The Spruces and the Pines

The cast was great and the story was amazing. Me and the wife really enjoyed it. James Welch Henderson Arkansas. 11/21/2020

This movie follows the tradition of Romeo and Juliet. There is serious and unreasonable enmity between the two. So much so, the Julie's dad says to her at one point "I thought I had raised a daughter who understood the values that this family holds." Apparently he intended to raise her with the values of hatred and unforgiveness. Do Rick and Julie end up dead on the floor after taking poison? I'm pretty sure we can all guess the answer to that.

The story is pretty basic and predictable. While the Romeo and Juliet story is not new and has been done many times, it is a slightly different approach to a Christmas story. Actually, Christmas is not as central to the details of this story as it is in many holiday movies. We don't find the writer checking off one tradition after another just to meet some quota. However there are really no surprises. Jonna Walsh and Nick Ballard connect well even if they are a little stiff, especially Ballard. The feud seems unreasonable in our day especially when we learn the true history of it.

6.4 stars.

This is a very rudimentary film from start to finish. It's about two families. One family has the last name of Spruce. The other family with the last name of Pine. These two families have had an old rivalry going back decades. They are at odds with one another, yet they live on adjacent properties. The whole town is aware of this unsettled dispute of some sort between the families. This sort of movie has been done many times. Inevitably one child of a family falls in love with a child of the other family, and they are under a lot of pressure to break up due to old grudges. Some films have displayed this theme in an entertaining and fun way, this one is not so fun.

The movie was predictable and it was trying too hard to associate the well known story with the christmas spirit of the movie.

I absolutely loved this film and it even made me shed a tear or two about three quarters of the way through. Yes, it is the old boy meets girl, they fall in love with each other (quickly) and then find out who each other are and their family have a feud with each other BUT it is done in such a nice NOT cheesy way (OK, maybe slightly cheesy Lol) that you actually like and enjoy the film and it is actually quite funny also. The ending is actually done in quite a classy and not really cheesy way (Hey, it's a Christmas film there has got to be some cheese Lol) It's a really good funny and lovely film that gives you the feelgood factor also and puts a smile on your face. It also isn't what some people class as a 'Chick flick' (GAWD, I hate that saying) it is a film that both sexes and all ages can watch and I bet even tho some men might roll their eyes and moan about it I bet even they will secretly enjoy the film (tho they won't admit it Lol) I thoroughly enjoyed it and might even watch it again either just before or just after Christmas. All the actors in it were great and was in stitches at the barn scene with Bear(Josh) & Holly. Great film x