Trivia at St. Nick's

The story and performances are average. The sound engineering is terrible, with fluctuating volumes of speech and soundtrack making it impossible to set a comfortable listening level without having to constantly adjust up and down. It was initially so annoying that we came close to stop watching. From blaring music to hushed whispers, some of the dialogue is even missed. Unlike some Hallmark rom-coms, this will not be one we will watch again. The unique hook in this movie are the actual trivia contests. Viewers can play along and perhaps learn from some actual Christmas trivia questions and answers.

This is a typical Hallmark holiday movie but, unfortunately, lacking the excitement and warmth viewers expect. Brant Daugherty, who usually shines with charming characters that draw the audience in, doesn't get a role that lets him showcase his usual charisma. His characters in other films feel fully developed and engaging, but here, the story and chemistry just don't seem to come together.

The film lacks the heartwarming Christmas spirit that Hallmark movies are known for. The setting and holiday atmosphere feel more like background elements than integral parts of the story, making the film come off as if it was hurriedly put together to fill a seasonal slot. It's missing the kind of genuine moments that leave you with a smile and a feeling of holiday cheer.

Ultimately, Trivia at St. Nick's is watchable but not memorable, a disappointment for fans hoping to be drawn into a cozy, festive world. It's the sort of film you can have on in the background without missing much, rather than a holiday movie that leaves a lasting impression. Hallmark fans may still enjoy it, but it doesn't stand out as a new holiday favorite.

Brant Daugherty and Tammin Sursok, who play Celeste and Max, have wonderful chemistry together. They initially meet and don't hit it off...the astronomy teacher vs the football coach until Celeste's trivia team, The Quizmas Elves, is desperate for a sixth and with his sports knowledge and team building expertise, Max is the perfect fit.

Celeste has the need to study and get everything right while Max is more go with the flow, enjoy the process...but both want to win in the end. They especially want to beat the young whippersnappers "we came to sleigh". The competition is for bragging rights and the beloved "Stan" trophy. After some initial struggles, Max kind of takes over with some team building exercises that end up giving them the competitive edge in trivia, in addition to being fun. The whole process has Celeste reevaluating her process and well...Max

I loved the Christmas activities....and the "It's a Wonderful Life" references. This was fun, funny and had some decent writing. The first kiss needed a little work...but the rest was a Christmas romantic's dream. I highly recommend.

Plot tropes that avoid the typical Hallmark romance cliches, especially the Christmas movie cliches, are welcome. No small towns threatened by developers. No old boyfriends suddenly appearing. No big city girl returning to her small town roots.

This story takes place on a college campus and the surrounding town, as several teams of six participate in a six-day pub trivia tournament.

The female lead starts out a bit too overbearing as anal retentive and too tightly wound/focused. She starts out with a big dislike for a coach on the school's football team, who--of course--winds up on her trivia team, against her wishes.

The story progresses well from there, and we enjoyed how their relationship grew, and also the scripted trivia competition. The only thing I wish they'd done is present more of the trivia questions. LOL We knew a lot of the answers ourselves. ;-)

One thing: They were a bit too impressed by a "two time Jeopardy Champion". Two day winners on Jeopardy are a dime a dozen. ;-)

7.1 stars.

Not as bad as I thought it would be. The trivia aspect is literally the main theme of the story, so it threw me off as the film was about half way through and it was still about trivia. On the other hand, the lead male is really interesting in this, because he seems to play a nonchalant guy pretty well. He isn't the best actor for serious, and you'll see almost all of his roles are laid back, carefree characters. This is no different. The lead female is off balance at times, like she was unable to capture the personality of her character very well, but sometimes she was okay. The only negative was her negativity, which really pervaded the role, almost as if she was genuinely feeling morose while she acted the part.

But it's a somewhat entertaining movie for the supporting cast and the competition and how the relationship forms. Something was done right, not sure what, but I liked it enough for 7.1.