James Denton

A Grand Ole Opry Christmas

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A Good Daddy

I didn’t expect this to be as good as it was. Often highly promoted efforts by Hallmark fall a little short for me. But if it gives me some chuckles, and this one did, I am prone to look benevolently on it no matter how much it otherwise annoys me. But if it makes me cry in a good way as well, it might qualify for an 8 thru 10 stars out of 10. And this one certainly did. The story was moving, but that can go for naught if the acting is not there. Thank goodness Nikki Deloach played the lead. She is easily one of the best actresses that works at Hallmark and I have praised her skills before. More than once. Honestly, she has never given a bad performance, even if the movie wasn’t so great. And Kristoffer Polaha, who plays her leading man, has his own acting style which can get a teeny bit old sometimes, but he is one of my favorites anyway. Just because I can see what he’s doing there, doesn’t mean I don’t like what I see. And they were great together. Add in some time travel, and I’m all in.

Gentry Wade (Deloach) is the daughter of a country music star who died when Gentry was just a teenager. She was once an aspiring songwriter, like her Dad, but things got in the way, and she now runs a popular bar and music venue which is a gathering place for Nashville country stars. The 100th anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry is coming up and the legendary duo of Jett Wade (Gentry’s late father) and Von Winters are going to be honored on stage during the annual Christmas show. Gentry has been invited to appear and is encouraged by her “Uncle Von” and her late father’s cousin Rita (the always welcome Sharon Lawrence), who was a talent coordinator for the Grand Ole Opry back in the day. Before his tragic and unexpected death Winters and Wade mysteriously broke up and Von Winters went on to great solo fame. But Gentry is hesitating because she feels she has not earned her right to appear on the hallowed stage as she gave up on her dream to be a songwriter (for what appears to be several reasons). Also in the mix is Mac, (Polaha) a lifelong friend who has returned from L.A. to pursue his successful talent manager career in Nashville.

While all of the talent is preparing for the big Christmas show, Gentry sits down on one of the onstage pews which are reserved for family and friends of performing artists, and she is sent 30 years back in time! It’s the day before the 1995 Christmas concert which was also Winters and Wade’s final appearance together. I’m skipping some steps but Mac follows soon after. Together they spend time with the young Rita. Gentry (who calls herself Jen, because if she had the same name as Jett’s teenage daughter, who is not around, thank heavens, that might be confusing) also gets to reconnect, as an adult, with her beloved father. Also his pal, Winters. At one point she finishes, with the help of her Dad, an old song she started to write as a young girl but never finished. Winters hears it and he is so encouraging, she knows that if she stays in 1995, she will be able to finally pursue her career as a songwriter. So will she stay in the past? Will it be with or without the love of her life, Mac? Why did the legendary duo break up that fateful Christmas in the first place? Will Gentry be re-inspired to try to write again in 2025 (If she goes back, that is)? The answer to at least one of these questions brought me to tears. And 3 subsequent scenes kept them flowing.

A few things added even more to the overall appeal of this movie. One was the mystery of whether two of the main characters remembered the 2025 Gentry as the 1995 Jen that was a brief part of their lives for one day. From a few things that were said or happened, I’m pretty sure one of them did, but am not so sure about the other. There is even a little hint (not in anything in the script, but in the actor’s subtle performance) that her father might have suspected something. It was a welcome wrinkle to the usual Hallmark where everything is spelled out. I like a little thought provoking mystery, sometimes. Of course, the appearances of real life Nashville stars were entertaining (even if the only one I recognized was Brad Paisley). You could really tell that everyone involved was committed to this production, and was glad to be a part of it. Finally, and I’m not sure I should mention this because I may be the only one, but I saw a great resemblance between the two actors who played the younger Winters and Wade to a Wyatt Earp-era Val Kilmer and present day Leonardo di Caprio. For me, it added a certain Je ne sais quoi. One thing I would have liked was to touch base with the poor Opry Guard who saw Gentry and Mac disappear into thin air. That might have long term consequences. 9 stars thanks to a little “Opry magic.”

Rating: 9 out of 10.

The Real West

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A Ranchy Romance

I’m afraid I am somewhat of an outlier on this one. Kimberley Sustad, with her acting and authenticity was a queen, as usual. The script was a good take on 2007’s Steve Carell dramedy-romance Dan, In Real Life with the leading roles reversed. Some funny lines were made funnier by Kimberly Sustad’s comic timing, as always. And when emotions and angst are called for she is always more than equal to that as well. The plot had some good elements, both amusing and poignant. Rebecca’s ( Kimberley Sustad) relationship and banter with her two sons and her mother were well drawn mostly due to the acting of all concerned. But unfortunately, I just couldn’t get over the way the romance part was handled, the behavior of Rebecca’s flaky free-spirit younger sister Cassidy, and how the college issue with her 17-year-old son was resolved.

Rebecca is a university professor and widow with a teenage son and a 9-year-old who is told by her family that she needs to get a life and start dating again. Meanwhile, they are set to join her mother and sister at a dude ranch for a family vacation. When they get there, she learns that her sister has arranged the whole thing to follow a guy she has gotten serious about and thinks might be “The One”. She met him in upstate New York but he works there in Colorado as the horse guy for the ranch. She wants her sister to meet him and give him her Seal of Approval before she takes it any further because she isn’t a good judge of character like her sister is. Also, her mother hopes to set Rebecca up with a childhood friend who has grown up to be a real hunk. To add to the fun,  her 17-year-old son has invited his girlfriend along without her permission or knowledge until the young lady shows up with her luggage the morning of their departure. I’m not even going to go there because it turned out to be a very minor ripple in a sea of trouble.

Rebecca has yet to meet Jake, her sister’s boyfriend, when she goes into town to buy a cowboy hat. She meets a ruggedly handsome cowboy-looking dude there whom she takes to be the store clerk. The immediate electricity between the two just crackles. He flirts with her very seductively including getting all up in her space. This was not harmless fun and jokey flirting, but in earnest. He pretends he is the store clerk and proceeds to help her find the perfect hat because the hat should reflect the inner self. Whatever. The Sorting Hat routine continues as he places 3 hats on her head to choose from, looks deep into her eyes, and spouts off lines such as “Tried and true… When others grow weary, you grow stronger…Tough and tender…and strong enough to ride the land but gentle enough to warm the hearts of anyone lucky enough to know you.” Ick. Now I couldn’t tell if Lucas Bryant was kidding with his performance of a laconic, growly-voiced cowboy type, but I am up to here with every actor who plays a cowboy trying to channel Sam Elliot, kidding or not.  One of the funnier lines was Rebecca’s reaction to his hat-fitting methodology. “Oh. It’s a hat AND a horoscope.” But she is smitten, and buys all 3 of the hats after which she goes out for a 3-hour coffee break with him and they exchange numbers. Later, back at the ranch, her sister’s boyfriend shows up and she introduces him to her family. Guess who. Now I didn’t blame Rebecca at all. She was shocked, disturbed, and embarrassed. But I didn’t like how Lucas Bryant’s part in this was glossed over and ignored. He actively pursued her while still in an at least semi-serious relationship with another woman who turned out to be her sister. And he didn’t seem to care or have any sense of regret or chagrin over his behavior. He was very passive about the whole thing like her sister’s feelings had nothing to do with him. Either he had no empathy which I hope was not the case (because there is a word for someone who has no empathy) or he just didn’t show any. He was pretty inscrutable. He doesn’t break up with the sister until the movie is almost over and after the two boys had grown attached to him and he and Rebecca were hot and heavy emotionally.

Speaking of the sister, she  stupidly and obliviously persisted in throwing Rebecca and Jake alone together so Rebecca could get to know him. It was so bad, I thought that she was trying to match-make between the two having decided he was not for her after all. If only. That would have been fine and kind of funny. But no, when she finally figures out the two are well on their way to being seriously involved, she gets all mad at her sister! When she did nothing but throw them together at every opportunity! Why didn’t Rebecca tell her the truth about him putting the moves on her behind her back and their mutual attraction when her one job was to alert her sister to any red flags she sussed out? No clue.

I don’t want to pile on about this movie because there were so many great things about it. I will only briefly mention the third thing that didn’t sit right with me. What was with Rebecca giving her son her blessing to follow his girlfriend of 4 months to an out-of-town and lesser university rather than stay at home to go to a better school? And one to which he presumably would not have had to pay tuition since she was a professor there? That seemed way too irresponsible and indulgent to me.

Believe it or not this was a good movie with good acting from all concerned except I didn’t know what Lucas Bryant was trying to do. Probably the direction he got. Besides Kimberley Sustad, Lynda Boyd as the mother made an impact despite her few lines and small part. The side plot of Rebecca’s youngest son being obsessed with ghosts was amusing and quirky until we found out what was behind his interest, and then it was poignant. Azriel Dalman as the youngest son was wonderful as always. He is a regular Hallmark actor.

I didn’t see this movie until 3 days after the premiere for reasons I won’t go into but I wanted to love it going by the many glowing reviews and positive feedback. I just couldn’t get past the way the main characters were written. I was disappointed. Oh and by the way, the next time a Hallmark actor says “It’s complicated.” I won’t be responsible for my actions.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Christmas on Cherry Lane

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Pass the Advil, Please.

Ohhhh my head!  This one made my brain hurt.  I love ensembles, and movies with multiple stories that tie together in some way are favorites of mine, so I was really looking forward to this one. It did not get off to an auspicious start. We are introduced to 3 different sets of people and their stories. Right off the bat, I hated either the people or what was happening with them. The first featured Erin Cahill and John Brotherton as Lizzie and John, a happy couple expecting their first baby. These two are not my favorite actors, although it may be because of the parts in which I have seen them in the past more than anything personal against their talent. Actually, I was kind of looking forward to having this one change my attitude towards them as Ms. Cahill is a Hallmark mainstay, and John Brotherton looks to become one. And they were fine in this. The two are looking forward to enjoying a quiet Christmas together nesting in their brand-new house and waiting for their baby, when Hell descends upon them in the form of her mother and father. They barge in uninvited and unwelcome announcing they are intruding staying for the holidays. And they have the gall to have invited more members of the family to overflow our couple’s modest little home. And the gall continues. The mother and father start insulting their housekeeping (they haven’t even unpacked the moving boxes yet), implying they are incompetent at everything, and needling John about his job, which is owning a struggling gas station/body shop, unlike Lizzie’s brothers who make a lot of money as professionals. The father even reminds them that he had to help them buy their house. So strike one. I was filled with rage.

In the second story, we meet Regina (a radiant Catherine Bell), who is expecting her two adult children for Christmas Eve dinner. She plans to tell them that she is engaged to be married to her boyfriend Nelson (James Denton), selling their childhood home, retiring, and moving to Florida. The kids do not take it well. At All. They worshipped their late father and love their old home. In fact, they (especially the son) act like petulant brats about it. The son informs his mother that he does not approve of her plans. Regina responds that it is none of his business, they are her and Nelson’s decisions, and he can get on board or….Not. Yay for Regina. Loved it. The son storms out in a self-pitying huff and takes off for a friend’s house. Strike two. So far, all I am getting out of this movie is rage and disgust.

In the third story, we meet Zian and Michael, a gay couple who are hosting a Christmas Eve dinner party for 12 guests, are waiting to be approved as foster parents, and whose kitchen, where Michael, a chef, is cooking the fancy dinner, is still not finished and a wreck. The contractor who is doing the remodel does not inspire confidence (“How badly do you need your oven?”) and is too busy chatting and doing anything else except working on the cabinets, appliances, and countertops. The turkey has to be in by 5pm and it is not looking good. In the midst of the chaos, the couple learns that they have been approved for their first foster child and the little girl will be arriving that very evening. Strike 3. I was angry at the contractor and full of tension over the turkey deadline and the nice couple having to redecorate the little girl’s room, buy her some presents, and prepare for a 15-person dinner party in a matter of hours. And Jonathan Bennett, who plays Michael, gets on my last nerve sometimes.

In fact, these 3 stories take place in the same house, but approximately 25 years apart, in 1973, 1999, and 2023. We learn this about 20 minutes in, in a blink and you might miss them fade-in/fade-out pictures of the house through the years. I knew something of the sort was going on, but I didn’t fully grasp all of the implications until way over halfway through the movie. For some reason, I thought we were only looking at 1973 and 50 years later, and was very confused.  I didn’t get right away that they were all in the same house, but around 25 years apart. Were they members of the same family? Yes? No? Are their ages right though? No. Is this like This is Us? Not Really, but Kinda. I knew that the 3 couples were somehow connected but trying to figure it all out took second place to my anger and disgust with Lizzie’s parents, Regina’s son, and the contractor for the gay couple.

There were some things that I kept seeing that were in all 3 stories besides the house. A helpful neighbor, Daisy, a car, which sometimes looked brand new, and sometimes looked like a beater, and a Christmas ornament. In the end, all of the stories were resolved satisfactorily (if a little too patly) and tears even came to my eyes…even though I wasn’t quite sure why! I understood most of the connections but there were still so many loose ends and links between the 3 families I didn’t comprehend that I had to go through and replay the movie a second time. Thank heavens for fast forward. I’m the type of person that has to understand and fully grasp what is going on. I can’t stand aspects of a story slipping through my fingers. After the second go-round and with the help of Twitter (Ok, Ok, “X”) and Reddit things were clarified considerably. And I also learned that I was not the only one who was tearing their hair out. Once I got all the ins and outs of the timeline and between the characters, I have to say that this was, indeed, a very clever, well-plotted, and touching story with a great message. I even cried a little at the end again, and this time I knew why. But though I loved the ambitiousness, points off for being so worrisome and confusing. That is something I don’t need in a Hallmark movie. More clarity early on would not have been hard to provide. Call me. And we never find out who Linda and Emily are. Do we?

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

A Kiss Before Christmas

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A Tale As Old as Time

**spoiler**

Alternate time plots are very popular. And for good reason. As oft-repeated ad nauseum as they are they also automatically offer a lot of opportunity for and promise of drama, comedy, wonder, suspense, and emotion. Usually, at least at Hallmark, a woman is dissatisfied with her current circumstances, and magic happens. She goes back in time to a fork in the road. This time she takes the other fork and experiences what her life would then have been like. In the end, no matter what the permutations in this basic plot, she ends up embracing the importance of family and during November and December, “The true meaning of Christmas.” It’s a tale as old as time.

In this one, in a change of pace, it is the man who takes a time trip. Joyce and Ethan are a happily married couple in their mid-’40s. Teri Hatcher and James Denton are each pushing 60, but they are very attractive and it was a suspension of disbelief I was happy to roll with. I believed them. James is a successful lawyer, but he is overworked and is not at the top of his profession. So he has a middle-class lifestyle rather than the affluent, luxury-filled position of his colleague, Sean. He is an ethical good guy, and not willing to be ruthless and unscrupulous in his pursuit of success. But now financial concerns and family tensions due to his lack of family time are starting to get to him. Enter magic Santa. He goes back to that turning point and takes the other path. He now has the luxurious home, the fancy car and the big office. But no family. Luckily Ethan’s two kids were adopted so they still exist and are not wiped off the face of the earth. So that metaphysical and spiritual dilemma is avoided, thank goodness. His wife is no longer a school teacher but a high-profile lawyer who is constantly at loggerheads with Ethan’s firm. She wants to save things, they want to tear them down. He enlists her help, to her consternation, because she is the only one he knows he can trust.

He can’t go back to his old life until he learns his lesson. Actually, he learns his lesson pretty early, but Magic Santa shows no mercy until the pain and horror of losing his family brings him to the brink of despair. Magic Santa ain’t playing.

Adding to the enjoyment is Marilu Henner, the owner of the law firm who is there to ensure Ethan will still get his promotion while doing the right and ethical thing and that Sean, his corrupt bully of a colleague gets his comeuppance. Teri and James had great chemistry (no surprise there) and took a well-worn plot to the next level.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

November 23, 2021