TV Show Review: Mistletoe Murders - Season 2

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun mystery and great characters

Cons: None worth dwelling on

The Bottom Line:

More Christmas murder

Plus Emily’s backstory

Equal great season

“Look at Us, Teaming Up Again.”  “Not a Team Up.”

Since I didn’t watch season 1 of Mistletoe Murders until it premiered on the Hallmark Channel, I rolled right into season 2 of this fun, seasonal murder mystery show.  There was no slump here.  The second season was just as fun as the first.

The first season introduced us to Emily (Sarah Drew), a Christmas shop owner with a secret past who is hiding out in a small town.  Over the course of that first season, we watched her get to know her new neighbors, making friends along the way.  One of those friends was Sam (Peter Mooney), the local detective.  They worked together on three different murders that happened in the weeks leading up to Christmas while slowly being drawn together.  Oh, and Sam’s daughter, Violet (Sierra Marilyn Riley) is Emily’s employee at the store.

Season two picks up with a scene right after the season one cliffhanger.  But after that, we jump ahead a year.  Violet is no longer employed by Emily, and Emily and Sam have hardly spoken in that time.  But it’s Christmas, and unfortunately, there are about to be more murders in town.  Up first, the English teacher and chess coach at the high school is murdered.  Then, Sam’s ex-partner and mentor is killed.  What does it have to do with the art show happening in the area?  Finally, the new fine dining restaurant in town brings murder with it.

I think if I had to wait a year for season two, I would have been frustrated.  They teased Emily’s backstory, but didn’t really tell us much about it.  But since I rolled right into season two, I was okay with it. And we were rewarded here.  Yes, I suspect that there is more to Emily’s backstory, but I am okay with the information we got in this season.  It’s filled in some big gaps, and I appreciate that.  That’s not to say we don’t get a massive cliffhanger.  I need to know what happens next.  It’s going to be a long wait to season 3.  I just hope it gets renewed.

But that storyline in sprinkled into the six episodes we got for season two.  Just like season 1, each mystery plot was given two episodes to unfold.  And since we got two episodes each week, it was really more like we got three mystery movies.

Each mystery was well plotted with plenty of suspects and twists to keep us engaged.  That kept me guessing until Emily figured things out at the end.

And we got more of the supporting characters, as well.  I enjoyed seeing them again as much as the three leads.  They help add to the charm of the series.

As does all the Christmas.  While the plots aren’t as tied to the holiday as they were in the first season, we still got plenty of Christmas over the course of the season.  It’s a perfect blend of Hallmark’s mystery and Christmas movies.

The actors also do a good job of bringing their characters to life.  Even the over-the-top characters are grounded enough here to be entertaining and not obnoxious.

Overall, I found this season to have a low dose of Hallmark cheese, which is always nice.

Since I watched the two seasons back-to-back, I have to comment on something.  I often notice a change between seasons of a TV show.  That’s not the case here.  The tone, the writing, the characters – everything stayed consistent between the two.  So if you liked season 1, you’ll enjoy season 2 just as much.

Seriously, if Hallmark wants to give a gift to their fans, they’ll announce that season three of Mistletoe Murders is coming.  If you are a fan of the channel, do give this show a try.  You’ll quickly be hooked on these charming holiday mysteries.

Movie Review: Three Wisest Men

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: More Christmas laughs with the Brenners

Cons: A little predictable; not as fun as the first

The Bottom Line:

Third Brenners visit

Filled with laughs, Christmas chaos

Heartwarming moments

“Nothing Like a Trilogy to Make People Happy.”

After recording all those Hallmark Christmas movies in 2024 and then not watching most of them until the start of this year, I swore that I wasn’t going to watch any this year.  And I’ve been tempted.  (We aren’t counting Mistletoe Murders because they are calling it a TV series.)  But when I saw that the Brenner family was coming back for Three Wisest Men, I knew I had to give it a watch.

If you’ve missed this now trilogy, it all started with 2022’s Three Wise Men and a Baby, which proved to be a surprise hit for Hallmark.  They continued the story with last year’s Three Wiser Men and a Boy.  I definitely recommend you watch those two movies first, which is no problem at all since they are fun.  Honestly, I wish I’d rewatched at least last year’s entry since I obviously misremembered something from the previous movie.

When we rejoin the family, it is once again Christmas, and it looks like things are going to drastically change once again for the Brenner brothers.  Luke (Andrew W. Walker) and his wife Sophie (Nicole Major) and expecting twins, which is making their son Thomas (Miles Marthaller) feel a little forgotten.  Meanwhile, Stephan (Paul Campbell) is having trouble committing to any decisions for his wedding to Susie (Fiona Vroom).  Oh yeah, and her father (Lochlyn Munro) has popped in unexpectedly for the holiday.  And Taylor (Tyler Hynes) has been offered his dream partnership, but it would mean moving to San Francisco, a big change for a man who still lives in their mother’s basement.  Of course, he can’t do that much longer since Barbara (Margaret Colin) has decided to sell the family home.  You know what that means… an effort to make this the best Christmas yet.

If you think that’s a lot going on, you’d be right.  But we are just getting started.  Yes, most of the twists and plot points are predictable.  But that doesn’t make them any less fun.  There is plenty of craziness, but fans of the franchise are going to know to expect that.  I couldn’t help but laugh as they were unfolding.

And yet, we still get the moments that have made us fall in love with these characters.  The characters may be heightened, almost caricatures at times, but we love watching them figure out life together.  And we love seeing them be there for each other. 

There’s plenty of Christmas charm, but mixed in with the silliness.  If you are looking for a typical sweet Hallmark Christmas movie, you’ll be disappointed.  This is more sitcom than romantic comedy.  But it does evoke the Christmas feelings you’d expect.

And the actors are all at the top of their game.  The low budget cheese is very minimal, and the characters and situations pull you in.

Having said all of this, the film still wasn’t as good as the first one.  I didn’t feel like they were trying quite as hard here as in the second to duplicated it, but it still lacked that unexpected magic of the first one.  Not that it should keep you from watching.  If you liked the first two, you’ll find plenty of enjoy here.  Although there was one item I’m surprised they didn’t replicate here.

These movies maybe not follow the classic Hallmark Christmas movie formula, but they are delightful.  If you’ve enjoyed the first two, you’ll be glad you check in on the Brenners once again with Three Wisest Men.

Movie Review: Believe in Christmas

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun winks to Christmas movie cliches in an enjoyable Christmas movie

Cons: Plot is mostly a typical Christmas romance

The Bottom Line:

Visit Christmasland

As most cliches come to life

Familiar yet fun

“So What You’re Trying to Say is This Town Makes You Feel Like You’re Living in a Christmas Movie.”  “Isn’t It Awesome?”

We’ve made it!  The final Christmas movie I recorded in 2024.  I saved a fun one for last with Believe in Christmas.

This movie follows Beatrice (Meghan Ory) and her best friend Emilia (Lindura).  The two have spent Christmas together for years doing their own traditions, but this year, Emilia wants to shake things up.  The Christmas lover of the two, she’s excited to have won an all-expense paid trip for two to Christmasland, a town in Massachusetts that goes all out to recreate that Christmas movie experience.  Beatrice tolerates their traditions, but she gets talked into going along.

While there, Beatrice starts spending time with Ethan (John Reardon), the inn owner’s son.  Despite her best efforts to remain skeptical, Beatrice begins to fall under the charm of the town and fall for Ethan in general.  But where does the act the town puts on end and real feelings begin?

Emilia is a fan of Christmas movies, so she provides the commentary as we go along.  While this isn’t quite a wink and nod laugh fest like Galaxy Quest, there are some laughs at the analysis of the Christmas movie cliches.  The movie leaned into them when it suited and then commented on them when it suited as well.  I will say this particular aspect provided a nice twist on the act three complication, which I appreciated.  And yes, there are some nice laughs along the way at the commentary.

But the movie really does tell a great story.  Since the leads are married in real life, their chemistry pops off the screen.  It was easy to root for them to figure things out and get together in the end.  Watching Beatrice slowly melt as she experiences the joys of the town was also great.

I do have a nitpicky question.  Emilia wins a contest for two.  Yet they have separate rooms.  Wouldn’t a contest be for two people in one room?  I mean, would this inn really have two extra rooms waiting for guests, depending on who won the contest?  As I said nitpicky, but that did bother me.

This may have been the most decked out Christmas movie I watched, which is understandable given the town.  And it was fabulous.  I enjoyed seeing all the lights and decorations.

The acting was good, and the writing was pretty believable.  This didn’t fall too far into the low budget cheese that some of these movies can.

Really, Believe in Christmas is a typical Hallmark Christmas movie elevated by the knowing wink to the cliches of the genre.  But, if you are a fan of the genre, you’ll appreciate that wink.

Will I do this again?  I hope not.  This was a bit much.  So I just need to not pay any attention to the movies that come out in the future, right?  Because I don’t know if I could just do one or two a year.  Too many with stars I like or fun sounding premises.

This movie is part of this DVD set.

Movie Review: Sugarplummed

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: The leads in a movie that is a lot of fun

Cons: Rule #2 – Never list the cons

The Bottom Line:

Fictional magic

Invades a real-world Christmas

Delightful movie

“See, He Gets It.”  “No, He’s Being Sarcastic.”

When I was looking at Christmas movies in 2024, two that were obviously Hallmark poking a little fun at themselves caught my eye.  Considering they also starred actresses I like, I had to give them a chance.  The first one I watched was Sugarplummed, and it was a delight.

Emily (Maggie Lawson) is a lawyer with a family.  Between juggling her demanding job and her efforts to create the perfect Christmas for her teenagers, December is a very stressful time.  But she has her list of the things she needs to do to make this Christmas perfect for her family.

However, things are going wrong.  Frustrated, she makes a wish that her life could be like the Sugarplum movies.  This extremely popular franchise on the Harmony Home network features a character who is great at bringing Christmas magic to life with movies that always end happily.

Much to Emily’s surprise, Sugarplum (Janel Parrish) pops out of the screen and into the real world.  She even comes with her book of rules for a magical Christmas.  And they seem to be working even though Sugarplum is now in the real world.  Could this be the ticket to Emily’s perfect Christmas?

Yes, we’ve seen this kind of story telling before.  Disney’s Enchanted comes to mind.  But I didn’t care in the slightest.  I enjoyed all the winks Hallmark put in.  If I caught quite a few, I’m sure a diehard fan would spot even more than I did.  And yes, that includes a few Hallmark channel stalwarts who have cameos.

But what really makes the movie work is the chemistry between Maggie Lawson and Janel Parrish.  Honestly, I thought Janel’s over-the-top performance as Sugarplum was going to get annoying.  I couldn’t have been more wrong; she is perfect, and I was sold on her performance after just a couple of minutes.  Meanwhile, Maggie has just the right gravitas to anchor the movie.  The two play off each other wonderfully.  There are so many laughs from just the two of them.  The rest of the cast is great as well, but these two really do shine.

Yes, the movie is fairly predictable.  I didn’t have all the details nailed down, but I wasn’t that surprised when some of the twists came along.  But I didn’t care.  Yep, I was having fun.

And the Christmas touches were nice.  Things looked great, and there’s a great Christmas song as well.

Sugarplummed didn’t come out until December of 2024, so it might have been a little harder to catch.  If you’ve missed it, I highly recommend you watch for it again.  This was a delightful addition to Hallmark’s Christmas movie collection.

Sugarplummed is part of this DVD collection of Hallmark Christmas movies.

Movie Review: Holiday Mismatch

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun Christmas movie, great to see Caroline and Beth together again.

Cons: Low budget cheese does infect the movie

The Bottom Line:

Recent frenemies

Trying to break up their kids

A fun reunion

Meddling Moms and Fake Dating at Christmas

I was a big fan of the 90’s sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch back in the day.  (Okay, fine, I happen to have all the DVDs, too.  It’s still a fun show.)  So when I saw that Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea, who played Sabrina’s aunts on the show, were reuniting for a Hallmark Christmas movie, I was all in.  And Holiday Mismatch was as much fun as I was expecting.

Barbara Harrison (Beth Broderick) has recently retired from her job as an accountant and is trying to figure out what to do with her time.  So she decides to volunteer for the local Christmas committee that puts on several community events during December.  However, she quickly finds that Kath Stone (Caroline Rhea), the head of the committee, is anything but organized.  The two start butting heads over almost everything.

Meanwhile, both women are trying to set up their kids via a local app for meddling moms.  (Really?  We’re going to go there?  Yes, I get it has to work for the storyline, but still.)  Unbeknowest to each other, they’ve set up Shane Harrison (Jon McLaren) and Lauren Stone (Maxine Denis) on a blind date.  It goes better than either of the young adults expects, and they agree to fake date through Christmas to get their mothers off their backs.

However, Barbara and Kath are horrified when they realize what they’ve done.  So they set about doing what they can to break the couple up.  What will happen as the season unfolds?

Anyone who is surprised at the plot points along the way obviously hasn’t watched very many romantic comedies, much less Hallmark Christmas movies.  I wasn’t that surprised by much of anything, including the big act three turn.  But, as always, I didn’t really mind.  I was having fun.  And that’s the most important thing for me when it comes to watching a movie.

I will say one thing that surprised me was that the kids have the personalities of the other mother.  I also appreciated that Barbara’s husband was the voice of reason.  When he wasn’t driving a couple of plot complications, that is.

Unfortunately, this movie seemed to have its fair share of low budget cheese.  It infected the acting from several members of the cast as well as some of the writing.  As long as you know to expect that, you should be fine.

Given that the mothers are more of the leads than their kids, I suspect this movie was written for Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick.  I loved a couple of nods to their roles on Sabrina that Kath is given over the course of the movie.  And any fans wanting to see them playing off each other again will love this.  Their characters are very similar to what they played on Sabrina, but it worked well there and works wonderfully again here.

All told, Holiday Mismatch is another enjoyable Hallmark Christmas movie.  As long as you go into it knowing what you’re watching, you’ll be fine.

TV Show Review: Mistletoe Murders - Season 1

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Three charming Hallmark mysteries with a Christmas spin

Cons: Stretching out Emily’s backstory, a low dose of Hallmark cheese

The Bottom Line:

Hallmark mysteries

With a heavy Christmas spin

Three charming stories

“I Don’t Need an Amateur Sleuth Getting in My Way.”

Last year, I was curious about the first season of Mistletoe Murders, but Hallmark put it on their Hallmark+ streaming service, so I couldn’t watch it.  I was on the fence when I saw season one was going to air on their cable channels this year since I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit.  Thanks to a recommendation from a friend, I decided to give it a try.  And I’m glad I did.

Apparently, this series is based on an Audible Original series.  In Hallmark’s version, it features Emily Lane (Sarah Drew), a woman with a mysterious past who has moved to a small town to reinvent herself.  Literally.  She opens Under the Mistletoe, a Christmas gift shop.  Her one employee is Violet Wilner (Sierra Marilyn Riley).  Violet’s dad just happens to be the local detective, Sam (Peter Mooney).  That’s going to be important when Emily starts getting involved in local murders.

The first season consisted of three mysteries, each broken into two hour-long episodes.  When they aired on cable, they aired back-to-back, so we got them more as a movie instead of a weekly series.

The first story finds Emily and Sam investigating when a body is found on the local Christmas tree farm.  The victim just happens to be the fiancé of Emily’s veterinarian friend.  Up next, Emily joins the local Christmas choir to figure out what is happening after a series of mysterious accidents hits the group.  Finally, when the local bookstore owner dies and leaves behind a mysterious treasure hunt, Emily joins forces with the rest of the heirs to follow the clues and find his killer.

Those who are fans of Hallmark’s mystery movies will enjoy this series.  It’s essentially a mash up of their mystery and Christmas movies. 

And it works well.  There are several characters besides the three leads who appear in all the episodes, and I enjoyed getting to know them.  Each mystery was well plotted with plenty to keep me engaged as we followed Emily and Sam.

The scenes that Emily and Sam shared together are easily some of my favorites.  Their chemistry and banter made me smile.  So many great one-liners.  And it was easy to root for their romance to take off as well.  Meanwhile, I enjoy Violet.  She’s a great character in her own right, and her attempts to nudge her dad and her boss together are cute.

The rest of the cast is good as well.  Whether they were a suspect in one story or a series regular, I felt they brought their characters to life.

Yes, this is a Hallmark production, but the low budget feel is kept to a minimum.  Again, if you are a fan of the channel, you’ll enjoy watching these stories.

There is more to Emily’s backstory than we learn here.  I think I might have been frustrated by the cliffhanger if the new season weren’t premiering this coming Friday.  Hopefully, we get some answer there instead of just the endless teasing.

But don’t let that frustration stop you.  If you want some charming mysteries filled with Christmas, you’ll be glad to sit down and watch the first season of Mistletoe Murders.

Movie Review: Jingle Bell Run

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Leads in a fun, different Christmas movie

Cons: Too ambitious for the movie’s run time

The Bottom Line:

Race around US

Of course, it is Christmas themed

Yes, it’s weak but fun

“Promise You Won’t Be Mad When I Tell You What I Did?”  “No!”

When I’d been looking at Christmas movies last year, Jingle Bell Run caught my eye.  As a fan of The Amazing Race, a movie centered around a holiday themed race around the country sounded like fun.  While the movie was predictable, it was still enjoyable.

Avery (Ashley Williams) is a bookworm and teacher whose family has all made other plans for the holiday.  However, they’ve decided to sign her up for The Great Holiday Dash so she doesn’t spend the holiday alone.  However, she didn’t think the idea of a holiday by herself was all that bad.

Meanwhile, Wes (Andrew W. Walker) has retired from hockey.  He’s struggling to find his place in the world, especially as he finds his star is fading quickly.

The two meet before the race starts and don’t get off on the right foot.  But things get more complicated this year when the race decides to pair up the contestants.  You guessed it, Avery and Wes are teamed up.  Can they find a way to work together win the prize?

If you’ve watched a romantic comedy at all, you know exactly where this is going to go.  Even the complication that comes near the beginning of act 3 is predictable.  I will say, I like how that complication was handled overall.  It showed maturity from the characters plus the writers didn’t try to milk it for more than they should have.

Having said that, I feel like a few things get introduced and then dropped.  But I get it, we are supposed to get to know some of the other teams and watch them solve clues and do tasks and have travel snags.  There was a lot to cram into a movie that’s just under 90 minutes.

So this is maybe a movie to turn off the logic and expectations a bit more than some of the others.  If you can’t do that, you’ll find plenty of flaws.  But if you just go with the flow of the movie, you’ll find a fun movie with some romance.

I’d say the romance is the one thing that is handled well.  The action slow down enough for us to witness Avery and Wes getting to know each other.  Okay, so it’s still incredibly fast, but I bought it.

With everything going on, only the leads get a chance for much in the way of real acting challenges.  They both do good jobs.  The rest of the cast is fine with what they are given, but it isn’t much.

This is really probably a 3.5 movie if you are being generous, but I’m rounding up.  I know, I know.  But I had fun while I was watching it, and I appreciate them attempting something this ambitious.

The real problem is, this movie was too ambitious for a Hallmark movie, especially with the run time they have.  I feel like an extra 30 minutes would have given them enough run time to really develop this properly.

So yes, I do recommend Jingle Bell Run as long as you go into it with the proper expectations.  But if you can do that, you’ll find yourself enjoy this race to the finish.

This movie is part of this two movie set.

Movie Review: The Christmas Charade

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun Christmas movie with some mystery elements

Cons: Several things are a bit rushed

The Bottom Line:

A blind date mix up

Sets off this Christmas caper

Turns out to be fun

“One Hour?  With a Criminal?  I’m a Librarian!”

At this point, I’m a little unclear why I selected The Christmas Charade to watch.  It was probably the premise that caught my attention, although there is a small chance it might have been the stars.  No matter which reason it was, I’m glad it did because I really enjoyed it.

The movie introduces us to Whitney (Rachel Skarsten), an elementary school librarian.  And yes, she is just as risk averse as that sounds.  She gets her thrills from watching movies.  In fact, she has to think long and hard before she agrees to go on a blind date.

Yet, the blind date goes wrong in a way she never could have predicted.  She mistakes Josh (Corey Sevier) for her date when in reality, he’s an FBI agent attempting to start an undercover operation.  He’s been trying to track a thief for months, and he thinks the next target is going to be a priceless necklace, the Heart of Christmas, which only gets displayed on Christmas Eve.

With Whitney inadvertently inserted into the operation, Josh has no option but to move forward with her as his undercover partner.  She is turning out to be surprisingly adept at it.  But can they keep the charade up and save the necklace?

When I sat down to watch the film, I realized that I’d seen both of the leads in the Hallmark Mystery movie Jazz Ramsey in 2024.  Obviously, Hallmark thought they had great chemistry since it cast them as the leads here.  I’ve got to agree.  Even though I thought the romance was a bit abrupt story wise, I still bought into it thanks to their great chemistry.

As unrealistic as the set up is (no, the FBI wouldn’t really let a civilian get this involved), if you are willing to buy into the premise, you’ll have a fun time going along for the ride.  I feel like a couple of things were a bit rushed, but that’s minor.  Overall, I had fun with the premise.  I appreciated that they set up Whitney with some skills that made her useful to the case.  There were a couple of nice twists and complications along the way.

Because there is a case for the leads to work on, this movie has a minimum of the typical Christmas trappings.  Yes, we get a few, but not as many as we might in a typical Hallmark movie.  So if you are looking for something different, this would be a good one to watch.  Yet, the Christmas elements they put in turn out to be plenty of fun.

As I hinted at earlier, I found the leads to be great, which is a good thing since they carry quite a bit of this movie.  Overall, the cast was good.  There were a couple of issues with the writing, but most of that was related to twists that didn’t have enough of a set up.

If you enjoy Hallmark Christmas movies, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here.  The Christmas Charade is a fun example of the movies they produce each year.

This movie is included in this three movie DVD set.

Movie Review: A Carol for Two

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Great renditions of Christmas carols from talented performers

Cons: The plot is more cringe than fun

The Bottom Line:

Small town to Broadway

Script lets performances down

You can skip this one

“Maybe You’ll Get Yourself a Hometown Christmas Miracle.  I’ve Never Seen One, but I’ve Heard Stories.”

When I was looking at Hallmark’s Christmas movie offerings, A Carol for Two caught my attention, not because of the stars, but because of the fact that singing was going to figure prominently in the plot.  I thought it sounded fun for that reason.  Unfortunately, the actual plot disappointed.

Violette (Ginna Claire Mason) has landed her dream, a part in a Broadway touring production.  So, just before Christmas, she leaves behind her small town in Idaho to head to New York City to start rehearsals.  However, when she arrives, she learns the production has been canceled.  No idea where to turn, she approaches her aunt’s best friend, Hazel (Charlotte d'Amboise), who owns a restaurant.  It’s filled with Broadway hopefuls, and she regularly gives her staff chances to shine.

It's there that Violette meets Alex (Jordan Litz), a fellow waiter who is upset by the preferential treatment that Violette is getting.  But she’s caught the eye of Alex’s cousin, Brad (Gino Anania), who enlists Alex’s help in winning Violette over.  What could possibly go wrong?

Yes, I did have to laugh at this twist on the Hallmark formula.  While Violette isn’t leaving anyone behind her, the small town girl going to the big city to find true love was fun for something different.

And, as expected, the singing was wonderful.  The cast is filled with some Broadway stars.  Okay, I didn’t recognize most of their names, but they definitely brought their talent to the production.

Sadly, they aren’t supported by a solid script.  First, there’s the fact that the writing is just poor overall.  Some of the dialogue is cringe inducing.  The cast makes the most of it, but I feel for them.  And some of the characters are introduced so haphazardly, it’s hard to follow who they are all until well into the film.

Then there’s Brad.  Obviously, we have a Cyrano de Bergerac love triangle going on here.  I thought that could be fun, but it wasn’t, and it was because of Brad.  He’s obnoxious.  Honestly, how Violette didn’t see through him in two seconds stretches credibility.  He’s supposed to be funny, but he just isn’t.  I’m not blaming the actor.  Again, it’s the writing.  I spent much more time cringing.  It even gets in the way of me enjoying the true romance between Alex and Violette.

Finally, I have to ask, is a Broadway musical about Christmas really something people are going to put on?  Yes, I know, the entire thing is really fantasy, but that kicked me out of the movie.

In the end, I think this is a movie to skip.  Yes, if you want to hear great renditions of Christmas carols, you’ll find something to like.  But, overall, I don’t think A Carol for Two is worth it.

This movie is part of this Christmas movie DVD collection.

Movie Review: Christmas Under the Northern Lights

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Actors are good

Cons: Predictable plot without any fun twists along the way

The Bottom Line:

Christmas in the north

The story is straight forward

But actors are fine

Going Very Far North for Christmas

It was two of the stars who drew me to Christmas Under the Northern Lights, one of Great American Family’s Christmas offerings from 2024.  It’s a good thing I wasn’t expecting too much from it because it turned out to be average.

Erin (Jill Wagner) is a writer who hit it big with her first book, a non-fiction piece about the history of Boston as told through its streets.  But she’s struggling to find a compelling subject for her second book.  Her editor asks her to come up with something by the new year.

Hoping that some time away will help her do that, she agrees to go with her father, Doug (Bruce Boxleitner), to his home town of Aurora in Canada’s Northern Territory.  She’s excited about getting to see the Northern Lights at Christmas.  He’s there to see about the offer to buy his parent’s house.

He’s also hired a tour company to help get them reacquainted with the area and make sure they see the lights.  Trevor (Jesse Hutch) is their guide, and his company isn’t quite what Erin was hoping for.  But as they begin to spend time together, Erin begins to warm up to him.  Will she find a topic for her next book?  Will the two of them warm up to each other?  Will Erin get to see the lights?

It was Jill Wagner and Bruce Boxleitner that drew me to this movie.  I enjoyed getting to see them here.  The cast is fine.  The performances helped keep me in the movie.  Likewise, I didn’t find the dialogue too clunky.

However, the story itself was pretty pedestrian.  While I can usually figure out the big beats in these movies before we get to them, there’s usually a twist or two I didn’t expect.  In this case, there was about only one thing I wasn’t expecting going into the movie, and that became obvious early on as well.

Unfortunately, I found the story flat.  Yes, it went where I was expecting, but it just felt like it was going through the motions.  The characters got together because we expected it.  I didn’t feel like the story was really drawing them together.

And I have questions.  So many questions.  If Doug still owns the family home, which is filled with his family photos, why are he and Erin staying at a B and B?  Why do they need to hire a tour company if that’s where he grew up?  I mean, I get it that neither has been there for years, but come on!  Obviously, that just happened to allow Erin and Trevor to interact.

On the other hand, the sets in this movie scream Christmas.  Almost comically at times.

As I’m writing this, I realize it sounds like I absolutely hated the movie.  That’s not true.  While it is easy to see pick on the flaws, the movie isn’t horrible.  It’s also not a movie I would choose to watch again.

If you are curious about Christmas Under the Northern Lights, give it a shot.  But don’t go out of your way to watch it.

Movie Review: To Have and to Holiday

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Surprisingly charming and sweet

Cons: Predictable

The Bottom Line:

Christmas Eve wedding

If they can pass father’s tests

Surprisingly sweet

Surprisingly Sweet Holiday Romance

The premise for To Have and Holiday was what caught my attention.  I thought it sounded like it could be fun, but I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting much.  So I was surprised at just how sweet it turned out to be.

Celeste (Madeleine Arthur) and Jason (Robert Bazzocchi) have only been dating three months.  They hadn’t planned to spend Christmas together, but at the last minute, Jason decides to go along with Celeste, surprising her parents, Judith and Mark (Kate Drummond and Eric Close).

That first night at dinner, the subject of the church that Mark pastors comes up.  Due to structural problems, it is going to close after the first of the year to be renovated.  Celeste is disappointed since it means she won’t get to get married in the church she grew up in.  That is until Jason proposes that they get married on Christmas Eve – three weeks away.

Naturally, Mark is less than enthused, but he goes along with it.  However, he has his usual condition – Celeste and Jason must go through his marriage bootcamp – something he makes all couples go through before he marries them.  Will they prove they are ready to get married?

I’ll admit, going into this movie, I was expecting lots of awkward scenes as Jason and Celeste get to know each other better.  We had a little bit of that, but not nearly as much as I was expecting.  And Jason makes some mistakes since he doesn’t know the traditions of the town.  But they are fun and funny and not embarrassing.

Instead, this movie is more about Mark coming to terms with his daughter being her own person and leaving home.  And it is truly a sweet film.  Even when he goes too far, it is never embarrassing and Mark does take responsibility for his actions when confronted with them.

As I’ve been saying, this movie is sweet.  Charming and heartwarming, too.  But it does that without being too over the top.  Oh, it is a Hallmark Christmas movie, so factor that in.  But it’s not nearly as bad as it could be.

There are some low budget cheese moments, but they are kept to a minimum.  The cast does a good job overall with the material they have.

Yes, I saw most of the plot points coming early on.  And there were another couple that I should have seen coming.  But I was having fun, so it really didn’t bother me.  And you have to go along with a lot to even think about them pulling off this wedding in three weeks.  But that’s movie magic, right?

I really do wonder exactly how this marriage bootcamp would work if it weren’t Christmas.  They activities are in keeping with the holiday.  I get it, this is a Christmas movie.  But what would they do if they were getting married in the summer?  I’ve got to hand it to the writers, however.  The tasks actually do show various aspects of a good relationship.

If you’ve missed To Have and to Holiday, do your best to fix that.  You’ll be charmed as you watch.

Movie Review: Mystery on Mistletoe Lane

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: The movie was charming and heartwarming…

Cons: …After it got past the awkward start.  Romance felt tacked on

The Bottom Line:

Small town mysteries

Charming movie overcomes

Awkward beginning

“You’re the Fiscally Responsible Former Director?” “But You Can Call Me Ebeneezer.”

Most of the Christmas movies I recorded last year were 2024 premiers.  But there were a couple of older ones that caught my eye.  One of those was Mystery on Mistletoe Lane.  I mean, the title is going to catch the attention of this mystery reader, right?  This one took a bit of time to grow on me, but I wound up enjoying it.

Recently divorced Heidi (Erica Wicks) has found a new home in a small town in Massachusetts.  She is the new director of the historical society, but she quickly learns on the first day that the society hasn’t been doing much over the last couple of years.  The old director, David (Victor Webster), is sticking around, but only to help out.

One perk of the job is an old home that Heidi can move into.  Her two kids, Annie and Garrett (Juliette Hawk and Logan Pierce) start finding a series of clues leading them to little reindeer hidden around the house.  Meanwhile, Heidi is trying to figure out some other mysteries around the house – mysteries that might tie to David’s family.  Will anyone figure out what it all means before Christmas?

As you can see, this is not a traditional mystery.  Honestly, I didn’t figure it would be, and I was perfectly fine with that.  However, the beginning of the film was so awkwardly written, I almost turned it off by the twenty minute mark.  But I figured I would keep watching a little bit longer to see if things got any better.

Once the story was established, things did settle in.  Between the various storylines, there was plenty going on to hold my interest.  Yes, I was rolling my eyes at a few things that happened still, especially the storyline with the daughter.  But the movie started to pile on the charm, and I really found myself enjoying it and wondering exactly where the movie was going to go.  Okay, so I had the big turns figured out early on, but I still enjoyed seeing them play out and watching how the characters dealt with that.

One thing that never worked for me was the romance.  Yes, I knew to expect it, but it felt like an afterthought.  There was just too much else going on for the writers to have the time they needed to fully flesh that out.

And none of this is the actors’ faults.  They were doing the best they could with the material they had.

I’m glad I stuck with this one.  By the time this movie ended, I was enjoying it.  So if you happen to catch a rerun of Mystery on Mistletoe Lane, stick with it.

This movie is part of this three movie DVD set.

Movie Review: A Novel Noel

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: The setting, friends, and some third act choices

Cons: The romance seems taken for granted by the writers

The Bottom Line:

Working in bookstore

Romance is weak in movie

Friends still add the charm

“Christmas in a Bookstore? That Could Work.”

When I was looking at Hallmark Christmas movies last year, there were two draws for A Novel Noel.  The first was the premise.  How could this reader not love it?  The second was that it starred Julie Gonzalo.  Got to support Veronica Mars alums, right?

Julie plays Harper, a New York editor who has lost her passion for her job after a rough year.  She is granted a few weeks off just as she gets an email that a position she’s volunteered for has opened up.  She’s going to be a guest worker at a bookstore in a small town for the holiday.  She considers it fate, so she quickly agrees.

When she arrives, she meets Sawyer (Brendan Penny), who manages the bookstore for his family.  However, they get off to a rocky start since Harper doesn’t agree with how Sawyer is managing things.  I mean, who puts a wine bar in a bookstore?  Can the two make it work?  Will they find they have more in common?

Naturally, as a reader, I loved the setting of this movie.  And there are some fun elements, like the traditions Sawyer and his friends have as well as the Christmas Bingo game that Harper plays with her best friend.

However, I struggled a bit with the romance in this one.  I felt like we were told the characters had fallen for each other more than we actually saw it.  It was the weakest part of the movie for me.

This isn’t anything against the actors.  They did a fine job with the material they had.  Yes, there is some low budget cheese, but that is baked into my expectations when I sit down to watch one of these movies.

There was some discussion about White Christmas in this film, which I thought was great.  I’ve recently become a fan of that classic, so I enjoyed seeing it mentioned.

What I was really impressed by was the third act.  They did some things that I wasn’t expecting.  And some things that I thought were healthy for the characters.  Yes, we still got the ending I was expecting, but it was nice to see how we got there.

A Novel Noel is a nice Christmas movie.  It’s not the best of the bunch, but it will keep you entertained while it is on.

Movie Review: Our Holiday Story

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Charming if predictable Christmas romance

Cons: A bit of low budget cheese

The Bottom Line:

Romance in the past

Framed with modern love story

Ultimately fun

“How Do You Intended to Find Her? And Don’t Say Fate.” “Okay, Destiny.”

When I was looking at Hallmark Christmas movies, I thought Our Holiday Story sounded like a fun twist on the usual Christmas movie formula.  But then I started to second guess myself when it came time to actually sit down and watch it.  As a result, I was pleasantly surprised with the result.

When the movie opens, there’s been a snafu, and Chris (Gavin Langelo) has arrived to meet his girlfriend’s parents, Dave and Nell (Warren Christie and Nikki Deloach), without his girlfriend, Joanna (Sydney Scotia).  As a way to break the ice, he asks how Dave and Nell met, not realizing it is a long story.

Ten years ago, Dave and Nell met on a train accidentally, but then are separated before they can even get their names right.  As they continue to meet and separate in the small town where it turns out they both live, neither realizes they are also fighting over the budget for a Christmas festival.  Can they overcome their differences?  Meanwhile, will Joanna ever arrive?  How will her first Christmas with Chris go?

While the majority of the time is spent back ten years ago when Dave and Nell are meeting, with some interference from a teenage Joanna, we do still have an ongoing story in the present.  I enjoyed how both stories played out, and I never had an issue switching from the past to the present and back again. 

It’s pretty obvious early what tropes the story in the past is playing with, but I didn’t mind.  As I always say, as long as I’m having fun, it doesn’t matter, and I was having fun.  The leads are fantastic, and their chemistry kept me engaged.  Not to mention the near misses.  And the resolution is heartwarming.

The contemporary story didn’t resonate with me quite as much, but that’s because it didn’t have nearly as much screen time.  The actors weren’t quite as good either.  Still, I found myself touched by this ending as well.

The movie does have some low budget cheese to it, including in some of the acting.  But you take that into account when sitting down to watch a Hallmark movie, right?

Overall, I enjoyed Our Holiday Story.  It was cute, charming, and festive.  If you want something a little different, pick this Christmas movie.

Movie Review: The Christmas Quest

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Decent romance with good Christmas elements

Cons: The quest part of the plot is undercooked

The Bottom Line:

Iceland at Christmas

Treasure hunt does not quite work

Makes it average

“Is This Everyone You Imagined It Would Be?”  “No.  I Imagined You Being Chased by a Bolder.” “There’s Still Time.”

When I was looking at Christmas movies to record in 2024, The Christmas Quest caught my eye for a couple reasons.  The idea of a Christmas treasure hunt sounded fun, plus I was fans of the stars from their mystery movies.  Sadly, the movie didn’t live up to my expectations.

Stefanie (Lacey Chabert) has followed in her mother’s footsteps.  She’s become an archeologist who tracks down long lost or forgotten treasures.  Her mother spent years trying to track down one particular treasure, the legendary treasure of the Yule Lads.  She spent many Christmases in Iceland looking for it.

So when a stranger (Derek Riddell) shows up in Stefanie’s office saying he has a new clue for the Yule Lads’ treasure, she jumps in to find it.  However, it quickly becomes apparent they need an expert in the Norse languages, so Stefanie turns to her ex-husband, Chase (Kristoffer Polaha).  As the two follow a trail of clues in Iceland, will they find their old spark?

The problem with his movie was it didn’t quite know what it wanted to be.  Was it trying to be a typical Hallmark Christmas romance?  Was it looking to be a treasure hunt movie?  Did it even want to squeeze in Christmas elements?  It did the romance pretty well.  Some of the Christmas moments seemed genuine, while others felt forced into the story.  And the treasure hunt?  That was the biggest disappointment of the film.  It had the elements there, but they were all undercooked.  It was doubly disappointing since that was the main thing I was hoping to enjoy with this film.

I was also left wondering, given the theme of the movie, why was it Chase was okay with leaving his parents behind for Christmas to go off with his ex-wife?

This is really Lacey and Kristoffer’s movie, and they do a great job with it.  The rest of the cast all have very small parts.  They mostly work, although a few didn’t quite pull it off for me.

The real star here is Iceland.  Yes, the movie was filmed on location, and it makes you want to travel to Iceland.  Maybe not in the winter (I hate the cold), but it is absolutely beautiful.

I feel like there is a version of this movie that does a better job of balancing the elements so everyone is satisfied when they finish watching this movie.  But that’s not the movie we got.  If you want to fill 90 minutes, The Christmas Quest will do that, but don’t expect the quest to be an equal part of the story.

Movie Review: A Season to Remember

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Enjoyable Christmas movie

Cons: A couple of issues with storylines, mostly the one with the family

The Bottom Line:

Hunting for story

Mixed with a Christmas romance

Overall, it’s good

A Sports Reporter’s Christmas

Since I enjoyed Nathan Owens when he was guest starring on Batwoman, I decided to give his Christmas movie from 2024 a chance.  A Season to Remember takes a few risks with the Christmas movie formula, but I enjoyed it overall.

Symone Gibson (Michele Weaver) is a sports reporter for a local TV station in Detroit.  Since the local basketball team has a home game on Christmas day this year, it’s a big deal, and her boss is looking for any good lead in story to draw in viewers and ratings.  Symone views this as her chance to move up in the department, if she can only come up with a unique story to pitch.

Her first complication is that she winds up having to work with freelance videographer Iggy Love (Nathan Owens).  At first, the two don’t get along, but as they begin to build a relationship, Symone starts hitting other roadblocks.  Will she be able to land the story?  Where will her relationship with Iggy lead?

This was an OWN Christmas movie, but even so, it followed many of the familiar romance/Christmas movie tropes.  Not that I’m complaining since it is what I expected.  I was actually surprised at how subtle some of those moments were, however.  Notice, I said some; the meet cute was very in your face.

My biggest complaint with the film was one of the storylines involving Symone’s family.  I suspect they were attempting to infuse the movie with some real seriousness, but it was just too depressing for a Christmas movie, at least for my liking.

On the other hand, there were many heartwarming moments.  I bought the relationship building between Symone and Iggy, and I was rooting for them.  I did like Iggy’s backstory and how he was getting involved in the community.  And the story with Symone’s brother was great as well.

My other complaint was some of Symone’s issues at work.  At times, it felt like it was just an excuse to lecture, again not what I was looking for.  The resolution to that, while nice in some ways, also felt like it just ignored some truly bad behavior.  They could have done better with that part of things, too.

Overall, the acting and writing were good.  There weren’t any real moments that threw me out of the movie.

While sports does play a bit into the movie, you can still follow the story without really knowing anything about basketball.  I did, after all.

A Season to Remember is another enjoyable Christmas movie.  If you are a fan of the genre, give this one a shot.

Movie Review: The Santa Class

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Some very fun moments

Cons: Too little focus on a core story for us to care

The Bottom Line:

School to train Santa

There is too much happening

So struggle to care

“I Have an Odd Craving for Milk and Cookies.”

Going strictly based on plot descriptions, The Santa Class sounded like something that could be fun.  And there were elements that were fun.  However, the lack of focus really hurt this Hallmark Christmas movie.

Kate (Kimberley Sustad) has just taken over a Santa school from her father.  Yes, North Star Santa Academy does just what it sounds like, trains people to play Santa Claus at Christmas.  It’s been his life long passion project/career, and she’s worked with him to support him, but she really doesn’t have the passion for it.  Factor in that the school is failing, and she really doesn’t know what she’s going to do.

She’s got one class before Christmas this year, and it is make or break.  Desperate, she agrees to let Dan (Benjamin Ayres) help with this group.  He’s been rated the best, after all.  But with the misfit group of Santas they have, do they have any chance of beating their rival?  Oh, and what’s up with the mysterious Nick (Trevor Lerner) the two found on the side of the road?

Yes, this is the first movie I’ve watched this year with the person who is probably Santa trope.  I know it can be overdone, but here I found it lots of fun.

But Nick is just one of the oddball students enrolled in this class.  Probably the most fun for me was Hallmark staple Paul Campbell playing himself trying to get into character for a part.  Lots of great lines and in jokes.

Alone, each of the students had their moments and were fun.  Combined, they were a bit much.  I found their odd behaviors to get old in a hurry.  They also introduced too many people for us to care about and too many story arcs that needed to be followed.  That took away from the main story.

Yes, things were rushed as a result.  I felt like we rushed from one story point to another without time to really see characters react or try to figure out how best to deal with what they were doing.  The end result was that I didn’t care that much about the outcome.

I’m not blaming the actors for this, who all do a good job of bringing their characters to life.  It’s the writing that lets them down.

In the end, The Santa Class definitely had its fun moments, but overall, this is just an average movie.

This movie is part of this Christmas movie DVD set.

Movie Review: Following Yonder Star

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Charming and thoughtful

Cons: Some elements on the meet cute didn’t work, but it smoothed out after that

The Bottom Line:

Abby gets away

Lands in Vermont and meets Nick

Charms yet serious

“Why Does It Always Have to Be Cookies?”

When I started paying attention to Christmas movies to potentially watch in 2024, I looked for premises that intrigued me or stars I recognized (or both).  Since I was already a fan of the two leads, I recorded Following Yonder Star to watch.  I’m glad I did because I enjoyed it.

Abby (Brooke D’Orsay) has spent years starring as a perfect wife and mother in a popular TV show.  Now that the show is over, she is trying to find what is next in her life.  Unfortunately, she gets a shock right before Christmas when she discovers that her ex-husband (and her former on-screen husband) is getting remarried.  The news causes her to have a meltdown, and she decides she needs an escape.

That takes her across the country to Vermont.  Through a mix-up, she finds herself taking the last room at a small inn in a town overwhelmed with people looking for a convergence of planets that will create a super star on Christmas Eve.

The owner of this inn is Nick (John Brotherton), a widower who is just trying to keep it all together.  The two begin to bond and open up to each other.  Where will it lead?

The first thing I appreciated about the movie is that it did a great job of balancing Abby’s meltdown.  It sets it up so we can empathize with her, but it is quickly apparent that this isn’t her typical behavior.  She even admits it wasn’t her at her best, but having a human moment.  (And, honestly, her frustration with the clerk was completely understandable even if her behavior was wrong.)  Then, of course, we got to see how this was spun in public opinion.  It was probably my biggest worry going into the film, but the movie does it perfectly.

On the whole, the movie is sweet.  It deals with some heavy subjects, but it never gets too maudlin or sad.  I also appreciated how they brought in others who weren’t caught up in the romance at first to give some perspective.  And the characters were realistic about what the future would hold.

And it isn’t all sadness.  Nick is supposed to be directing the local kids’ Christmas production, and that provides some comic relief.  There are also some romantic moments and beautiful Christmas decorations.

John Brotherton made some acting choices near the beginning that were a bit questionable.  I’m sure they were supposed to show how nervous his character was since he recognized Abby right away, but they just seemed odd.  Frankly, the meet cute of their relationship went on a little longer than I needed period.  But that’s a minor issue.  Once we got past that, the acting was okay, and I really enjoyed the chemistry between the leads.

Yes, the get the predictable third act complications, but they were handled fairly well, and I loved the climax.

One thing that I really appreciated was that faith, specifically Christianity, was a large part of the conversation, and not just in the Christmas pageant.  I didn’t expect this, and it was a refreshing touch to find characters talking about their struggles with that, especially given what life had sent them.

Following Yonder Star is a charming Hallmark Christmas movie.  If that’s what you are looking for, you’ll enjoy this one.

Movie Review: A Carpenter Christmas Romance

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Climax is surprisingly moving

Cons: The rest is just average

The Bottom Line:

Hiding at Christmas

And resparking an old flame

Average movie

Building the Write Christmas Romance

In 2024, I recorded a bunch of different Christmas movies. I mostly resisted trying to watch any of these for several years, but I finally gave in. Not that I watched any of them before Christmas, but I dove in early in 2025 with A Carpenter Christmas Romance, one of Lifetime’s movies. 

This movie introduces us to Andrea Metcalf (Sasha Pieterse), a writer who is about to release the final book in her bestselling Romantasy series. However, a major spoiler for the last book has released, and her fans aren’t happy, to put it mildly. At her sister’s suggestion, she heads to their aunt’s farm in a small town to finish her edits and hide out from the reaction. 

However, when Andrea arrives, she finds the farm isn’t quite as deserted as she expected. Her high school crush, Seth Ferguson (Mitchell Slaggert), is using it sometimes while his place is being worked on. While Andrea and Seth reconnect, she also learns about what happened to the town when a fire hit it a couple years before. But will Seth sidetrack Andrea from finishing her book?

I’m always curious when a writer is the main character if the people who wrote the screen play have no clue how publishing works. Even I, a diehard reader but not a writer, knows that at least part of the plot of this movie is wildly unrealistic. It would have been easy enough to change it so that it was realistic, too. But that’s a minor point. 

Let’s face it, the plot of this movie is fairly predictable. I’m sure I’ll be saying that about most of the movies still on my DVR. It wasn’t that the movie was bad, but it also wasn’t that creative or fresh either. Having said that, the ending did move me more than I was expecting. 

The acting is good. It suffers at times from poor writing, but I believed what I saw on the screen. 

The movie shows the two getting into bed together and waking up together the next morning. While not a choice I would make, they are consenting adults. My issue with it is more when it happens story wise and the point they are at in their relationship. 

Unfortunately, I watched it in the middle of the 2025 wildfires we were having here in Southern California. That made the plot points surrounding the town being burned hit differently. 

I was also surprised by the lack of snow. Maybe I missed a line about where the town is located in CA, but we do have places that get snow in the state. Still, it was kind of nice to see a Christmas movie without snow on the ground. 

A Carpenter Christmas Romance is a decent enough way to spend a couple of hours if you are looking for a mindless Christmas movie. But it isn’t one to rush out to see.