The most colorful time of the year highlights a profession that is often overlooked when it comes to Hallmark vacation films. Katrina Bowden (30 rocks) plays an optometrist who can’t help but help her daughter’s science teacher face his color blindness. Does this movie have 20/20 vision, or do you need a pair of eye patches to get through it? Get it – so you can cover your eyes instead of watching? Go on…
The essentials: Katrina Bowden plays Dr. Michelle Stevens, an optometrist who suspects something is wrong with her daughter’s science teacher. Mr. Ryan Tanner (Christopher Russell) is smart, tall and handsome – so why does he get nervous when someone tells him about colors? And why does he hate Christmas so much that he’s banned all decorations from his stuffy classroom? Michelle knows what’s going on: Ryan sees the world in black and white. Literally. He sees no color at all. That’s when Michelle stumbles upon a clinical trial for lenses that – fingers crossed – will reverse the genetic condition of color blindness.
Michelle is determined to help her daughter’s science teacher with this personal matter that he’s trying so hard to hide from everyone, but will he ever let her help him? Oh — and Michelle’s creepy ex, Mark (Austin Ball), won’t leave her alone.
Which movies will it remind you of?: After a season of genre-bending movies and big-laugh movies, this is a Hallmark movie that feels a lot more like the Hallmarks of yesteryear. There’s also a touch of 1994 Miracles on 34th StreetSubject: Michelle’s daughter Bailey (Ava Weiss) but I’ll leave that connection up to you.
Notable performance: Ava Weiss gives a good performance as Michelle’s daughter. This kid is brave enough to use a Christmas tree in his where do the colors come from presentation, even though all the kids know Mr. Tanner is a big ol’ Grinch.
Memorable dialogue: Said the optometrist to the science teacher, “I won’t give up on you. I am determined to help, I really am. I just hope you decide to let me.”
A holiday tradition: The town of Centerville is hosting the usual tree lighting event, Brighton Elementary School is hosting a Christmas concert and Michelle’s sister’s church is hosting a gift wrapping event. Ryan doesn’t make Christmas – but he does does now.
Two lovebirds: Instead of pairing The most colorful time of the year With another film with a similar premise coming out in 2022, it can be fun to follow up on the most colorful Christmas movie or holiday imaginable. To be honest, this year Spirited or The Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special might work, as would any iteration of Spoilsport.
Does the title make sense?: I’m for any movie title that makes me think of Andy Williams.
Our opinion: Well, they can’t Everyone be winner. OK maybe The most colorful time of the year would have performed better in previous Hallmark lineups. However, compared to all the ambitious, weird and stylish holiday movies we’ve gotten from Hallmark this year, it doesn’t really compare. And that has nothing to do with the performances; I love To see Katrina Bowden in that kind of role is so far from it 30 skirts cerie It has everything to do with this story being absolute, to be honest insanity. That’s not necessarily a bad thing! The Hallmark films, which have wild motives and bizarre plot twists, are often memorable and The most colorful time of the year definitely has it.
As an optician, Dr. Stevens a totally loose gun. She doesn’t let any personal or professional limitations stop her from improving the vision of her daughter’s science teacher. She goes so far as to have a few characters – including Mr. Tanner – bring the concept of consent to her. She’s going way too far, but Bowden’s likable performance keeps Dr. Stevens from drifting into stalker territory. It also doesn’t hurt that all of the film’s stalker energy comes from Michelle’s ex, Mark.
But the real head-scratcher unfolds almost in slow motion as the film progresses. After numerous hints, it finally becomes clear that the film doesn’t know how color blindness works. Mr. Tanner isn’t just red-green or blue-yellow color blind. He can’t see color like his whole vision is a 1950’s TV show. I’m not color blind, but I thought it was pretty common knowledge that being color blind doesn’t mean you can see no colour. Granted, there’s a condition called monochromia that affects vision in this way – but it affects 1 in 100,000 men. Red-green color blindness occurs in 1 in 12 men. Just a cursory Google search gave me this information, and this major misstep could have been avoided by Dr. Stevens — an optometrist — simply said, “You have monochromia.” Instead, she says his condition is “pretty acute,” which feels like an understatement. This man is 1 in 100,000 – literally!
Then there are the magic panacea lenses that, despite viral videos, don’t really allow colorblind people to see all colors. Instead, they increase the contrast between colors, which would normally appear to them as one muddy color. But hey – the lenses are undergoing clinical trials. I have no idea what medical breakthroughs were made in the Hallmark film verse. And again, I may be misunderstanding some facts. I’m no expert, but at least I googled.
I can no doubt forgive the magic lenses. After all, I watched a Hallmark film where a widower got involved with an immortal witch who lives in a storybook village. Magic lenses that make the season bright for everyone? Secure! But not knowing how color blindness works is what the premise of the entire film is built upon is – well, it makes for a very memorable Hallmark film, just maybe not in the way the filmmakers intended.
Our appeal: SKIP IT. And please, members of the optometry and/or colorblind community, I want to know about every single factual error in the film.
