A Cape Cod Christmas

What a wonderful movie to get you in the jingle mood. Katie Leclerc brought so much life to her character and the plot itself. Good plot with no holes. Lovely setting (very visually pleasing). Would recommend for anyone looking for a good Christmas movie to watch this year.

This is a charming movie for the holiday season. The romantic coupling between the two leads Margot (Katie Leclerc, best known for Switched at Birth) and Brent Bailey (various supporting TV roles) is gently heartwarming without devolving into an overly schmaltzy Hallmark TV movie.

The story revolves around Margot's return to her family home in Cape Cod which is now being sold after the passing of her parents. Margot's greedy siblings are anxious to cash in on their inheritance by selling to a buyer who insists on closing the deal before Christmas. Since Margot lacks the finds to buy out our brother and sister, she is forced to go along with the sale.

The real drama however is that between Margot and Brent which develops in a gentle way without seeming forced or cloying. Their banter is as entertaining as it is sensitive, and this is the kind of movie that you can enjoy late one night over a cup of hot cocoa, tucked up under the duvet, either alone or with a loved one. Their romance has its ups and downs although and we are kept guessing as to why their budding love story never seems to gain traction.

The only real weakness of the film is the misleading title. It is supposed to be a Cape Cod "Christmas" tale. Except the lush Autumn foliage suggests that shooting took place in October rather than late December! Or it is simply the warmest Cape Cod winter on record. But if one is willing to allow for the suspension of disbelief that the filmmakers ask of us, then the story will endear itself to all but the most cynical of viewers.

This film begins with a young woman named "Margot Bradford" (Katie Leclerc) arriving in Cape Cod to celebrate Christmas with her siblings one last time in their old home before having to put it on the market. Although she doesn't want to sell it, since she cannot afford to maintain it on her own and--because her brother and sister are more interested in the money it will bring--she doesn't feel like she has much choice in the matter. Not only that, but her stress is further compounded by the fact that, as an author of children's books, she has an upcoming deadline that is fast approaching, and her agent has become quite insistent about it as well. However, it's only after meeting her childhood boyfriend, "Christian Williams" (Brent Bailey) that the feelings of nostalgia really hit home. And her longing to remain increases. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that, while I don't consider this to be a bad movie by any means, I thought it suffered from a rather bland plot and--considering the fact that it's billed as a comedy--a lack of any real humor. Likewise, although I liked the acting of Katie Leclerc, I can't really say the same for anyone else and I have rated this film accordingly. Slightly below average.

One reviewer talked about presentation making a movie implying I think that the plot is not as important. I did think that the presentation was excellent. The snippets of remembering were a nice touch and contributed to an otherwise quiet pace.

Katie Leclerc and Brent Bailey have excellent chemistry and I look to relationship development in a movie to pick up where a plot is thin. In this case that relationship was nice, but the plot was still glaringly thin. Then the climax where the conflict is resolved just struck me as wrong. It was a surprise but only because it too was bland.

The acting was good enough but the dialog lacked any spark.

The movie itself is pretty good - definitely better than most. Nicely developed characters and a believable plot. There are often so many complications and disagreements when family members have to make a decision regarding the disposition of family property. So the plot may actually feel all too real and push some buttons and strike a nerve for come people.

But my biggest and most pleasant surprise was the scenery. The movie that takes place on Cape Cod, MA was actually filmed on Cape Cod. I live on the Cape, though not in Falmouth. I've gotten so sick of watching movies purportedly taking place on the Cape and the scenery always includes dense forests, high mountains and sheer rock faces on the mountainsides. Lovely scenery but couldn't be less like Cape Cod, which is basically a giant sandbar sticking out into the North Atlantic. It was so nice to see the characters walking Main St in Falmouth and visiting Eight Cousins Books, Coffee Obsession, Nobska Light, the many shops and galleries along Main, participating in the Main Street Christmas Stroll and I believe in the first establishing shots, seeing the dike road to Mashnee Island, where I think the family home - the crux of the plot - was located. It's a better than average movie and the authentic scenery is the frosting on the cake... or is it Christmas Pudding?