Hallmark isn’t known for having tons of movies with people of color in leading roles. PoC are usually delegated to “best friend” or “coworker.” All Saints Christmas not only features an entirely black cast, it also takes place in a New Orleans R&B club. Now we just have to see if it’s actually a good movie…
Lisette (Ledisi) is a popular singer about to return home to New Orleans for Christmas after a two year absence. Before she can head home, she gets photographed at a Christmas market with her ex-boyfriend, Matthew (Roger Cross). It looks like he is proposing to her when he’s really picking up a ring she dropped. With the story of their engagement in the press, the two decide David will come home to New Orleans with Lisette and they will pretend the engagement is real for the publicity.
I’m a little torn on All Saints Christmas. Ledisi is a gorgeous singer. Every scene featuring her vocals is a delight. But her acting is a little wooden. Instead of seeming like a normal person, she acts as if the director has been yelling at her the entire shoot for not knowing her lines or something. Poking through her IMDb page, she has portrayed some very big names. So I’m not sure if she just needs some more training or if it was a directing problem. Either way, I would really love to see her do better. If she could get a role that features her singing and she knocked the role out of the park, it would be chef’s kiss.
Thankfully, some of the other actors do make up for Ledisi’s missteps. Lucia Walters as Lisette’s arch-nemesis, Gia, is pretty perfect. Walters is able to give Gia the shell of a mean girl with the inner core of emotionally hurt high schooler. Also, Miranda Edwards as Lisette’s sister, Taborah, brings a nice emotionally stable presence to the adult children of the family. They were probably my two favorite characters in the movie.
If you like R&B music, you will definitely like All Saints Christmas. There is enough singing that you should be able to look past the acting troubles. However, if you are looking for a great Christmas movie, this probably isn’t it. I would still recommend watching it though. The music really is that good.