Very like its predecessor, 'A Merry Liddle Christmas', 'Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding' does not have the most inspired of film titles and is pretty corny to be honest. Did see it anyway though, due to liking 'A Merry Liddle Christmas' enough, that it was part of my quest to see as many Lifetime Christmas films as possible and because Kelly Rowland to me is a performer of solid talent as well as an engaging personality and really knowing her stuff when it comes to performing and mentoring.
Compared to 'A Merry Liddle Christmas', 'Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding' is perhaps about the same or maybe a little bit better. Was very worried about it falling victim to sequel-titis, where it would feel unnecessary, have little to set it apart or be a disgrace to it. While it is not the most original film on the block (lack of originality is a given when it comes to Lifetime films), 'Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding' is a long way from a disgrace as a sequel and is acceptable on its own. Strengths and flaws are similar to before.
'Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding' had room to be better than it was. Maybe it could have been better if it had a few less characters and developed the main ones a little more and had a little less going on in the story. Like the first film, it is a little slow to begin with and some of the dialogue early on is cheesy and could have flowed more naturally.
Thomas Cadrot's performance has not improved that much. His character is underwritten and he doesn't always look comfortable, again he could have emoted his lines with more feeling. There is a little more chemistry between him and the rest of the characters though.
However, a lot is good with the biggest saving grace being Rowland, who is delightful and has her usual charm and sass. Her scenes with adorable Nakai Takawira agreed had a lot of heart without being too sentimental. Did enjoy the enthusiastic, though occasionally overdone, performances of Latonya Williams and Bresha Webb. Did generally like the chemistry between the actors, it could have had more subtlety in parts but most of the time it was witty and warm.
Furthermore, the direction is fully competent once the story finds its footing. Visually, it looks good in particularly the scenery which is nicely complemented by the photography. The music is pleasant and not intrusive, not always the case with Lifetime (even more Hallmark) films. The script is far from perfect, but is sweet and raised a number of smiles while not being too heavy on the sentiment. The story isn't perfect to begin with, but is mostly very charming and warm-hearted with an authentic atmosphere. While the characters are familiar in type, my way of trying and failing to avoid the word cliched, they to me had personality and ones that didn't come over as stale or annoying.
Not a great film by all means but overall it was better than anticipated and a pleasant diversion. 6/10.
