Story: Lauren (Kelly Kruger) is a single mom with a bustling career, so all she really wants for Christmas is some rest and relaxation. She doesn’t usually have much luck when she tries to get some downtime, so she isn’t surprised when it looks like her relaxation dreams are shattered. In an odd twist however, Lauren finds herself involved in a unique situation that hinders her much needed rest, a super cute Corgi pup. When she met a single dad named Ben (Kevin McGarry), she had no idea she’d soon be helping to look after the doggo, as Ben needs a helping hand. He bought the dog as a gift for his child, but has to call in reinforcements, as the pupper is more than he bargained for. Will Lauren find some time for herself this holiday season or will she find a lot more than she expected?

Entertainment Value: A Very Corgi Christmas strives to be a brisk, fun holiday movie for family audiences, but winds up as a rather dull and forgettable experience. I’ve seen a lot of family friendly seasonal comedies and romances, but this one just never finds its footing and comes off like a rejected Hallmark production. The narrative is fine and adding a cute little pupper to the mix seems like a wise choice, but once the “aww factor” wanes, the movie does little to hold your attention. The writing is bland at best and sometimes downright cringe worthy, with pretty lame attempts at both humor and emotion. I suppose it could serve as a last resort for family movie night if all else fails, but I can’t see this thrilling audiences, even ones made up of mostly younger viewers. I’d rate this as filler at best and while the dog related elements will likely land with some folks, there’s simply not enough here to warrant even a light recommendation.

I doubt anyone expects stellar performances from this kind of movie, but even by lower tier family film standards, the efforts here fall into quite lackluster levels. While his turn isn’t good or even memorable, the bright spot for some will be Kevin McGarry, who was a wise casting choice, given the target audiences involved. McGarry has experience in this Hallmark style genre and he provides his usual performance, so perhaps that will be enough to lure in some viewers. But McGarry is unable to do much here and despite being one of the romantic leads, little chemistry can be found between he and his costar Kelly Kruger. The two share some rather awkward scenes and never manage to kickstart the romance, though the focus is on humor over romance, so that isn’t a huge issue. Kruger is passable, but again, she is only able to so much with this weak script and uninterested cast. The cast also includes Jennifer Dale, Alys Crocker, Peter Nelson, and Jennifer Vallance.

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