TV series ended after only 10 episodes, but thankfully Hallmark continued this fine series as TV movies. Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas is the first of the seven movies thus far. The rest of the seven movies are: From Paris with Love, Truth be Told, The Impossible Dream, From the Heart, One in a Million, and Lost Without You. Hopefully the movies will continue in 2017 and beyond. Or who knows, maybe Hallmark will agree to recommission it as a TV series. SSS for Christmas starts two days before Christmas, and Jordan a postal troubleshooter bigwig (played by Rob "Silk Stalkings" Estes) meets the Postables, and charms Shane on the dance floor at the postal ball. Oliver is a bit jealous and cuts in to get a piece of the dance action with Shane. Jordan (Rob "Melrose Place" Estes) passes on a "Letter to God" to the Postables - it's quite touching and was posted from Wyoming (the home state of former Vice-President Dick Cheney), and Shane is a bit hard-edged and cynical about trying to fulfill a child's wish to God. This leads to Oliver and Shane having a serious and thoughtful discussion about the role of God in such a situation. Later in this movie we learn that Shane's father left her family the Sunday before Christmas. We also learn that Jordan isn't really from the post office. He is someone sent from above. This relates to another "Letter to God", and it was written by Shane soon after her father left. anyway Jordan (Rob "90210" Estes) has a deep conversation with Oliver about his estranged wife who's in Paris. I assume that the next movie Signed, Sealed, Delivered from Paris with Love resolves this sad thread. Shane encourages Rita to pursue her feelings with Norman, but Rita's a bit reluctant. Marion "Happy Days" Ross makes a special appearance as Oliver's former Sunday School teacher. Rita and Norman come very close to kissing after accidentally bumping heads after getting excited seeing an owl. So close. The ending was incredibly moving and I loved the jazz version of It came upon a Midnight clear that played over the end credits. I wish I knew who played the song.

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