Christmas at Holly Lodge

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

Predictable yet enjoyable movie to curl up with warm blanket and hot chocolate. Some of the background music sounded oddly familiar and drove me crazy trying to remember where I heard it before. Turns out it is very (very) similar to the theme song from Jurassic Park.

Alison Sweeney runs Holly Lodge, a beautiful inn surrounded by snowy mountains, evergreen trees galore, and scenic views. There's a steady stream of regular patrons who visit the lodge every Christmas, but Alison's behind on her mortgage payments, and a development company has taken an interest in the land. They send Jordan Bridges to study the property, but before he makes his true intentions known to Alison, the two start falling for each other.

Even though it took me an entire paragraph to describe the plot, in reality, it's quite thin. The premiere was riddled with commercial breaks because there really wasn't much to the story. There are misunderstandings that stand in the way of the romance, small side plots involving the minor characters, and well-meaning friends trying to get the leads to admit their feelings. I lost track of how often Jordan said, "I have to tell you something," and Alison either put him off until the next scene or blew him off entirely. Had he been allowed to talk when he wanted to, the movie would have been even shorter—so I understand why he was continually stifled.

The cutest part of the film was seeing Jordan Bridges channel his dad Beau's expressions and mannerisms. If you're a fan of Beau Bridges—I am—you should definitely watch Christmas at Holly Lodge the next time Hallmark airs it, just so you can support his son's career and see the impact he had over him. It's quite adorable.

Yet another Hallmark movie that follows that very familiar Hallmark recipe of how to construct a Christmas movie.

But I will say that in this instance, it actually worked out quite well, because this movie managed to lift itself out of the average and somewhat generic gutter that these trademark Hallmark movies turn out to be.

Why?

Well, because of the storyline, although it was predictable to the core, but also because of the acting performances by a very motivated cast ensemble.

This movie felt very magical and had something to offer for the entire movie. While it is not a Christmas classic, it is still a movie that is well worth the time and effort to sit down and watch with the family and loved ones.

Hallmark continues to deliver wholesome entertainment. Sweeney and Bridges deliver solid performances. What a pleasure to tune in to Hallmark to escape the junk