Daniel Bacon

Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper!

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Ted’s Misfortunes

This hugely enjoyable movie is what results when Hallmark brings a gimmick free well written and plotted story together with two of their most engaging and talented lead actors. I am happy to report that this was, well, fantastic. A rare 10 out of 10. In the arc of the story, there was not a tired and over-used trope to be found. Well, to be strictly accurate, some tropes were to be found, but they were not over used. This is, after all, a Hallmark Countdown to Christmas movie. It starts out on an attention getting note, when we realize that this is centered around a male character, not a female, or a couple whose individual stories get an equal focus as they merge together.

Robert Buckley plays sunshiny Ted Cooper, a TV meteorologist in Corning, New York. He is, for good reason, “the most likable man” in the state. Ted has achieved some notoriety for always having bad luck during the Christmas season. He has been attacked by a possum living in his Christmas tree, and almost burned his house down another year. One time, he contracted a disease so rare that it was named after him. In fact, this year, his co workers have a pool set up as to which possible disaster(s) will befall Ted this year. Will he be impaled by reindeer antlers? Get run over by a sleigh? Go to jail? Electrocuted? Choke on a chunk of fruitcake? But, contrary to what one might expect, Ted’s Christmas Spirit has not been dampened. Ever optimistic, he is confident that this is the year he will not fall victim to his legendary bad luck. He takes the ribbing and teasing (primarily from his co worker, Ken the slightly smarmy anchorman, played by Brendan Penny in a funny turn) in good part, and even throws back a few zingers of his own. He is not a victim. We are not only told that everyone loves Ted, but it isn’t long before we love him too. He is kind and considerate, always putting others first, but he’s also cute, funny, and smart.

Being the good brother he is, he is spending Christmas with his older sister in Lackawanna who is in charge of the Gingerbread Invitational which will be raising money for the local hospital. Of course he can’t get his car started so he has to take the bus, and then mistakes a college girl’s luggage for his own. So he spends the first few acts of the movie dressed like a “sorority girl during rush week.” Cue pink sweater jokes. He is soon squared away in the wardrobe department when his old favorite teacher, Ms Mittens, takes him in hand, and, with her walking group, takes him shopping. Of course he becomes an honorary member of her crew, The Sole Sisters. But it isn’t long before a box of Christmas lights falls on him and knocks him out. At the emergency room, he is seen by the doctor whom he had a massive crush on while in high school. They have some banter and make a connection which is further facilitated when he has to get further treatment later that day after getting poked in the eye by a Christmas tree. “Oh, our favorite customer!” “What can I say? I like to support local businesses.” He has to do his first TV spot promoting the Invitational while wearing a Santa Claus eye patch much to the amusement of his crew back in Corning. It looks like Ted’s run of Christmas bad luck is continuing apace and someone in his newsroom is going to strike it rich with the “Ted’s Misfortunes” betting pool. And did I mention that the “Lands in Jail” choice is soon quickly checked off?

That’s just the first 20 minutes. I was just so almost-in-awe of all of the twists and turns, the humor, the heart, and the sweet romance in this story, I wish I could talk about them all in exhaustive detail.  Kimberly Sustad is wonderful as usual as Hope, who as a doctor and the once most popular girl in highschool, Ted thinks is too good for him. Thanks to his sister’s manipulations they start dating and Hope is smitten by his cuteness and fun personality. But trouble looms when she starts to question whether Ted is letting her in to see the real person under the good guy persona. First, he refuses to send back a hamburger which was not made to his instruction because he doesn’t want to get the waiter in trouble. Her worries are confirmed when she learns he is putting off accepting a big promotion in nearby Buffalo out of gratitude to the station in Corning who gave him a chance when no one else would. Ted is loyal to a fault and always gives up what he wants to make everyone else happy. 

There is heart in this story as charm. We learn why Ted puts everyone else’s feelings ahead of his own and how, thanks to his sister and Hope, he finally learns that he can balance advocating for himself while still being a friend to all.

It is no surprise that Robert Buckley, who developed this story, and Kimberly Sustad who are always engaging and natural on their own, make an irresistible pair together. Their partnership in the romance and repartee is effortless. The humor is warm and integral to every interaction, not based just on a few clever one liners. The conflict is not manufactured out of some phony machinations, but is a natural result of plot and character. What a concept! Every detail was on point, including nods to “national treasure” Mark Harmon and Taylor Swift. Kudos for including an actress in a wheelchair as Hope’s best friend! The movie concludes with Janice in Corning winning a fortune for her perverse guess that Ted will end up “Kissing a Beautiful Woman on Live TV” (odds 10,000 to 1) and anchorman Ken having to sell his boat. Mark my words, this one is destined to become a Hallmark Classic and top 5 all time popular Christmas favorite along the lines of A Biltmore Christmas, Snow Bride, and Round and Round.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

Blind Date Book Club

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Book It!

I really really liked this. Although in many ways it was a typical Hallmark romance, it was distinguished by the lack of  tiresome crutches tactics that Hallmark typically depends on to advance the story, create a little drama, or motivate change and growth in the hero or heroine. And let me tell you, it was extremely refreshing.

Meg owns a bookstore in Nantucket that she took over when her mom died. She is making a success of it, thank you very much. She is keeping up with the times technology-wise, has promotions, and does publicity like being interviewed by NPR. Most germane to this story, she also has a started a book club where people can bond over books that they buy in her store. And if a little romance or two gets started, well, all the better. But Meg is all about the books not the matchmaking, although it is that aspect that is getting her bookstore some good press. The fact that Meg really knew how to run a bookstore and was making a go of it got my attention right away, to say the least. How original! But wait, there is a “but”. Her aunt, who is a silent partner, wants to sell her share of the business so she can travel in her senior years and Meg has to decide whether to buy her out and keep the store, or sell it and go back to Boston and her previous career as a successful Realtor.

Meanwhile, we have Graham Sterling, the other half of our prospective couple. He is a successful author of a YA fantasy/coming of age series. But he feels he is in a rut and has a yen to branch out and write more mature fiction. To  that end, he has written a serious historical romance which he has had privately printed under a pseudonym because all his publisher is interested in is the next installment in the very profitable series he is famous for. He hears Meg being interviewed about her bookstore and her “blind date book club” and likes what she has to say about books. He decides to take his book to her, have her read it, and hopefully get it chosen for the next book club. He hopes the book will find an audience, in spite of his agent (Daniel Bacon) and publisher.

Cue Meet Cute, Instant attraction and Flirting. However, the fly in the ointment is that after Meg reluctantly reads the handsome first-time author’s book, she has to tell him the truth. She doesn’t like it, and tells him why. Openness, honesty, and communication are very rare in many romances, not just Hallmark, because if everyone were open and honest with each other, there wouldn’t a movie (or book), or it would be really short. And the communication continues! He admits to her almost right away that he is famous author Graham Sterling and knows a thing or two about writing a good book. If Meg will choose the book for her next book club even though she doesn’t like it, he will do a signing at her store. Even though she feels kind of bad, because she usually only chooses books she herself endorses,  being a good business woman, how can she refuse? While waiting for the day the book club will discuss his book, Meg and Graham’s relationship develops maturely. They kiss! Meg’s decision about her future looms  as does the pressure that Graham is under to produce the next installment in his series. The ante is upped when the NPR lady announces she will attend the book club discussion and record it. Also, Graham also insists on attending incognito and that he can handle honest and frank criticism of his work. Everything comes to a head on the night and things do not go smoothly. In fact it turns into quite the entertaining shit show.

This was standard fare in many ways but what made it special was what it didn’t have.  No business that needed to be saved,  no last minute silly conflict between the lovebirds, no festival, no flirty antics and tomfoolery, no interrupted almost-kiss, no dead-mom issues, no commitment-phobia, no on-going lies, etc. And, most stunningly, the idea that following your dream is not always the way to fulfillment. In the end, he defers his ambition of writing more serious fiction to continue to give joy to his millions of fans. The romance was just straightforward and mature relationship building set against realistic life and career change decisions to be made. Robert Buckley and Erin Krakow were great together and separately. I really like almost everything about this movie. There were a couple of things that I didn’t understand about the book club, but I really didn’t care. It was well-written and acted and definitely re-watchable. **7 1/2 stars/10**

That’s the review, but I do want to mention a side item that I sometimes have a few things to say about. Stop reading if you don’t care about Makeup/cosmetics.

I sometimes complain about how the actresses in Hallmarks are made up so unrealistically. I am happy to report for those interested, that Erin Krakow’s makeup in this was perfection. When going to an event, she was glammed up, when working in the bookstore, she looked natural and business-like, and when at home she had little to no makeup on at all. In fact, in what I believe is a first for Hallmark, there is even a scene where she actually washes her face  getting ready for bed. Just like in real life!  Call me petty, but for me, this was huge and I added half a star.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

A Picture of Her

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Delete.

Oh, Goody! Another Hallmark romance based on lies! How many is that this month? Three? Four? This one had a bit of promise since it stars Tyler Hines who usually brings an edgy cool masculinity to his roles. He is also very popular so Hallmark usually gives him better-than-average scripts. The script did have words in it, but they forgot the plot.

Tyler Plays Jake, a once idealistic photographer full of dreams of people buying his photos for their art. However, when he published a book of arty scenic photos, he only sold 5 copies, 3 of them to his mother. He is still a photographer but now makes his living as a jaded paparazzo with an occasional gig doing legit photo spreads for a weekly Los Angeles magazine. This state of affairs has made him sad and tired which is right in Tyler’s wheelhouse, acting-wise. While on one of his respectable assignments, he takes a picture of a lovely girl sniffing a rose and it goes viral. It is a very pretty picture of very pretty and sweet-faced Beth played by very pretty Rhiannon Fish. He is quite taken with her and coincidentally meets her at a dog park and they go out on a date. Or at least half a date, because he leaves right in the middle of it to take a picture of a celebrity shoplifter. He is partners with a girl who looks out for celebs doing embarrassing things and whenever she sees one, she calls Jake who hops on his motorcycle to get to the scene of the crime to take pictures of the unsuspecting famous person doing the bad thing. Why she just doesn’t whip her cell phone out, and keep all the money for herself I don’t know. Maybe her button-pressing finger is broken.

The next day, Beth and Jake meet up again and she takes him to have dinner with her Aunt Dody. Beth is just visiting her from her small seaside town where she is first mate on her dad’s fishing boat. I think that profession is a first for Hallmark. As soon as Aunt Dody and Jake are alone, Aunt Dody pounces on him and asks what his intentions are in a very aggressive and threatening manner. Sweet and vulnerable Beth has been lied to and hurt before and he better not break her heart or act dishonorably in any way. Oops. Too late. He has already lied to her that he is not “one of those fellows who hides in the bushes and takes pictures of famous people.” Plus, Jeez Aunt D. they’ve only been on half a date. Back off.

And that’s about it. Beth tries to find the mysterious photographer who invaded her privacy by taking her picture without permission, and gets an agent because now companies want to hire her to be in commercials. So she’s mad, but not really. They go on more dates but when Jake has the opportunity to come clean about the picture and his profession, he lies again. This guy. On Beth’s first commercial shoot, they put so much makeup on her that she gets scared and disgusted. (Too much makeup? On a Hallmark?) While running from the set, she meets Jake and finds out that he is the low-down sneak that took her picture! She is betrayed and heartbroken and goes back home to the fishing boat. Tyler is even sadder and tireder than he was before.

Even the news that Daniel Bacon, who usually plays small-town mayors in Hallmarkland, but in this one is the head of the weekly mag that he does occasional work for, wants to dedicate a whole issue to his arty photos doesn’t perk him up. His dream has come true, but he just blows him off to chase after Beth with that old book of his. That book thing is very mysterious. Earlier in the day he got a call from Aunt Dody because an unknown person sent her Jake’s book. She calls Jake because she thinks he did it. He didn’t and denies it. She decides that Jake’s a nice “boy” after all and asks him to personally deliver his book to Beth up in Washington for some reason. So he does, apologizes to Beth, and finds out that it was Beth herself who found a copy and sent it anonymously to Aunt Dody. Why? Don’t know. Anyway, she has it back again and they make it up and all is well in the romance department. Can’t say the same about the job department because Mayor Daniel is still waiting on his offer to rejuvenate Jake’s career as a respectable photographer at last. I hope he is patient because the happy couple is too busy riding off into the sunset on Jake’s motorcycle. This is one of those “Happy for Now” endings.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

Serving Up the Holidays

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Indigestible

A restaurant-owning chef whose sales are flagging a bit after a strong debut is sent on a retreat for amateur foodies and chefs by her partner to recharge and find inspiration. This is a Christmas movie, so the main reason for her struggles is Christmas related. She is a daughter of a renowned Chef whose restaurant was always open at Christmas, and because her parents were so busy during the season and always working on Christmas Day, she never got the warm fuzzies for the season. She refuses to institute a comfy simple nostalgic Christmas menu and insists on sticking with her uber-sophisticated artistic creations that we are told are not in demand during the Christmas season. She gives in when she and her partner learn that their main investor is about to pull out due to a lack of Christmas buzz. She arrives at the mountain retreat and learns to her consternation that the class is being taught by her old Cordon Bleu rival and frenemy, James, the love interest.

 I liked the looks of the actress who played chef Scarlett. I think she had a certain edge to her delivery as well. However, the character was written as an arrogant and rude brat. A legend in her own mind. She is contemptuous of her fellow classmates because they are just beginners. She isn’t outwardly unkind to them, but with her body language and cold eyes, you can just feel her disdain for the situation she finds herself in. She rudely doodles on her notebook and conspicuously ignores the chef/teacher while he is trying to lead the class. She contradicts him. When tasked with coming up with ideas for gingerbread that isn’t a gingerbread man, she comes up with designs like a ship in a bottle that are clearly, if not impossible to realize, certainly beyond the scope of the class. She was thoroughly unlikeable and behaved badly throughout most of the show. The character needed an actress who could balance some of the bad traits with some warmth and vulnerability, not enhance them.

Of course, she softens later and learns a thing or two from Chef James and her mother who is also a respected chef but also unpretentious and a breath of fresh air. But by that time, her character is so firmly established that I just didn’t buy the transformation. The hero was a peach and she was a pill, so the romance just didn’t work for me either. He was too soft for her and on her. What she needed was a thorough comeuppance. And she didn’t get it.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10.

Small Town Christmas

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Oldie but Goodie

**Spoilers**

I reached back in time this season to re-watch a 2018 Christmas movie that I really enjoyed but didn’t review. This stars my favorite leading man, Kristoffer Polaha, and Ashley Newbrough, not a favorite but very good. I have no problems with her.

Ashley plays a successful author who is booked to do some events in the small town on which she based her best-selling book. A few years ago she was great friends with a co-worker who used to regale her with stories set in his hometown. On the verge of becoming romantically involved, he ghosted her, leaving her alone in a restaurant waiting for him to show up for their first real date. She called and texted over and over but he never replied and has never been in touch. She is nervous about visiting his home town and she has a right to be because not only is he living there but he owns the quirky local bookstore and is the liaison organizing the promotional events for her new book.

He is thrilled to see her again, basically acting like nothing happened and he did nothing wrong. He is now the guardian of his niece, the adorable Bailey Skodje. It turns out that on the night of their date he received word that his sister and her husband were killed in an auto accident. Now that is pretty awful and tragic, but it still is no excuse for his behavior of disappearing off the face of the earth without a word. But Ashley is forgiving considering the circumstances and they proceed to fall back in love.

The secondary plot is that of a property developer that Ashley has gotten friendly with wanting to “revitalize” the town. Sounds good, but when he wants all of the shop owners to sell their stores to him for obscene amounts of money, Kris gets suspicious.  He refuses to sell until he learns that the whole deal is kaput unless the developer can buy all the businesses including his. So in the name of helping his friends and colleagues who need the money, he agrees reluctantly to sell.  Imagine the shock when they find out, thanks to Ashley, that instead of revitalizing the town, he wants to demolish it and put up a big resort! What is a lying sneaky snake! And he seemed so nice! What is refreshing about this, is that the money men like the little town just the way it is. And his petard is hoisted. The rich investors are even going to invest in the town as is while keeping its charming picturesque feel. Towards the end, Ashley finds out that Kris actually wrote her a letter explaining what happened in his life, but he sent it to their old workplace and by that time she had already quit so she never got it. So he had been wondering why she never replied to him. Still no excuse for no phone call or quick text reply, but whatever. The mystery of his behavior which had been an ongoing puzzle is finally solved.

Kristoffer Polaha is such a charmer in this. He is full of energy and his acting was nuanced, low-key, and natural as always. He adds thoughtful touches to his delivery. For example towards the end when he was very turned off by Brad and his slick behavior, he started saying his name like he was saying “Yuck”. Bra-a-d (grimace, cringe-but subtle!) He plays such a sweet guy in this that it made it very funny somehow. I also liked that though he disliked and was jealous of Brad, he just studiously ignored him rather than acting all pouty and hostile. His chemistry with Ashley Newbrough was terrific. Although, in my view, it’s Kristoffer Polaha so he probably would have chemistry with a bag of doorknobs. ( No offense intended to Ashley N.) This one is 4 years old, but it will play again at least one more time before Christmas is over. I highly recommend you check it out if you have the time.

November 28, 2022

Rating: 8 out of 10.

When I Think of Christmas

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I Got Distracted From the Story

**spoilers**

This had some good things about it. I really like Niall Matter and I saw Shenae Grimes in a few things a while back and also liked her very much. She plays a lawyer in the big city who comes home for Christmas to help her mother downsize and move into a new condo. She comes across her old music partner (Niall Matter) and we learn that she used to be a talented musician and singer like her late father. Niall gives her the cold shoulder and there is a lot of anger behind his eyes. They have a fight and the truth comes out. She won a scholarship to Yale University and abandoned their dreams to go to Nashville together and try to make a go at music. She didn’t discuss it with him and just left with no warning. She basically ghosted him after a long relationship. But after she got to Yale, she wrote him and tried to call him numerous times and he just ignored her. The best he could do on his own was be part of a band. He couldn’t attain any degree of the success he dreamed of without her, although he did make a little name for himself. He has been blaming her all this time for his lack of success and for choosing Yale over him and leaving with no discussion. He is back in town directing the town’s big amateur Christmas concert. They air it all out and forgive each other and start to work together.

To be frank I was so busy trying to figure out how old the Niall Matter character was supposed to be, that I kind of lost interest in all the ins and outs of the story. Shenae’s character is definitely 28 years old. She got her scholarship as a senior in high school and it’s been 10 years. The 10-year gap between 18 and present-day is confirmed several times. Given the situation and what we learned about their relationship, it appears that Niall is about the same age. They were a music duo and were singing together since she was about 15. They were young and in love and making plans to leave town together to make a go of it in Nashville. It is mentioned later in the movie that they were in 6th grade together. But later, when it becomes obvious that his career is not going well Shenae asks him what happened. He says he got tired of just playing national venues as just part of a band and wanted to strike out on his own. At this point, Shenae confirms that this was when he was 29. As if 29 was several years ago. He says he put everything and every dollar into it, but just failed. He is still a performer, but he is not a success. He is so beaten down and discouraged that surely he struggled for at least a few years? (He even churlishly refused to join a singer on stage during the tree lighting, when given a shout-out, publicly turning his back on her) I figured he was 31 to her 28 at the youngest. It just didn’t hang together chronologically or logically. My guess is that the part was written for them both to be 28 or so years old, but it was too much of a stretch when 42-year-old Niall Matter was cast, no matter how attractive he looks. So they added some lines to age him up a bit. My head hurt trying to make it all make sense. I don’t know, it just bothered me.

They both behaved badly and they were whiny about it. For a 30 or 31 (or older) year-old man, Niall was very immature and did not seem to have much gumption or a firm grasp of the realities of the importance of being able to make a living. Shenae blamed her mother for her very successful career in New York as a lawyer. She made her feel guilty about being a responsible caring mother and guiding her teenage self to make the choice of the Yale scholarship rather than probably throwing her life away on a big gamble in music. They both just acted like babies. The mom actually ended up apologizing to her. So that was just so wrong as well. Especially when we find out more about her Mom’s struggles before and after her husband was killed.

The performers at this all-important concert were not good. The whole thing was like high school amateur night. Peter Benson’s cameo rapping A Christmas Carol was a treat, though. For all of the build-up, Niall, Shenae and her mother were not great at performing either. They all had very pleasant serviceable voices, but not professional quality by any means. I liked Mom’s new romance, but there was too much involvement in past history.

The end didn’t help. Shenae decides to follow Niall around, take up music again, and maybe practice law on the side (?). Meanwhile, Niall buys a plane ticket to New York to be near Shenae and her big career as a lawyer. The end is very vague as to what they end up doing and how. But one thing’s for sure, actor Daniel Bacon has a lock on the post of the official Mayor of Hallmarktown. This is at least his fourth turn in that role in as many years.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

Big Sky River

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A Parable for Step-Parents.

**spoilers**

This was a low-key pleasant way to pass the time while also serving as a cautionary tale for loving step-parents. There’s not a whole lot of action, but then again it also avoided a lot of tired tent pole scenes and tropes that Hallmark is famous for. This was on Hallmark Murders & Mysteries, and those usually have something a little more to offer than the usual stuff that Hallmark churns out like an assembly line.

Tara is a recent divorcee whose ex-husband wants to distance her from his daughter, her stepdaughter, Erin, so she can bond with his new girlfriend without Tara in the way. Tara and Erin love each other dearly. Of course they do. Tara is the only mother Erin has ever known, and Erin has been Tara’s daughter for 10 of her 13 years. But Tara has no rights now that she is divorced from Erin’s father. This is a sad and scary situation for both of them, but being a mature, reasonable woman Tara respects James’ wishes (not that she has much of a choice) and is leaving for the summer. As a young girl, she spent a vacation at a dude ranch in Parable, Montana with her parents and she has always thought back on that time fondly. No, surprisingly, this is not a Dude ranch story. The dude ranch is now defunct but she is renting a house nearby.  

While in her summer home she takes care of the resident chickens, rides horses, makes friends, and dances, but more importantly meets a handsome next-door neighbor who is also the local sheriff, and his two boys. They form a connection right away, but being parents they are cautious and careful. And, as they both know, Tara will be leaving at the end of the summer. Meanwhile, the ex-husband, Hallmark’s longstanding never-the-romantic-lead-and-also-director Peter Benson, is not having a smooth time with his daughter. She has chased off 4 nannies and the agency won’t send anymore. He basically wants to just get rid of her and she won’t go to camp. He calls Tara and asks her to take Erin for the rest of the summer. Both Tara and Erin are thrilled and Erin happily joins her mom and makes herself at home in Parable.

And that’s about it until the big crisis. I won’t go any further, but it results in Tara finally putting her foot down with James and James caving in immediately. It was the highlight of the movie.  By the end, Tara and Erin will be together in Parable with Tara and Boone pursuing their promising relationship and hopefully forming one big happy family.

I appreciated late 30 and 40-somethings dealing with age-appropriate situations. Too often, Hallmark has had their 40-year-old actors dealing with life situations more common to twenty-somethings. The moral, or parable, if you will, of this story is, that if you’re the loving parent of a stepchild, better go ahead and adopt them. Marriages are not always forever but parenthood is. Don’t lose your rights to your child.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

August 18, 2022

Blueprint to the Heart

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No Make-Over Necessary

My main problem with this one was why any home renovation show or interior designer with any taste would want to change this carpenter’s cute, authentic, and cozy home. They wanted to rip out the hardwood floors, remove the original old wood fir tree beams and knock out the walls to make it a McMansion-style house. And they wanted to do the same to him, basically. This guy who was a casual, cheerful, very talented carpenter who looked like a poor man’s Chris Pratt. And I mean that as a compliment. However, the chemistry between the two principals was excellent and good triumphed over evil in the end. Probably doesn’t deserve it, but I’m giving it 7 stars for the likability and overall appeal of the hero.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

January 31, 2021

You, Me, and the Christmas Trees

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Needles Schmeedles

I’ve never been a member of the Danica McKellar fan club except when she was Winnie on The Wonder Years. I also like her advocacy for girls and math in real life. I’m a little troubled about why she signed an exclusive contract with GAC Family. A network that, apparently, is an alternative for those who are uncomfortable with Hallmark’s new commitment to diversity, and their more inclusive view of “family values”. Personally, I like Hallmark’s more friendly view of “Family” better these days. We’ll see. Anyway, Danica always looks troubled or worried about something or other. She has a resting frowny face. Although I recognize that she is accounted to be very attractive, her looks have never appealed to me.

Danica aside, this was a big miss for me. Although the science was kind of interesting at first, the whole process drew out way too long. Do your scientist thing, solve the problem, and move on from the rather boring problem of falling tree needles. Both of the leads’ crises were of their own making. I mean, his only use for his land was to grow evergreen trees which had no monetary value except at Christmas time? What did he do the rest of the year? It’s not like trees need a lot of care. He kept saying he did not want to diversify because the advice from his father was to do one thing well rather than many things poorly. Well, he didn’t do his “one thing” very well, did he? Farmer Ben Ayres did not have a backup plan, as Danica relentlessly pointed out, and Danica was not open and honest with her mother, preferring to be a victim, I guess. I admit Danica is pretty good at conveying victimhood. I do usually like Ben Ayers. He is very good at playing masculine, kind of grouchy men. So he was pretty well-cast as a stubborn loner-type farmer whose Christmas Trees were dying right before Christmas.

Taking a page from a trend of reuniting actors from old shows, Jason Hervey, also, like Danica, of The Wonder Years, played the bad guy. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

November 9, 2021

Five Star Christmas

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Perfect Set-Up for a Sequel (which never happened)

So Haul Out the Holly gets one and this one doesn’t? Inexplicable. It is very rare that I give 10 stars to a Hallmark movie. This deserved every one of them. The highest praise I could give is that this almost could have been a regular theatre movie. I said almost. It was laugh-out-loud funny while being heart-tuggingly touching. And without being manipulative like the “soldier’s sad widow who finds a new love” movies are. There were multiple engaging storylines and a nice romance. Lucy and her siblings meet at home for Christmas only to discover that their Dad has turned it into a B&B and is making a mull of it. They all join forces to help their Dad turn it into a success. When who they think is an influential B&B reviewer drives up, they all pretend to be staff or happy guests, as there are no real ones, and that would not be a good look. The direction was awesome by veteran Hallmark director, Christie Will Wolf. She has not always helmed good movies, but in this case, the good script was made something special. The acting by most concerned fills the bill.

Once I got used to Bethany’s new eyebrows and Victor Webster as her love interest, it did not put a step wrong. I like Victor, but he was a little miscast. And can you believe no flour-throwing scenes or snow-ball fights or snow angels to be found?! Instead, there was a Taffy-Pull! What a concept!

Each cast member had a very engaging story, and any one of the characters could be the focus of a spin-off or two. Or Three.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

November 28, 2020