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DECK THE HEART

"Rediscovering Christmas Spirit"

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What You Need To Know:

DECK THE HEART is about a busy executive, Chris Ackerman, who’s grieving the loss of his grandfather and has no time for Christmas. He inherits the family’s manor with the condition that he keeps his grandfather’s tradition of hosting Christmas at the manor for his whole family. He hires Merry Block, a party planner with a mission to bring spirit to all holidays. She wins Chris over, and romance blossoms.

Streaming on Pure Flix, DECK THE HEART is a lackluster attempt at promoting Christmas spirit. Several scenes are just phone conversations with no action. Also, Merry Block is heralded as an expert party planner and the best decorator in town. However, the decorating consists of a mismatched collage of garland and poinsettias. Worse, there’s not much chemistry between the two romantic leads. However, the movie stresses the importance of family, of trying to value each family member and on having Christmas Spirit. Still, an important part of the plot in DECK THE HEART is dependent on a lie told by the main characters. So, some caution is advised, especially for younger children.

Content:

(BB, C, FR, MM):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:
Strong moral pro-family worldview stresses the importance of family and on trying to value each member of a family, plus references to having Christmas spirit, but some moral relativism occurs when a major lie is told by the main characters to overcome the plot problem

Foul Language:
No foul language

Violence:
No violence

Sex:
No sex scenes or sexual immorality (there is an affectionate hug and a kiss between a romantic couple)

Nudity:
No nudity

Alcohol Use:
No alcohol use

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:
No smoking or drugs; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:
Nothing else objectionable.

More Detail:

DECK THE HEART is about a busy executive who grieves the loss of his grandfather and has no time for Christmas spirit but must keep his grandfather’s tradition of hosting a family Christmas to inherit the family manor. He hires a party planner with a mission to bring spirit to all holidays. She wins him over for more than Christmas spirit. Streaming on Pure Flix, DECK THE HEART stresses the importance for families to make an effort, to place importance on each other, and on the Christmas Spirit. Still, it misses the mark because an important part of the plot is dependent on a lie told by the main characters; so, some caution is advised.

The story in DECK THE HEART is about an Executive Vice President, Chris Ackerman, who finds Christmas Spirit again, with help from a talented party planner, Merry Block, after the death of his grandfather. The movie opens with a harrowed and work-obsessed Ackerman who doesn’t even have time to take his mother’s phone calls. Ackerman grieves his deceased grandfather. He laments his loss of Christmas spirit since his passing. His persistent mother informs him he’s inherited his grandfather’s manor in Maine. The only catch is, he must agree to host the family Christmas party just the way his grandfather had done for the many years prior.

Ackerman must find a way to meet the condition of hosting dinner, while keeping pace with his busy and successful career. He tasks his secretary to hire a party planner for him. Merry Block is just the right person for the job. Chris and Merry form a nice romantic relationship as he works remotely from the manor, while Merry plans and decorates. Merry prepares several specialty dinners for Chris to sample for the Christmas gathering. The family comes to town.

However, Chris’ mother reveals to Merry that Chris can’t inherit the home if she gets paid for the job. The deal agreed upon is that Chris plans and hosts, just like Grandpa. Merry commiserates with Chris and lies to Mom by telling her she’s not getting paid.

Will the romance last if Chris returns to his old life?

Streaming on Pure Flix, DECK THE HEART is a lackluster attempt at bringing Christmas spirit back to Chris. Many details are overstated. At times, the movie is awkward because several scenes are mere phone conversations with no action. Worse, it’s hard to get behind the love story of Chris and Merry because there’s not much chemistry between them. Also, Merry Block is heralded as an expert party planner and the best decorator in town. However, the decorating consists of a mismatched collage of garland and poinsettias. At the close of the movie the audience is waiting for the anticipated outdoor light theme to be displayed. They are in awe. Merry says it’s an Angel, but the audience never sees it.

DECK THE HEART stresses the importance for families to make an effort, to place importance on each other, and on having “Christmas Spirit.” However, there’s no mention of Jesus and no references to the Nativity. Also, an important part of the plot is dependent on a lie told by the main characters. So, some caution is advised, especially for younger children.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.