Open by Christmas

Some years ago, I saw the Hallmark movie 'The Irresistible Blueberry Farm', which starred Alison Sweeney. It was brilliant, and today, it is still one of my favorite Hallmark movies. So, when I saw her at the top of the bill, I was looking forward to seeing 'Open by Christmas'. And I was not disappointed. It is what I call a classic Hallmark movie: a warm and heartfelt Christmas story with a good script, superb performances, and a nice Christmas vibe. One of my favorites thus far, though we are only a few weeks into the season. The story centers on Nicky (played by Alison Sweeney) who has come home to celebrate Christmas with her family. To her surprise, her parents are moving on, retiring, and selling their home. As such, they have hired Derrick (played by Brennan Elliott) as their realtor. When Nicky finds an unopened Christmas card while packing, she and her best friend Simone (played by Erica Durance) begin their search for Nicky's high school secret admirer. At the same time, Nicky and Derrick start spending time together, getting her parents' house ready for an open house viewing by Christmas. The movie has a warm and natural flow to it. The dialogue felt authentic as the story explored some human emotions that were engaging and relatable. The writers too did a good job of intertwining the multiple storylines, though, as other reviewers have observed, this did take away from Nicky and Derrick's romance. I enjoyed the touch of mystery in this one, even though I (and everyone else, I suspect) knew who the secret admirer was from the start. The acting overall was wonderful. Sweeney, a Hallmark regular, had a very convincing performance. Elliot too was impressive. The chemistry between the two was pretty good as well, although they could have used a bit more screen time together. The supporting cast was outstanding, especially Durance's performance. Finally, the props, scenery, and sets were beautiful, giving the movie a nice Christmas feel. No meaningless Christmas filler in this one, as another reviewer observed. All in all, it is an enjoyable movie that provides some holiday warmth and a bit of Christmas spirit. Fans of Hallmark Movies and Mysteries will no doubt enjoy.

The reason I think this movie is a bit better is that, although a very familiar story, it didn't follow the formula girl figths with guy, they make up, there's a big fallout due to a misunderstanding, they make up.

Despite being very mixed on the 2021 Hallmark Christmas output on the whole (though actually it was much better than expected, speaking as someone who thought that this year would not be good on the Hallmark Christmas front), there were films in the block that were pretty good and more. 'Open by Christmas' had more potential than most of them, due to its interesting story structure (which was a unique one for Hallmark this year) and that Allison Sweeney and Brennan Elliott were the leads.

'Open by Christmas' is one of those films that not only lives up to its potential, but it also exceeds it. To me, it is by some way one of the best 2021 Hallmark Christmas films (and even of the year for Hallmark in general) and the best since 'Christmas in My Heart'. Everything that the film was seen for was far from wasted, quite the opposite, and while it is not my definition of a masterpiece by recent Hallmark Christmas film standards 'Open by Christmas' is pretty darn impressive.

Sure, the identity of the secret admirer was not a surprise at all to me and could have taken more time to reveal.

The ending is slightly on the too neat side and while the romantic chemistry is more than convincing and heartfelt it could have featured more.

However, there is so little to fault. Sweeney and Elliott play their roles with so much nuanced emotions and also light-hearted upbeat energy, two of the best performances of the 2021 Hallmark Christmas films. Erica Durance steals every scene she's in and the supporting cast all play their roles well. This is one of the few 2021 Hallmark Christmas, and overall, films where every character interested and was not hard to care for. Nobody dull or irritating, and Elliott's could easily have been. The script is heart-warming and is never too heavy or too soapy, not repetitive or talky either.

Really liked the story, the structure is different and could have been disjointed and muddled, but it was not hard to follow and it was a case of both plotlines being equally engaging and charming. The Christmassy vibe is nostalgic, while the film has lovely scenery lovingly filmed and has music that has personality without being overbearing. The Ariana Grande and Kelly Clarkson song was a very nice touch.

Overall, very well done. 8/10.

I'm not going to give anything away about this movie, except to say it flowed so naturally, not contrived. The lines were realistic and very conversational. They portrayed relatable human emotions and feelings and it was also very funny in parts. I loved the dialog. All of the actors were fabulous. I felt like a part of the families watching this movie. Lots of stories in this movie. Enjoy!

A cute movie, all in all. I liked the dual story lines, I enjoyed the performances, and the production values were excellent. The cast all seemed to be enjoying themselves which is a big part of the pleasure of watching any production as far as I'm concerned. I liked the fact that Hallmark continues to acknowledge that gay people exist (since I'm one, it's nice to see). I'm sorry there are other reviewers who wish we would disappear. But that's more about who they than how our culture is evolving and Hallmark is following their audience, just as they've always done.