2017 was an inconsistent year for Hallmark, which was not unexpected as all of their films from all the years they've been active varied in quality. Expectations were admittedly not massive for 'Christmas at Holly Lodge', they never have been for Hallmark Christmas films. Nor were they low or was the mentality of wanting to hate it, as that's not fair on anything. The story did not sound very exciting, but Hallmark have proved more than once that they can do Christmas films that are actually above decent.
'Christmas at Holly Lodge' is above average fare, if not quite ever living up to its lovely uplifting title. Not one of the best 2017 Hallmark films, but not one of the worst. Somewhere around the middle if anything, and while not considering it a must watch it is worth watching. There are a lot of good things about 'Christmas at Holly Lodge', but there are a fair few things that also could have been executed better if it tried to have more originality and take more risks.
Plenty of good things here. The production values are quite nice, especially the scenery. The decorations are nostalgic and affectionately festive, not looking cheap. There are plenty of nice light-hearted and heart-warming moments when the film improves, namely down to the chemistry between the two leads. Which was very genuine and sweet without being sugary. It was actually their chemistry that helped improve the film when it picked up.
Both Alison Sweeney (still looking great) and Jordan Bridges are charming in the lead roles, though Sweeney's character takes time to warm to. In fact, Bridges' immensely likeable and very confident without being arrogant performance is one of the main merits of the film. A few have complained about the age gap, personally didn't notice it that much and the age gap when looking up the ages is not that big. Sheryl Lee Ralph brings a good deal of sass, spice and all things nice to her role, not overplaying her so the character doesn't become too annoying. The characters are not meaty, but they are more than ciphers and don't irritate. They don't look disconnected from each other either.
However, 'Christmas at Holly Lodge' has some drawbacks. The story is rather too low key at times and is very formulaic. It's all pleasant and neatly done, but it also feels a little too safe and doesn't stretch itself an awful lot. The conflict could have been more and developed quicker and the relationships while definitely there are not developed enough.
Some of the dialogue is too corny and over-sentimental and the pace is rather routine in the early stretches. The ending is too rushed and tidy, not to mention that it can be seen from miles away.
To conclude, decent if not exceptional. Bridges in particular makes it worth viewing. 6/10
