Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the Wee Donkey!

There has been a lot of revisionist Hallmark history going on and this movie brings it to a head. This is basically an allegory about the traditional story of the birth of Jesus, complete with The Bethlehem Star Inn, Mary (Ann), Joe, Goldie, Frankie, and Grandma Myrtle, an old barn, and even a Wise Man, a guy named Shepherd and a dog named Donkey. The story is about a new adoptive mother (told the good news that her baby is ready for pick-up by a woman named Gabriella) who is caught in a snowstorm and has to bunk in with Joe because all of the hotel rooms are filled. In short, it is a very Christian religion-centric movie where the leads actually talk about their faith, and God, and quote the bible. And Church is front and center.

Some seem to think that the competition offered by Bill Abbott and his GAF network somehow scared Hallmark back to faith-based programming when actually the opposite is true. It was under Abbott’s leadership that Hallmark got away from more faith-based programming. Here is a quote from him about Hallmark in 2019 in answering why Hallmark seems to snub other religions and traditions:

“…we don’t look at Christmas from a religious point of view, it’s more a seasonal celebration. Once you start to slice it more finely within individual religions it’s a little bit tougher to necessarily tell that story in a way that doesn’t involve religion and we always want to stay clear of religion or controversy.”

It was under his authority that Hallmark cut out Christianity from Christmas. To the point that there were no more Christmas Carols that sung about God or Jesus. Forget about “Joy to the World the Lord has Come / Let Earth Receive Its King.” What forced him out of Hallmark was the incorporation of gay and lesbian couples and more racial diversity, not that he wanted to put on “Family and Faith-based programming.” At Hallmark, he was all about keeping movies secular with no God or Jesus involved in Christmas movies. Needless to say, he has now changed his tune.

Now that Abbott is gone, Hallmark is returning to its faith-based roots with a few of its movies and outdoing GAF at its own game. This movie, and many other movies since he left exemplify that in large ways and small (religious Christmas Carols are finally back.) Christianity is included along with other belief systems. Pick and choose or embrace and learn as you will. But with Hallmark you have that choice.

That off my chest, the movie itself didn’t quite hit all the right notes. There were many things I liked about it, particularly Laura Vandervoort’s portrayal of Mary as a compassionate, successful and respected attorney who puts her Christian faith into practice. Her vulnerability about her inability to have children and her patient longing for a long-anticipated adopted child was very affecting. Unfortunately, Benjamin Ayers, who is usually a favorite of mine was miscast in the role of Joseph. This Joseph, as written, that is. The actor’s forte is as a mature, true-blue All-American Male type. Kind of Lumberjack-y. That type would have made a great Joseph in this movie and a good match for the Mary character as she was written. But for some ill-advised reason, the writers made this Joseph an ex-rock band frontman who quit that career and life in general when his father died. He has taken over his Dad’s garage and living in his old house. Nothing wrong with that, but the place is a pigsty and he has degenerated into a slovenly apathetic man-child who spends his off-time playing video games much to his put-upon girlfriend’s frustration. She leaves him and he couldn’t be bothered to care less. And the haircut Joe is sporting is more suited to a 20-something hipster metrosexual type. I mean the guy has the time and motivation to go to a hair salon to get the latest cutting-edge hairstyle but can’t muster up the energy to do the dishes. Into his life comes Mary Ann who arrives at his sister Frankie’s B & B in the middle of a dangerous snowstorm. All the rooms are occupied but Frankie cannot bear to turn away the nice beautiful woman with the little newborn baby. Her brother Joe has a spare room in his house. Of course, Joe is smitten and by the end of the movie, he has completely reformed. They are together but the pairing is unlikely, to say the least.

Besides Joe’s character, other distractions compromised the strong potential of the story. His singing, for example. Ayer’s rendering of tender and innocent Sunday-school song, “This Little Light of Mine” Joe Cocker style to the sleepy baby was just cringeworthy. And there was a flat and pitchy choir performance of “Oh Holy Night” that took me right out of the movie. Some of the links between this story and the original were a little too on on the nose. As a lawyer, Mary Ann saves the family barn by finding a tax loophole. The mother cries, “Oh Mary Ann You are an absolute Saint!!” I don’t know if that was meant to be funny, but I laughed. And I feel like it was At, not With.

So all in all, I liked the concept and the potential was huge for a moving and thoughtful story. In some ways it succeeded but some unfortunate choices kept it from being an unqualified success at what I think they were going for.