12 Men of Christmas (2009) Reviews

• Sassy movie, but not altogether bad.

  paul_haakonsen2010-12-15

  This movie had sassy written all over it, but yet I sat through it till the very end. The story told in "Twelve Men of Christmas" is right out of the academy of clichés; a corporate high-end New York woman going to a small town in Montana to get away, and here she ends up taking advantage of all her skill she acquired in New York, in order to raise funds for the local search and rescue crew. Alrighty then, not really believable, but still a movie came from it. The story is, of course, the type of story that you have figured out the course it will take and how it will end right from the beginning. So no big surprise there! As for the cast and acting, well I can't really say that it was bad. I found the cast to actually be good enough, though I haven't really seen any of the faces before (and the head of Kristin Chenoweth is kind of hard to get around), though I seem to recall having seen Josh Hopkins somewhere before, though I can't recall where exactly. Josh was actually the most memorable of all people in the movie here. The setting of the movie was fantastic. Really nice and beautiful scenery, nature, and an idyllic town setting. That was so nice to look at. There were a couple of times throughout the movie where the movie might have actually become funny, but it never shined through. It was always just brooding beneath the surface. But of course, this wasn't really a comedy. Despite it being a super predictable movie, I still found "Twelve Men of Christmas" to be good enough entertainment, though you have to fight your way through a tsunami of sassyness along the way. But ultimately, I was entertained, but I doubt that I will be returning to the movie for a second watching, ever. This is the type of movie that will go well with women with big romantic hearts and suckers for sassy movies. Oh, and before I forgot. I noticed the coolest blooper ever in this movie. If you manage to sit through the movie, take a good look at the drummer in the background at the pre-launch party for the calender. He goes crazy at the drums at a certain time, and it doesn't even match the drumming sounds from the actual music playing. But wait, it gets better. The guy isn't even hitting the drums, hi-hats or cymbals, he is just drumming in midair, and it is so obviously clear to see. I had to go back in the movie to watch it a second time, it was just that priceless. Hilarious stuff right there.

• Christmas story kissmiss story

  torrentstorm2010-12-01

  After watching this flick this evening, I am now looking hard for something I saw really worthwhile, something moving, something not a stereotype or cliché, something not seen before or unique, something I can say to you,like: "Hey, I'd like to recommend this one because...", but, I can't think of anything. These ideas they come up with for Christmas stories are really annoying sometimes. Haven't we seen something similar and probably better put before? A top New York (when not) publicist catches her boyfriend in a compromising situation with her lady-boss and quits her job, then after fruitlessly searching, decides to take a position working for the Mayor of a small town in Montana (again, sameo sameo), doesn't exactly fit in with the local small town life (no surprises?), finds out they have a climber's rescue team but not enough money to buy the equipment they need, so drums up the 'brainy' idea to have 12 of the town's Adonises pose semi-naked for a calendar to produce profits to meet the goals? Well, admittedly, if you are in a place this small with limited resources, you bring out your think tank and go the distance, but honestly, after the first 45 minutes or so, everything was so humdrum I was becoming bored. The plot had some gaps that made me mentally race ahead to try understand what was going on. Then in romantic affairs, I got mixed up with who was dating who and who had a crush on who and so on and on. The only thing that stood out was that E.J. Baxter (Kristin Chenoweth) and Will Albrecht (Josh Hopkins) were slicing each other up into ribbons ever since they met, but during the last 30 minutes or so, they found out they liked each other and fall in love, or something like that anyway (surprise!). So with the right mixture of improbabilities and copycat ideas, we produce this movie called "12 Men of Christmas" (why Christmas anyway - unless referring to the general period in which things took place). If trying to place a happy, hopeful feeling about the season, well, this movie failed to get that feeling moving - it was pretty banal and hum-drum. I felt suddenly empty and missing something. As for the rest, you find yourself really stretching imagination a bit here to understand how they created a wannabe feel-good story that doesn't leave anything to think about, cherish, comment on, criticize constructively, or learn something for posterity's sake, if nothing more. There was nothing noted in the acting either, usual lame not-good not-bad stuff. Honestly, I watched this one because I had nothing better to do, and I was enjoying my supper meanwhile. MY supper, how was it? Good! This movie, 12 Men of Christmas? Are you kiddin'?

• Cute holiday film with a great looking cast, not as risqué as the title sounds

  inkblot112013-11-18

  In fast-paced Manhattan, EJ (Christin Chenowith) seems to have everything going her way. She has a great job in publicity, a handsome fiancé and a very nice apartment. But, things fall apart, as they say. Her fiancé cheats on her with their mutual boss lady and there's nothing for EJ to do but throw back the ring and quit her job. But, a new problem arrives. When this beautiful blonde smartie goes looking for another position, of which there are plenty in her chosen field, she finds that she has been "blackballed" by her former boss. Now, she's lost her man and her chance of employment in the city that never sleeps. Fortunately, she has a caring sister who advises her to take a fine job offer from Kalispell, Montana's mayor. It seems this scenic town, not far from Glacier National Park, wants a publicist to bring more corporate retreats to their area. Thus, EJ will have a salary and she will be far away from those who did her wrong. She does it. Arriving in this very lovely place, EJ is astounded at the low rents and the warmth of the residents. But, naturally, there are very few restaurants and sight-seeing opportunities, other than the natural beauty of the mountains and fields. Therefore, EJ is initially stuck for a "good angle" on her quest for publicity. But, hold the phone! There is a bevy of good looking men who do volunteer search-and-rescue. One man is particular, Will (Josh Hopkins) has a great face and, er, bod. Yet, since EJ manages to offend him straight away, there may not be any romantic vibes coming. Even so, EJ hatches a tried-but-true idea for her job. Why don't they make a calendar featuring the men of Kalispell, in various stages of dress, doing rugged manly chores? Everyone eventually loves the idea except Josh. So, its soon underway to becoming a reality. Will it work for the town's benefit? Will EJ and Josh soon realize that sparks are flying despite first impressions? This is another fine entry into the realm of holiday romcoms. Since calendars have twelve months, there is indeed a wonderful dozen of handsome, charming men on display, which adds enjoyment to the fine work by Chenowith and Hopkins. The rest of the cast, including Anna Chlumsky, is nice as well. One could hardly miss the tremendous beauty of the Montana setting while the nice costumes, script, photography, and cheerful direction add their own assets to the movie. All in all, fans of romantic comedy will be the seventh, er, twelfth heaven with this cute little winner.

• Tucked in TV Movie

  wes-connors2013-12-17

  Petite blonde public relations expert Kristin Chenoweth (as Emma Jane "E.J." Baxter) catches her boyfriend in the bathroom stall with her boss. Deciding to give them both more space, Ms. Chenoweth leaves the hustle-bustle of New York City and moves to a smallish-looking town in Montana. She doesn't become a dental floss tycoon; that's already been invented. Instead, she works for the mayor. Chenoweth becomes acquainted with the volunteer men of the search and rescue squad. They have a lot of fund-raisers and do good work – like rescuing petite blonde mountain climbers. Chenoweth decides to contribute by creating a calendar featuring "12 Men of Christmas" and sell it for the holidays. The problem becomes how to get the local men to take off their shirts for sexy poses. Somebody must be pulling our legs because a few of the coy, well-built men look shaved, waxed, plucked and/or ready for action. One of the many handsome men in this movie, Josh Hopkins (as Will Albrecht), gives Chenoweth an especially hard time. Photography by Peter Benison is an asset. **** 12 Men of Christmas (12/5/09) Arlene Sanford ~ Kristin Chenoweth, Josh Hopkins, Anna Chlumsky, Jefferson Brown

• Unlikeable characters

  Jackbv1232017-12-30

  The only remotely likeable person in this movie is Jan and maybe a couple of the other Montana ladies. Of course E.J. and Will are supposed to start out as a little arrogant and antagonistic, but the problem is that neither ever really improves. The story is doesn't really follow any of the typical patterns for Christmas romcoms, but then there isn't really that much of a tie to Christmas either. There are almost none of the usual Christmas feel-good moments. The story doesn't flow smoothly and that is especially true of the ah-ha moment between E.J. and Will. And the excuse for Will's nonchalant attitude toward E.J. leaving isn't presented well either and sounds shallow. I might as well say also that E.J. going back to Lillah made no sense either, or if it did, then E.J. is even more shallow than I expected.