Author: Rebekahrox

To Have and to Holiday

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Bad Dad

This movie. I really shouldn’t have liked anything about it. It starts out with the couple in question hanging out celebrating early Christmas in a luxurious apartment in midtown Manhattan that had to have cost at least $10,000 a month. The guy is in “marketing” and comes from a normal family so there is no way. It is very common in Hallmarkland that people live in homes that are way too expensive for their means but this was more absurd than usual. Later in the movie the guy actually comments that they are going to find a bigger place! They are in love and she is going home for Christmas to be with her family. They are serious about each other and when he suggests he go home with her (his parents are traveling) to meet her parents she joyfully jumps at the chance. And so it begins. Her mother is the mayor of the small picturesque town and her father is the pastor of a local church. Loved the mother. We know we are going to have trouble with the father because Celeste, our heroine, tells Jason, our hero that he has trouble with “change”. When they once got a new couch, it was 6 months before he would sit on it. I think that was supposed to be funny, but I found it very disturbing. When we see him talking to his assistant pastor who once dated Celeste, he confides that his daughter just gave up her apartment and quit her temporary job so he has every expectation that her Christmas visit will extend to infinity and beyond. He also invites him to come over that night, hoping that their romance will rekindle providing extra incentive to move back home.

When Celeste shows up with (surprise!) Jason, her mother welcomes him warmly, the father is polite but reserved. At dinner that night, the coolness continues (So where were you thinking of staying tonight, Jared?). When Celeste learns that her beloved church will be going through renovations, she is heartbroken because her dream had always been to be married in the building she grew up with. All of a sudden, Jason gets down on one knee to propose marriage so they can be married this very Christmas Eve in the church of her childhood memories even though they have only known each other for three months. In front of her parents he has just met without even a ring or any discussion with anyone. Jason is a person of impulse. Dad is not happy, but he remains calm. Mom is thrilled. Next on the agenda, if they want her Dad to officiate, is his “Marriage Boot Camp” that he puts all his prospective brides and grooms through to determine whether they know each other well enough to have a chance at a successful marriage. The series of challenges, games, tests, questions etc. that Pastor Dad puts the couple through sucks up most of the rest of the movie along with some wedding prep. Of course, Dad hopes that they will realize that they shouldn’t be getting married so soon and best case scenario, break up for good. But they pass them all with flying colors.

Now make no mistake. Pastor Dad was just awful throughout this movie. He was childish, petulant, overly possessive of his daughter, selfish, and rude. But he had enough flashes of reasonableness and niceness here and there to keep him from being a complete villain. So he didn’t ruin the movie for me. Honestly, he didn’t seem like much of a threat, because no one was on his side, including his very nice assistant pastor, especially when Jason’s sweet parents show up unexpectedly. His wife was certainly not and she was a force to be reckoned with.  Also that couch thing seems to suggest that he had some psychological problems that may have been beyond his control. Also, I kind of saw his point. Three months is too soon for marriage, especially considering how spur of the moment it was.  I thought the couple was really cute and I really liked both of them. The boot camp that was meant to drive them apart only made their relationship stronger. Liked that too and the increasing frustration of the Dad.  He finally crossed the line when he overheard his daughter accept a dream promotion in New York City from her old boss which meant that she definitely would not be moving back home. He really loses it at last and for some reason blames Jason which made no sense. What followed was a dressing down by both his wife and his daughter until he was thoroughly ashamed of himself.

The ending was kind of lame. Because he was so preoccupied with breaking Jason and Celeste up, he ignored a leak in the church ceiling, which caused the roof  of the church to partially cave in. The whole purpose of the quicky wedding was to do it in the church so now the wedding was off. Is it possible that Pastor Dad subconsciously ignored the leak so that this very disaster would happen? Hmmmm. Nah. Hallmark’s not that subtle. Having had a change of heart and all, in three days the good pastor “rallies the townspeople” and arranges for the wedding to take place in the local country club. A better ending would have been for them to get married in the church anyway with heavenly sunbeams shining through the accidental skylight upon the happy couple. Or even a light dusting of snow falling picturesquely around them. That would have been a lot more Hallmarky.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Christmas on Call

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911

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This one premiered a couple of days ago, but I didn’t have a chance to watch it on the day. It is one of my favorite types of Hallmarks: an ensemble piece with many stories going on at once. But it is very different for Hallmark. It is about first responders at Christmas time: emergency room doctors and nurses, EMTs, Firefighters, and Police. It is set in Philadelphia and is very Philadelphia-centric even though it was not filmed there, but in Canada as usual with Hallmarks. A lot of Phillyness is incorporated into the movie including Cheesesteaks, nods to Rocky, The Mummers Parade, and the Eagles (Go Birds!). Philadelphia is almost a character in the movie (And ladies and gentleman, for tonight’s performance, the role of Philadelphia will be played by Winnipeg. Or, “Winnipeg IS Philadelphia!”, if you prefer.) Lots of shoutouts to the sites and culture. Even Jason Kelce’s mom, Donna, makes a cameo appearance playing a deli owner who serves our main heroine Hannah her first Cheesesteak.

She is an emergency room doctor who has recently moved to Philadelphia from Seattle. She meets an EMT wheeling in an accident victim and there is an immediate spark between them. Hallmark gets a diversity gold star, which have been few and far between lately, for featuring an interracial romance. Actually, they really lean into it because there is a second one between two police officers. So yay.  Also, the Hannah and Wes relationship is kind of a stand out because of the physicality of Wes, the EMT. He is huge! 6 foot 4 and built like he could have played offensive tackle for the Eagles himself. Hallmark guys are usually not that big. Anyway, I really liked the out-of-the-box choice and the match up. His character is practically a saint.  Anyway this one weaves the individual stories of the emergency workers and the people that cross their path with lots of Christmas celebrations, duty, and do-goodery. While Hannah and Wes try to find time in their demanding schedules for their incipient romance we get to know two police officers who had a romantic encounter, a misunderstanding, and a second chance to reconnect. In between, we meet a nurse who is missing her daughter in the military, two neighbors feuding over Christmas decorations, a lonely asthmatic who needs more than just medical help, A new EMT who is not confident in her abilities and whom Wes is mentoring, A fire chief whose family is supportive despite the time demands of his dangerous job, and a son worried about his widowed mother once he goes off to college. The big climax with 15 minutes to go is not a conflict or misunderstanding, but a brave rescue of the fire chief from a burning building by Saint Wes who is also trained as a firefighter.

All of the stories, though not really connected with each other are smoothly incorporated into a pretty cohesive unit. Although the pace is speedy, I never felt that any of the stories were given short shrift. There was never a dull moment. There was also a lot of heart and a little humor. Sara Canning is a Hallmark regular, but used too sparingly, in my view. I have always liked her. Another stand out was Reena Jolly who played Danielle, the prickly police officer who gets a second chance with love. If you love Philadelphia, you really shouldn’t miss this. Or even if you are neutral, like me. Philly-haters should also watch and take comfort in the fact that it wasn’t filmed there.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Three Wiser Men and a Boy

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Christmas is Saved!

It’s 5 years later, and we’re back with the three Brenner boys. On the surface, everything seems fine. Luke is married to Thomas’s mother Sophie and being a Dad. Thomas was the baby in Three Wise Men and a Baby who was foisted on the three brothers by a complete stranger to temporarily take care of. Which they did, and by doing so managed to heal a breach that had developed between them, learned to appreciate how great their mother was, and grew up a good bit themselves. Thomas’s mother, I’m happy to report, is now gainfully employed and being a success at her job. She is going to some kind of work conference and Luke is going to be taking care of Thomas on his own while she is away. Stephan, former pet psychologist, has now written a self help book for humans about conquering his own crippling anxiety. He is still seeing Susie, whom he got together with at the end of the previous movie. When we first see Taylor, he is pitching the new video game he has created to an investor on a video call in what appears to be an office in his own company.

But all is not what it seems. To make a long story short they still have a lot of work to do on themselves. Especially Stephan and Taylor. Luke, who has been promoted to Fire Chief,  still pretty much has it all together although he is as tightly wound as ever. He has dropped some balls at work and at home but that’s parenthood for you, right? The corporate representative that Taylor is pitching his game to wants to buy the game for a large amount of money, not invest in it. Taylor refuses his offer because he views it as selling out. After the call, we see that Taylor is using a coffee shop as a front for an office and he and his props are kicked out. He goes home to his apartment and is met with an eviction notice for not paying his rent. Stephan has been neglecting Susie in favor of promoting his aforementioned book and their relationship is showing some cracks. As does his new calm and collected facade. Susie wants to get married like a grownup and Stephan is oblivious. Taylor, due to his being homeless, suggests that all three of them move back in with Mom as a Christmas treat for her and so they all can take care of Thomas while his mother is away. Of course we know that many challenges are on their way and by the end they will result in “the boys” getting back on the right track once again.

Since they have the parent and uncle thing pretty much nailed now, the challenges come in the form of Mom’s new boyfriend and them taking charge of Thomas’s school Christmas pageant. While visiting a rehearsal, they had accidentally destroyed all of the sets and props and served the children “poison” cookies so half of the kids quit, along with the director. Mom’s new boyfriend, who is a pastor and pretty much the perfect man and in all ways worthy of their wonderful mother, is very much resented by the boys and is not exactly welcomed with open arms into their Mom’s life. Taking charge of the pageant does not go well as all of the kids who had any talent are gone, and the boys think the whole thing has to be rewritten. They are determined not to let this pageant be a disaster that will scar the kids’ lives forever, but true to form, they screw it up even worse by calling in “the big guns,” Mark LeClark,  the Christmas decorating champion from the previous movie. He is all about Christmas glitz, giant inflatables, smoke machines, and disco lights. In short, everything not in line with the true spirit of Christmas. After the set burns down thanks to a blowtorch and an overloaded circuit board (way to go there Mr. Fire Chief-maybe not so together after all), they finally listen to the advice that all the adults in the room have been trying to tell them and go back to the original simple plan. The pageant is a success and, to borrow a line from the show, “Christmas is Saved!” The play is called “The Grump Who Ruined Christmas” to avoid copyright infringement which was a humorous touch.

Besides this basic plot, there was a lot more going on in this movie, including Taylor finding  romance with one of the volunteers. She is described as female version of himself including a predilection for constantly sucking on a candy cane. Only she is a much better more mature version of him and he learns a lot from her. The character and the actress were real bright spots, and it was an very clever idea for the love interest. She was funny and my favorite character even though she replaced Ali Leibert as Taylor’s girlfriend. There are a lot of pep talks in this. The “boys” give a lot of them and get a lot of them. They also get told off a lot by virtually everybody at least once, even Mark LeClark. At first I really wasn’t feeling this movie, as the growth we thought we saw in the brothers at the end of the first movie seemed to be more of a one step forward but two steps back situation. A lot of it was a rehashing, but the script was funny. Not really in a laugh-out-loud way but with clever lines and terrific visual comedy. So, well written (by Kimberley Sustad and Paul Campbell) and directed. Cute cameo appearance by Ms Sustad, btw. The obligatory heartwarming scenes were there of course, but I could have done with one or two less of those. No complaints about the acting of the three co-leads or the supporting characters, even the kids. Everyone was great, but Paul Campbell was a stand out as always. The true meaning of Christmas was learned once again. I hope we don’t have to learn it a third time because there just might be a third movie next year as the door was left open just a crack. Can we see some real steps forward with no backward ones? Can they be men and not boys? And can we keep Taylor’s girlfriend next time around? (If there is a next time.)

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Jingle Bell Run

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Candy Canes and Cruciverbalism for the Win.

Besides starring two of their most popular and high profile leads in this “fun-type” Hallmark, This one did not have a lot to offer other than a tepid romance and high jinks. And I am not a fan of high jinks.

Avery, played by vivacious Ashley Williams is an elementary school teacher whose life, in her sister’s opinion, is too boring. Also, I think there is some mention of a recent romantic heartbreak situation. Or I could be mixing this one up with every other Hallmark ever made. Since she and the rest of her family are going away for Christmas, she has signed Avery up for “The Great Holiday Dash,” a national TV show where the chosen contestants are paired off and compete with the other couples in a series of games in cities across the country. The last couple standing wins a million dollars each. Avery is paired off with hunky Wes, a recently retired Hockey Player played by Andrew Walker. She being the brains and he being the brawn. We know he’s not the brains because he tries to argue 2 of the other contestants out of their airplane seats E and F on the way to Boston, their first location, because his and Avery’s tickets says C and D. And, according to Wes, Cs and Ds look like Es and Fs. At first I thought this might be a learning disability situation which might have been interesting. But No.

I will say that the script had some cute lines and humorous banter in the beginning while the two were at odds. But as they start to be a team and fall in love, it starts to get boring and repetitive. They get to know the hopes and dreams, and in one case, the tragic past, of the individuals on 2 of the other teams, which is how we know which of the 8 or so teams will be the final ones to be eliminated. As for Wes and Avery, we find out that Wes is vaguely estranged from his brother and his family, and Avery was a shy kid whose teacher let her spend her recesses in the library reading books. And now she loves being a school teacher where she too can help shy bookworms avoid recess.

Unfortunately, once again this year, Hallmark has shoehorned two of their most beloved and seasoned stars into scripts that are not age appropriate. I really thought they had gotten away from that, but it seems like sometimes they just can’t resist. It’s not that people in their mid forties couldn’t do well in such a race, but the games once they got to their destinations seemed too silly and a few, downright awkward. Maybe I’m just a stick in the mud. How do I know this script was meant for a more youthful cast? 45 year old Andrew Walker’s character retired last year and is struggling to find what he wants to do with the rest of his life. When Avery asks him why he retired, he tells her that when a Hockey player gets to age 30, it starts to take a toll on his body. So probably 31 or 32, scriptwise? A case could possibly be made for 35 at the oldest. It was kind of weird, because he could have said 37 or 38 instead of 30. And as attractive as Ashley Williams usually is, she is no 35 year old.

I was very disappointed that the last minute bust up happened due to the ol’ overheard conversation where the eavesdropper leaves before the whole story comes out trope. That dropped it a whole star. It had to do with some skullduggery on the part of the producer to increase viewership. Wes was complicit, until he wasn’t. No points for guessing what the scheme this entailed. I won’t say which couple wins the 2 million dollars, but be assured that no couple leaves devastated and with their dreams crushed.

Rating: 6 out of 10.

Christmas With the Singhs

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Meet the Parents 2.0

Of course at the conclusion of this movie about the marriage of two young people almost derailed by their two competing cultures everything ends in happiness, peace, acceptance, and compromise. But is that really what it’s about? To my mind, it is more about a young modern Indian-American woman who has struggled to please her demanding and overprotective father all of her life, who finally stands up for herself thanks to her love for her Irish-American fiance and her desire not to lose her family while marrying her man.

Asha and Jake become reacquainted when he has to go to the emergency room where she is working as a Nurse Practitioner during the Christmas holidays. They had gone to high school together where Asha was the scholarly math whiz and Jake was a popular English major, homecoming king, and top athlete. He is currently a successful sports journalist. It is pretty much love at first sight in the emergency room, cue courtship and dating montage, which ends in a marriage proposal almost a year later at Christmas time. They are a sweet and likable couple played by Ben Hollingsworth and talented and beautiful Anuja Joshi as Asha. They are both excellent with great chemistry.

Now engaged, they are going back to their hometown to Meet The Parents. Trouble is foreshadowed by Asha’s  alarmed reaction to finding out that Jake did not receive Asha’s traditional father’s permission to ask for her hand in marriage. Yes, how could he not have known to do that, how could they not have met the parents before since they grew up in the same town, etc. But details details-I didn’t care. Also foreshadowing trouble with dear old Dad is Asha’s story that, pushed to be a M.D. all of her life, she had to pretend to fail the MCAT’s in order to keep the peace and pursue her real dream of Nursing. So we learn that, although bullied by her controlling  (but loving!) father, she is strong and has found a way to live her own life. Throughout the movie, Asha struggles with wanting to stand up to her father Samuel’s behavior despite her respect for his struggles and sacrifice. Anuja Joshi’s deft performance ensures we empathise with and understand her dilemma instead of being frustrated by her inability to put her foot down. When she introduces Jake to her otherwise warm and welcoming family, her father does not disappoint in the trouble and strife department. I will just summarize every micro and macro (mostly macro) aggression by just saying that he is rude and obnoxious to poor Jake at every opportunity.

When Asha is introduced to Jake’s divorced parents, there are challenges but nothing compared to what  Asha’s father inflicts on Jake and indirectly, Asha. The big conflict is about wearing or not wearing shoes in the family home. Both Jake Sr. and Molly are sometimes awkward, only a bit demanding, but always well-meaning. Our couple’s situation is surprisingly layered. Despite all of the stress, there is a lot of family warmth and humor in this movie. Jake’s Mom and Dad are a little quirky and very free and easy, while the Singhs are a large close family but immersed in tradition and structure. We learn, thanks to Jake’s father’s uncomfortable probing that the couple are not on the same page regarding having children. He is worried about that and doesn’t want them to make the same mistakes he and Molly made. It turns out that Jake’s mom is a former rival of Asha’s father in the town’s house decorating contest. He has won the prize many years in a row but only after Molly effectively abdicated her throne after her divorce from Jake’s Dad. She is now  the queen of the local Christmas Pageant instead. We see that there might be some social divide between the two as, when they meet some of their former school mates, they express surprise that the High School big shot and the under-the-radar Nerd are engaged. There is a financial gap between the two families as well, with the suburban Singhs apparently much wealthier than the more urban O’Briens.

 The Singh’s devout Christianity is an important part of this story. Their religion is unusual for Indians and has brought challenges both in India and in the immigrant community. Asha’s mother was raised Hindu but fell in love with her husband’s faith and converted. When Asha and Jake are late to church and the father’s traditional reading of the Christmas story his anger brings all of the tension and misunderstandings between the two families to a head. Samuel, his Christian spirit left by the wayside, verbally attacks Jake and his family. Jake stands up to Asha’s dad (finally) to defend his family, and Asha runs off to do some thinking. It is quite a scene, but nothing compared to what follows. I’ll just say that repentance and forgiveness are front and center, and Asha really steps up to the plate.

Manoj Sood is wonderful as Samuel, the head of the Singh family. I hated his attitudes and his behavior, but somehow couldn’t quite hate him. Okay, I did strongly dislike him. But he manages to convey warmth and love beneath his harshness to his beloved daughter’s fiance. At the end, his remorse and pain at his own behavior was touching and authentic. The actor’s range was truly on display. The whole cast was great, but the detailed multilayered script, packed with many subtle and revealing details, drama, humor, and warmth was the star. And the romance and mature relationship between the two lovers were pretty great as well.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Tis the Season to be Irish

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Flip Flop

This movie I had major problems with. The actors were fine. The male lead was very attractive and I liked Fiona Gubelmann better than I thought I would. It was beautifully filmed and the Irish scenery was lovely and evocative. The plot was standard stuff that could go either way between a fairly decent movie or a disaster depending on the details. This was not a disaster, but full of distracting headscratchers that pushed the needle close to disaster territory. The basic plot on which all hangs is Rose (Fiona) going to Ireland to flip a house she bought on a whim on the internet. She is a successful real estate investor and designer and who enjoys her freedom and lack of roots. She meets Sean, the handsome and sexy real estate agent/possibly mayor/most eligible bachelor/official preserver of historical cottages/anti-flipping police. Handsome and sexy he might be, but despite his banter and jokes, one senses a certain complicated mysterious darkness there. Of course he is the love interest. Fiona sets about restoring the house, bumping heads with Sean about every improvement she wants to make. Seemed like a pretty standard issue Hallmark plot, but whoever wrote this seemed determined to bewilder and perplex.

First off, Sean was clearly meant to be an admittedly rough diamond: Outwardly hard to get along with but with a heart of goo. (He has a nice mother, who welcomes Fiona with open arms for one thing.) But what about his sleazy sales tactics? Fiona based her purchase on a photo of the cottage which was charming if spartan by the sea with wonderful views. When she gets to Ireland, it turns out the pictures are several years old and the cottage is literally falling apart with tarps over the roof, water damage, falling beams, boarded up windows, with outdoor refuse everywhere inside as well as out. It was shabby behavior and false advertising. And sorry, I didn’t buy his smirking excuses: I told you to read the fine print, I told you not to buy it, etc. He claims the property itself is worth 3 times what she paid for the house. Which doesn’t do her any good because he would never sign off on demolition of such a historical hovel treasure so a buyer could start from scratch. What a weasel. Such unethical behavior on the part of a Hallmark hero is a first. I think I can say without qualification that his “Ma” would not approve. This is behavior typical of the “bad boyfriend,” our heroine gives the heave-ho to, not the good guy.

And why did a successful savvy professional house buyer purchase a cottage 5000 pounds over the asking price in another country sight unseen without reading the fine print anyway?

Even though he sold her a bill of goods by despicable means, he compounded his duplicity by refusing to work with her to make the property sellable. He wouldn’t even approve her paint colors. He apparently relents a bit behind the scenes.

And what about that renovation? We have a scene of her working like a dog for what could have been days or could have been weeks or could have been 1 day, trying to make the place habitable. It is in such bad shape she has to stay at a local inn for her own safety.  She is literally sweeping bushes out of the main room and scraping mold off the walls one day and the next she is living there. With no heat, electricity, or running water by the way. It is still a wreck on the outside but in a matter of anywhere from a day to a week it is completed inside and out complete with red trim around the (newly installed) windows, flowers in the window boxes, furniture, art, and a fully decorated Christmas Tree. The timeline is very vague to say the least, but one day Rose goes to Sean’s nice mother’s house for dinner with tarps still on her roof and boarded up holes where the windows are supposed to be, and is given a mince pie. The next scene the house is beautifully restored. It could only have been a day or two because when she next meets the mother again, “Ma” asks her how she liked the pies.

While staying at the picturesque hotel, she develops friendships with two other women. One woman’s story is fairly well developed with a beginning, a middle, and an end. But the other younger woman is just tagging along for the ride, which would be OK except that she drops the bombshell that she is actually a famous pop star (“a legend”, no less) hiding out from “the fame”. Can we have her movie please? Why drop an intriguing hook like that and just do nothing else with it? Oh, and by the way, when she first meets Rose she tells her that she is also in the midst of having her cottage renovated and she expects it to take 18 months. That’s months, not weeks. See above where Rose has hers completely renovated in the blink of an eye and with no hint of an actual worker coming near the place.

She puts the house up for sale asking the same price she paid despite all the money she must have plowed into it. Not surprisingly, she finds a buyer for the now charming little house right away who plans to gut it and flip it. Rose is very disconcerted. When she tattles on the buyers to Sean, he has no problems with those plans-talk about flipping. Suspicious much?

Throughout the movie, Sean and Rose are flirting, bantering, and falling for each other. They also have some serious talks about how damaged they are by their so-called tragic pasts. When they go on a solitary picnic she leans in for a kiss, surprising me because Hallmark Heroines rarely make the first move, and he recoils from her like she suddenly developed scales or a pig snout! I guess he was as surprised as I was over such behavior. After no explanation, other than “Sorry”, he gives her a bro-hug. I mean…I get that the vulnerable soul probably didn’t want to get sexually involved with a transient who would soon be moving on. He has been single for years to avoid another heartbreak. But the only previous heartbreak we know of was when he broke up with his childhood girlfriend after college. That must have been at least 15 years ago and it was a mutual parting of ways because she didn’t want to move back to the village. It was very fishy.  Red flags aplenty with this guy.

Rose is portrayed as emotionally damaged as well which is why she won’t settle down and put down roots. But I just didn’t buy it. Something about guilt that her mother had to give up her love of travel to be her mother? Neither of the protags supposed issues keeping them from being together really made any sense to me.

Anyway, despite Rose planning to move to Scotland after buying another house sight unseen and behind the scenes, she decides not to sell her Irish cottage. There is a lot of “behind the scenes” going on in this movie. Triggered by digging out her old photo of her mother and wondering where it was taken, she changes her mind and decides home is Sean, not a place, and as long as they are together they will be home. Being alone is the trap, not having a home. No more info about the old photo or where it was taken. It is up in the air whether they are going to Scotland or staying in the village though.

They seal the deal by taking the traditional Christmas plunge into the Northern Sea together. Fully clothed in their sweaters and coats. Which is the last scene and my last “What the Heck?!” moment of many not mentioned.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

Santa Tell Me

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Hallmark Christmas meets Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets

For a long time, I wasn’t all that much of a fan of Erin Krakow, but in her last several movie she has really won me over. When the script has been good, she has delivered her lines with aplomb, and handled both the comedy and the little dramatic moments with expertise. At times she has been downright hilarious. I don’t notice her resting face, which I think of as “wholesome placidity” too much anymore. And she really won me over when, in the last Hallmark she was in, she washed off all of her makeup before going to bed. The last few Saturday night #CountdownToChristmas premiers have been very good, and this one was no exception. The script was amusing with some good lines and good physical comedy, a little mystery and tension, and a bit of paranormal activity, otherwise know as Christmas Magic. The acting was excellent from the whole cast. Although I am not a “Heartie” (fan of the long running Hallmark series, When Calls the Heart) I know that the reunion of Elizabeth, played by Ms. Krakow, and her late and, lately, very lamented Mountie/husband, Jack, played by the male lead in this one, Daniel Lissing, has been much ballyhooed.

Olivia is an interior designer who works behind the scenes on the “Style Home Network.” Classic Hallmark female profession. She is tapped to host a Christmas Special, and if she pulls it off successfully, she will get her own series. Again, classic. However, to her dismay they are putting the creator of a raunchy reality show, “Model Home”, (about many fashion models living together in one house) in charge. His name is Chris, and they immediately get off on the wrong foot and rub each other the wrong way from the get go. Enemies to Lovers. Check. He has the bright idea of choosing Olivia’s dilapidated childhood home for the big makeover, and Olivia reluctantly goes along with it after much protest. While doing some preliminary work on her old home with her sister, i.e. drinking wine (favorite Hallmark drink other than hot cocoa), they see a strange glow coming from a kind of cupboard and hear the tinkling of bells. When they investigate, they find an envelope addressed to Olivia and inside a childhood letter she wrote asking Santa for the name of her one true love. Also enclosed is a blank sheet of paper,  and to her shock words start magically writing themselves in gold saying that her true love’s name is “Nick.” Santa is writing back 25 years later! Remember Harry Potter opening Tom Riddle’s diary and seeing the writing spookily form by itself? That’s exactly what it looked like! Or the writing inside the One Ring to Rule Them All. Or Dolores Umbridge’s blood quill writing on the back of Harry’s hand, for that matter. Olivia declares it poppycock, and throws the magical letter in the garbage! Can you imagine? That’s when I knew that this, despite the cliches, might go purposely just far enough off the rails to be interesting. Because seriously? A glowing tinkling self-writing letter right out of Chamber of Secrets only from Santa, and she throws it in the trash? (Twice?!)

Right off the bat, she “meets cute” with three guys named Nick, two of which are big Hallmark stars in their own right. This is another thing Hallmark has been doing lately. All three are instantaneously smitten, lucky for her. One is a pediatric surgeon with Doctors Without Borders who once had to tame a reindeer to get medicine to sick children (really), and the other is a master carpenter whose work Olivia has always admired. The other one is a hot fireman calendar dude (never a serious contender.) While she is dating all 3 secretly (because now she believes one of them is her soulmate-she just needs to figure out which one) she and Chris get to know each other better and start to fall for each other. But Chris’s name is not Nick so that’s a problem, especially since she has realized that none of the three Nicks is really right for her. It all comes to a disastrous head on live TV during her Christmas Special.

Virtually everyone in the  supporting cast seemed to have a lot of fun with their roles, especially Benjamin Ayers and Christopher Russell as Nick A and Nick B. Jess Brown as Olivia’s sister had some nice moments as did Russell Roberts as a subtle Santa figure. When Hallmark shows they don’t take themselves too seriously by injecting some self-deprecating humor and inside jokes into the proceedings, it always plays well with me. And this one includes a healthy amount of that with the Magic Santa, the names of the male characters, their professions, the meet-cutes (coffee spillage!), and all sorts of little details. **Spoiler Alert** Chris’s real first name is Nick. Chris is his middle name. **End spoiler** No cliche is left by the wayside, but in a fun way. I give this one an “8” and that’s 7 in a row, if I round one up, which is some kind of record.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Holiday Mismatch

/ Rebekahrox / 2 Comments

Witchy Women

This is a comedy of misunderstandings and I loved it. Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea were hilarious in their roles of two meddling mothers who find themselves working together on their town’s Christmas committee but who have completely opposite approaches to life. Barb is a recently retired head of accounting and a new volunteer. She is the  consummate professional: always organized, formal, and controlling- in fact, she is everything that goes along with that personality type. She finds her complete opposite in Kath, a employee of the chamber of commerce and longtime head of the committee.  She is loud and friendly, slap-dash and fun-loving. She gets the job done every Christmas, but always, one imagines, within an inch from disaster. When Barb (A-RAH, thank you very much) meets Kath the sparks of dislike and disapproval immediately fly. But they do have one thing in common. They love their children and think that their meddling in their lives is the only path by which the two grown children can achieve happiness. Rebelling against their mothers, Barbara’s son is the opposite of her, adventurous and impractical, and Kath’s daughter is a serious and hard working perfectionist. Shane is an actor who owns a tumbledown theatre, and Lauren is an architect who bears a strong resemblance to old Hallmark regular Jen Lilley

 The two mothers, meddling as usual, fix the two up on a blind date, not knowing that they are each others kids. When they find out, they are horrified, and immediately start working together to bust them up. Meanwhile Shane and Lauren conspire to “fake date” to keep their respective mothers off their backs about going on dates. The more the two mothers work together the more they learn to like each other and the more the young couple fake dates, the more they start to fall for each other for real. The mothers’ gradual bonding was very fun.

Of course everything gets messed up. The two mothers end up at loggerheads again, the young couple deciding not to see each other for real or fake, and both mothers end up in their children’s black books for interfering in their lives.

Of course happy endings abound professionally and personally for the two young lovers and the two mothers, proving once and for all (NOT!) that opposites really do attract.

This movie is a hoot from beginning to end, and I never ever even saw one episode of Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. To my fellow ignoramuses, Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea used to star in the old Melissa Joan Hart vehicle together as sister witches, and there were many easter eggs and homages to the sitcom embedded in the script (apparently.)

Sorry, I can’t leave this review without pointing out that the actor who played Shane, Jon McLaren, looks exactly like the actor Patrick Wilson.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Our Holiday Story

/ Rebekahrox / 4 Comments

The Question

**Spoilers**

Nikki DeLoach is such a good actress. At times I have really been struck by her talents. Sometimes her roles don’t give her a lot of opportunity to really shine, but she always does a great job with what she is given. Although a festival plays a huge role in this one, the plot is something really different. Well, not really, but the framing of the core story is. A young woman, Joanna, is meeting her boyfriend, Chris, in her hometown to meet her parents, Dave and Nell, for the first time. Unfortunately her train is delayed and she sends the nervous young man into the fray alone. Before he rings the doorbell, she warns him under no circumstances to ask them…a-a-a-nd her phone dies. They welcome him with the proverbial open arms and her parents are frequent Hallmark flyers Nikki DeLoach and Warren Christie! We learn that Nikki (Nell) is Joanna’s stepmother and has been married to her father (Dave) for 10 years. They appear to be in their  early 40s, Dave having been a very young father when Joanna was born. Struggling for a topic of conversation, Chris asks how the two met. Very pleased at his interest, Dave tells him, “Actually it’s a pretty funny story…” And we flash back to 10 years ago. Yes, for once we  get to hear the blissfully happy parents’ love story instead of focusing on the young couple.

The rest of the movie goes back and forth between the past and the present. 10 years ago, Dave is trying to resurrect a traditional Christmas festival started by his grandfather. His 16-year-old daughter is his much needed assistant as we see Dave is a little disorganized. In the present, several delays prevent Joanna from joining her parents and Chris, mainly so the older couples story can be told in stages while we get to know both couples. Nell and Dave are strangers who meet on a train, both traveling to same town, and form an instant connection. Unfortunately they are parted before they exchange names. They are both really bummed. But happily, they meet by chance in town again, and finally get the first names down but circumstances prevent any more information being exchanged. And so it goes with the two almost strangers meeting and parting again and falling for each other more and more before they find out they actually are each other’s worst  enemy “in real life”. Eleanor (Nell) is the town’s new comptroller who, trying to keep the town’s budget under control, has been a big roadblock to David Ammer’s (Dave’s) beloved Christmas Festival.  David, though they have never met, sees Eleanor as a sad and lonely Grinch who gets “pleasure out of sucking the joy out of life.” And to Eleanor, David  is the scatterbrained disorganized flake who only cares about the festival with no heed to the town budget or other practical matters.

Besides the engaging story of Dave and Nell falling in love while hating each other’s alternate identities, there was a lot to like in this one. I loved that Dave and Chloe, Joanna’s Mom, were still good friends despite their divorce. Early on, she tells him he doesn’t need someone free and easy, like himself, but more organized and focused to keep him on track. In the present, we see that Nell and Chloe (played by the always welcome Lisa Durupt) have become good friends as well. I liked the little touches of linking the past and present with the train, a favorite fruitcake, and Ugly Sweaters. We see that the opposites attract connection has worked out for Nell and Dave, as it apparently didn’t for Chloe and Dave.  We see Nell becoming less buttoned down and more adventurous, and Dave becoming more focused and goal oriented.  The romance between the young couple was OK but a little boring. When Dave learned the truth about Nell, he was way harsh to her which seemed very much out of character but certainly added some drama and tension. Warren Christie and Nikki Deloach were a perfect match for their roles. I don’t think this would have worked with Nikki’s frequent co-star, Andrew Walker. The movie ended on a humorous note with Chris’s parents asking Nell and Dave the forbidden question, with the couple more than happy to comply and relive their romance once again. All in all, this was warm and cozy Christmas romance, with just enough humor, drama, and emotion to make it a something special.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

A Carol for Two

/ Rebekahrox / 3 Comments

Broadway Baby

I really really liked this classic Broadway/old 1930s-ish story. There was lots of entertainment to be had including well-chosen Christmas carols and singing that was off the charts thanks mainly to the two leads. They had a very romantic vibe together throughout. Ginna Claire Mason, who has been in two previous Hallmarks, one of which was also set on Broadway,  was very talented and appealing in this one. Jordan Litz, a legit Broadway and theatre star was also a real standout in this, his first film role. He doesn’t even have a picture yet on his IMDb profile as of this writing.

Violette’s talent has made her a big frog in a little pond in her small Idaho town and, supported by her now cancer-free father and the rest of the town, including chipping in some cash, has decided to try her luck on the Great White Way, fully expecting a smooth road ahead. If you think this sounds like one of those old Busby Berkeley musicals, you would be right. Literally right off the plane, train, or bus, she finds out that the show she was going to be in has lost all of its investors and the plug has been pulled. Luckily, she has a safety net. Her late Aunt Carol was once a big name in the theatre world and her best friend owns a kind of restaurant/talent show mash-up where she supports and promotes the budding careers of young aspiring Broadway hopefuls. Hazel takes Violette in and immediately gives her a spot singing and waitressing. The other staff aren’t pleased with this bit of nepotism as they all had to pay their dues before being given a chance to display their talents. But it isn’t long before her talent and Midwestern Nice win them all over. Particularly impressed is Alex, the most multitalented of them all.  We get to know him and his leech of a cousin and roommate, Brad, who falls for Violette at first sight. He has to be her boyfriend and gets Alex to help him impress her kind of like Cyrano de Bergerac. Meanwhile, Alex and Violette are picked to perform at Fiore’s on Christmas Eve where a big Broadway bigwig will attend and give them their big break. As they rehearse, Alex and Violette, who have everything in common, grow closer, while he is feeding Brad, who has absolutely nothing in common with her, intel to keep her interested.

 The big mystery is why she continues to tolerate Brad with handsome Alex right there bonding with her, singing with her, and tinkling the ivories for her. Also why doesn’t Alex put a stop to all the deceit? Thanks to him, Violette thinks Brad is sweet and thoughtful, and Alex, who ought to know better, thinks Brad is a “good guy” at heart. Which he is not. At all. I hated him, the little worm. He was the major strike against this generally wonderful and entertaining movie. I am not kidding. I think he was supposed to be funny but every time he came on the screen, I just wanted to slap him into next week. Unfortunately, I also wanted to slap Alex for putting up with his mess. Another strike was Violette’s relationship with her super super loving and super supportive father. He kept bugging her on the phone for tickets to her big show and she kept lying to him because of the old “I don’t want to let him and all the townspeople down” thing. They seemed too needy and dependent on each other and it gave me the creepy crawlies. It’s probably a “me thing” but father and daughter matching pajamas? Really? The last strike against this one was when Violette found out the truth about Alex and Brad a minute before they had to go on stage for their big break. Instead of sucking it up and acting like the professional “the show must go on” she aspires to be, she completely collapses in front of the Broadway impresario and the audience filled with influencers (and her father! surprise!).  This also ruins long-suffering Alex’s big chance as well. Theoretically. Luckily, they get another chance and this time they sing Alex’s own original song. It was all right for that kind of thing. The last scene is one of those old cliche (but lovable) scenes with the two in a clinch floating in front of the lights of Broadway with all of the rapturous headlines about their future triumphs whizzing by. It sounds like I didn’t like this since my last paragraph is all about what I didn’t like. But thanks to the New York vibe, the nostalgic plot, and the chemistry between the two leads, the bijous outweighed the blights.

Rating: 8 out of 10.