Twas’ the List Before Christmas

This is the third movie Hallmark has cast Evan Roderick in and I wish they would just stop. Bear with me. It’s not him as an actor I have an objection to, but they persist in casting him as the romantic interest of leading ladies who are at least 5 years older than him. And that would be OK if he had an older more mature vibe, which he does not. He could easily pass for a college student or even younger. And to add to the problem I have with his casting, in 2 out of the 3 Hallmarks I’ve seen him in, he has played immature brats. I saw his two movies previous to this one but only remember one of them so I can’t speak for what kind of guy he was in the middle one. So, to me, the chemistry is off between the leads. In this one, Katie Findlay is such a presence as an actor and plays such a charming and admirable character, that I couldn’t understand what she saw in him. She deserved better. Evan Roderick was very suited to play Wyatt, the spoiled rich-kid nepo baby, and he conveyed all of the sorry characteristics that that label implies to a T. Unfortunately, he did such a good job that I never did take to him even after he started to reform and act like a big boy.

It’s Christmas and Katie Findlay plays Carley, who is a valued employee at her job because she is reliable, responsible, and hard-working. Her work ethic stems from the fact that her father left her and her mother when she was a young girl, and her mother had to work 3 jobs to support them and put her through college. She feels she cannot let her mother down after all of her sacrifices. She is such a shining star at work that the head of the company taps her to train his son to be her boss. The very position she has legitimately earned for herself. She is spurred to change the trajectory of her life. When she gets home she makes a list of New Year’s resolutions with the help of her best friend who lives the full exciting life she has always dreamed of. We fast forward to the next year at the same time. Her friend is coming home from Italy for Christmas and Carley has made no progress on her list, and she is embarrassed about that. The first thing on her list is to quit her boring job and pursue her dream of being a dress designer.

At work, she has put up with Wyatt’s lazy entitled ways but with a month to go in the year, the last straw has finally broken the camel’s back. Due to not doing his job, they are about to lose the business of a huge client. He is about to own up to it but Carley unexpectedly takes the fall for him. “Why?” you may ask. Good question. She does it so she will get fired because she can’t bear to quit, due to the way she was raised. (I guess?) And that happens, even though everyone knows the screw-up is not her fault. As a result, in disgust with his son, Wyatt’s Dad cuts off his trust fund money and he only has what he earns in his position at his firm. And if he doesn’t change his ways, the tap will be cut off permanently. Carley, determined to fulfill all of the resolutions on her list before her friend comes home, enlists Wyatt’s help to do so, and in return, she will help him grow up and be self-sufficient. Why she would ask him of all people for help keeping her focused on working through the list is quite the mystery. Unless by “Say Yes to Adventure” she meant “Party Party Party”, that is.

However, it eventually works out, and, bonus, Wyatt and Carley fall in love. By the end of the movie, she has gotten out of her safe and secure rut and started opening her life up to her dreams and new possibilities. She has reached an understanding with her mother who only sacrificed so that Carly could lead the life she was always meant to lead, which was not to be stuck in a dead-end job. Wyatt does grow up and proves himself at his father’s firm, becoming independent by getting his own modest place, and becoming an upstanding citizen in all respects.

Despite some choices that did not make sense, this was still an above-average movie for Hallmark. Katie Findlay is a joy and the script was good with some cute situations and dialogue. There were some touching moments as well with Carley’s Mom and Wyatt’s Dad. Wyatt was provided an excuse for his behavior (however lame I thought it was) and managed to redeem himself at the end.  Next time, if there is a next time, I hope Evan Roderick can score a role in a Hallmark movie in which he is a good man all the way through. As for Katie Findlay, can we go back to a hero who is worthy of her like in the first movie I saw her in?