jeffamaillists So this movie is basically a remake of "Groundhog Day", but with a female character and on Christmas eve. It's still pretty entertaining, but the parallels to "Groundhog Day" are just too frequent to ignore... Other than that, it's a cute, romantic movie.

Abandoned_Moose 12 Dates of Christmas is instantly forgettable. Time is precious and don't waste yours watching this. Groundhog Day did it much, much better. Amy Smart is cute and you may get warm tingles every now and then. However, it's cheesy and the message is more how to avoid spending Christmas alone and get a partner rather than kindness and/or forgiveness. It's also very commercial, schmaltzy, gaudy and lacking in imagination considering where it could have gone with the story line. I'll try and think of some positives: the dog on the bed is pretty good, the baking lady is cool and Amy Smart does have a nice smile. Still, watch something else - like Groundhog Day for the fiftieth time.

Shawn Watson Amy Smart plays an insensitive woman who only cares about herself who is given the chance to make her life and the lives of others about her happier if only she stops being so self-centered. After falling over in a department store she bumps her head and re-lives Xmas Eve over and over (twelve times, to be precise) until she gets it all just right.Normally I wouldn't bother with such fluff, but Amy Smart is gorgeous and really ought to be in more movies. The score is basically lifted wholesale from A Charlie Brown Christmas and there is not much atmosphere. You could basically transpose the story from December 24th to any other day of the year (Groundhog Day, for example) and it wouldn't be much different.I wasn't once bored watching it though, and it's an acceptable addition to the holiday TV viewing.

Robert W. I love a great Christmas movie and this year while cooking I discovered the treasure trove of ABC Family Christmas movies. I have no doubt that giving movies like this a high review will bring all sorts of criticism but I don't care. I review films according to how much they entertain me and 12 Dates of Christmas was awesomely entertaining!! I loved it!! I can really only think of a single criticism for the film and that was that it ran just a shade too long. Obviously a film with this type of story, the "Groundhog Day" schtick is in danger of feeling repetitive and it does but just barely. It certainly isn't enough to take away from the enjoyment of the film. It is sort of the perfect "magical" Christmas movie to have someone relive Christmas Eve over and over again until they learn a lesson about themselves and their life. The film has strong morals, it has a strong lead female character with a great message and will make you laugh and even brings tears to your eyes in the end. As far as a great Christmas film this one nails every category you can think of from magic, to romance, to laughs.This is certainly and easily one of the best performances I have ever seen from Amy Smart. I've never really seen her do anything spectacular despite popping up in so many films. She really gets a chance to shine in this film as the focus of the movie. Her character is shy and lost and looking for love in all the wrong places and watching her change throughout the film truly puts the magic into this and she is fantastic. Mark-Paul Gosselaar is absolutely perfect in this movie as well. Him and Smart together are just fantastic. They have the best chemistry of any of the ABC Family Christmas couples I watched. The supporting cast are all familiar character actors and they all do a great job in their parts. Some particularly strong roles were Jayne Eastwood, Mary Long, Benjamin Ayres, and Peter MacNeill as Smart's neighbour, step-mother, ex-boyfriend and father respectively.With a long history in Television director James Hayman clearly knows his way around a good script. Obviously comparisons to Groundhog Day are not unwarranted nor is that a bad thing. The concept is almost identical but the fact that its Christmas Eve and she spends so much time trying to make things go the way she thinks she wants makes for a sweet and heartfelt movie. I would watch this again and again because its a feel good movie with really terrific characters, good acting, a beautiful romance and just a very sweet story that will satisfy any Christmas movie fiend or romance addict. ABC Family clearly knows how to put together these movies and I for one and am a huge fan. 8.5/10