A Biltmore Christmas

/ Rebekahrox

Back to the Golden Age of Hollywood but in North Carolina

I am so relieved that this movie did not disappoint me, which is kind of a miracle. My hopes and expectations were sky-high as soon as I started to read about it almost a year ago. It stars two of my favorite Hallmark actors, who have never been paired together before: the most charismatic Kristoffer Polaha and the most talented actress, Bethany Joy Lenz. It is filmed at Biltmore which I have visited more than several times and love . The production values matched the glamour and distinction of the location. Everything was staged with imagination and attention to detail. The fashions were wonderful which I would expect from any movie starring Ms. Lenz. She is always stylish and her wardrobe always seems to be a cut above the usual you see in a Hallmark production. The whole cast was excellent. Everything was first class, and it looked like no expense was spared.

It’s a time-travel movie. Lucy Hardgrove is a screenwriter who has been hired to write a remake of a 1947 Christmas Classic, His Merry Wife!. The plot of the movie within a movie reminded me of The Bishop’s Wife, starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven. It’s a favorite. Because Lucy is kind of cynical about love, she changes the ending from a happy one to a more somber bittersweet one where the Angel figure chooses to get his wings over sacrificing them to ensure the lovers remain together. The head of the studio does not approve and he sends her to Biltmore House where the movie was originally filmed with hopes that it will inspire her to buy into the original happy ending. While touring with a group, led by Winston, the head tour guide, she comes across an hourglass which was also used in the movie. When she turns it over to start the sand she goes back in time to the 1947 movie set. When the sand runs out she is automatically returned to the present. The first time she travels back she meets the cast and gets a bit part in the movie. Most importantly, she meets the actor Jake Huston, Kristoffer Polaha, who plays The Angel Charlie in the production. It was a star-making role, but he unfortunately died on Christmas Eve, a year after the production was wrapped. Lucy learns there was an alternate ending to the movie (a sad one) that was never filmed. She feels she needs to know more and why the ending was changed to a happy one. On her second trip into the past, she accidentally breaks the hourglass, and until it can be repaired she is stuck in the past. Over the next several days, she and Jake fall in love (good) and she inadvertently changes the future (bad). Before she can get back to her life in the here and now, she has to fix things. Otherwise, disaster, as it is with time travel.

That is the bare bones of the plot, but the movie was layered and complex with interesting side stories and characters, humor, and drama. One of the characters I enjoyed the most was actually in the present. When Lucy first pops back from the past, Margaret, a very southern woman and big fan of His Merry Wife! sees her and of course, being southern, thinks she is a ghost. I can say that because I’m Southern. Lucy is forced to tell her the truth, and Margaret becomes her backup and safety net in case something goes wrong.

The movie ends with a “One Year Later” on Christmas Eve and Lucy is back at Biltmore consulting on the new remake of the classic Christmas movie. Which, based on Lucy’s experiences in the past, now ends happily like the original. Yes, it is the day Jake died 80 years ago and Lucy is saying goodbye to Jake in her heart. Of course, in a Hallmark movie Jake and Lucy cannot remain parted. How they are brought back together was pretty smart and did make sense. Mostly. Of course, there are always questions, but not ones I couldn’t deal with.

The last scene was the perfect cap for the movie. Lucy and Margaret’s tour guide, Winston, who has been the source of much history of the old classic film and Biltmore House itself, ensures that the hourglass will never see the light of day again so Jake and Lucy will never be parted by mistake. Apparently, he knew more than he was letting on a year ago. It was poignant how he did that and it was definitely an “Awwh” moment. The perfect ending.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

17 thoughts on “A Biltmore Christmas”

  3. I live in NC and have been to Biltmore many times. It is a spectacular place! So fun to see it in this wonderful movie! They even had a scene in the conservatory where the stunning gardens are!

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    • The last time I went to Biltmore they had the special traveling exhibit of costumes from famous historical movies. Jane Austen…Out of Africa… Queen Elizabeth…Henry James…Merchant-Ivory. It was heaven. I think it was called Fashion in Film.

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  5. Loved it as well! Love KP & BJL so much and together they were great. Also loved Wes Brown and Rachel Boston appearances with their reference. One of the best Hallmark has ever done. I watched it with some friends, one who had never seen a Hallmark movie, and we kept telling her, they’re not normally this well done!

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  6. Please help me understand this movie. I have watched it 5 times. What was the original ending supposed to be? And what made them change it? Did he get his wings for getting them back together?

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    • The original ending of His Merry Wife was supposed ro be sad in that Charlie earned his wings at the expense of the couple being parted. In the happy ending Charlie sacrificed his wings to keep the couple together. So happy for the couple, but sad for Charlie, I guess. The new ending kept the couple together because of Bethany Joy Linz influence. Mostly because the head guy ( Balaban?) got back together with his wife thanks to BJL’s character. She learned that people will really sacrifice and not be selfish for love, so her new version kept the happy ending. Hope that helps.

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  7. Terrific film. Great old fashion chemistry between the leads. Felt like I was watching one of those classic films from that era. Heartwarming, sad and hope-filled with values that have been sadly misplaced in these chaotic, cynical and self-absorbed times that we live in.

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  9. I’m having so much trouble with part of the plot for His Merry Wife!

    My understanding was that it is Charlie’s task as an angel to get the couple back together. So why then, would he be able to keep his wings at the expense of them? And why did he have to sacrifice his wings to get them back together? I know he spends the whole film trying to backhandedly keep them apart, which I thought was him being “bad” as his job on purpose because it was his wife. But if his mission was to help Lancaster’s character get Rebecca back, then didn’t he accomplish it? Why did he have to sacrifice his wings? I’ve seen others ask this question online and no answers so far! I’m concerned it’s a plot hole, but it seems like a big one, so I’m hoping I’m just not getting it somehow.

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    • I may have to watch this again, even though I saw it for the 3rd time a month ago. I think that once he started to try to bust them up, he lost the chance to get his wings. Because that was selfish and bad. He changed his mind and got them back together but by that time, it was too late to earn back his wings. It was past the deadline. And he knew it. So by putting his wife’s happiness ahead of his own by getting them back together, it truly was a sacrifice for the sake of love, since he wasn’t benefiting or getting rewarded (by getting his wings) but still he did the right thing. Had he gotten his wings in return for getting them back together, it really wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice. More of a quid pro quo.

      I feel like he will get another chance in the future though, because of that change of heart and his sacrifice.

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