Five Star Christmas

This was a great Christmas movie. I really enjoyed this one. The story is unique, which is a plus for a Hallmark movie. There is even a twist to the plot, which is revealed about 50 minutes into the film. It was a bit of a surprise for me. The script was well-written. During the first 30 minutes of the film, I found myself laughing out loud multiple times, which is something I rarely do during a Hallmark movie. The family pretending to be the guests, staff and the chef was quite good. Some very funny scenes here. For an 84-minute film, the writers did a pretty good job as well developing the sub-plots: Amber and her mother's cooking; the father and Beth's romance; and Annie and Will's future baby. Overall, the acting was very strong. Bethany Joy Lenz (playing Lucy) had a very good performance. She has always done well in Hallmark films; they are some of my favorites. Victor Webster (playing Jake), another Hallmark regular, had a pretty good performance too. The chemistry between the two was good, I thought. I was a bit surprised with the kiss at the fair scene between the two; they usually wait to the end of the film to do this. The Elvis Blue Christmas scene was very warm/cute as well. I have said this many times on here, Hallmark usually does a very good job casting the supporting roles in their films. The supporting cast in this one was brilliant. Jay Brazeau (playing Walter, the grandfather) and Paula Shaw (playing Margo, the grandmother) were my favorites. They had some fun scenes. For example, Margo's entrance at the beginning, along with her funny accent, was entertaining. I thought too that Robert Wisden (playing Ted, the father) and Laura Soltis (playing Beth) had solid performances; the scene, towards the end, where Ted confesses his interest in Beth, comes to mind. The scenery, props, and sets were well-polished and quite festive. The festive spirit of the film worked well. The tree decoration scene, the taffy making scene, the Christmas festival scenes, and the Christmas morning scene (at the end) all were fun and festive (with some good Christmas music). I even learned a bit about candy canes to boot. Overall, this is a fun, warm, and festive Christmas movie, a nice new edition to Hallmarks 2020 lineup. I highly recommend this one.

The supporting cast totally made this movie! They were so fun and entertaining.

Have said many times about my love of Christmas and getting a lot of pleasure out of in particular watching films, cartoons and specials during this period, something that most years has been much needed. Wanted to see some more festive films that were more recent, lower in budget and were not childhood favourites, so in a way to broaden my horizons and have been doing so since November 2019. The idea of the film did sound predictable and similar to other hotel etc-set Lifetime/Hallmark films.

The 2020 output from Hallmark did vary in quality but was not near as bad or wildly uneven as it could have been. None of the films from the batch were really terrible, and a small handful of them were actually very good. One of the best, maybe a strong contender for the best, was 'Five Star Christmas'. The setting and basic scenario sounded quite familiar, but 'Five Star Christmas' actually managed to be one of the few Christmas films in recent years to do something different to the usual (namely with it being more comedic than most).

It drags ever so slightly in the final quarter and the married sister subplot wasn't as compelling or as well developed as the rest of the film.

'Five Star Christmas' has so much that is great on the other hand. It looks lovely, have nearly always loved the scenery in Hallmark films (especially their Christmas output) and it is beautiful here and filmed very lovingly. The music is appropriately festive and doesn't come over as intrusive or overdone, which is not the case with many other Hallmark films.

Was very surprised at how good the script was. It was not cheesy. It was not too sentimental or over-schmaltzy, while having touching well intended moments. It also doesn't sound forced, with the conflict being much better written than most conflicts for Hallmark. What surprised me was the comedy, it was a big surprise that there was any but it was even more of a surprise that the comedy was actually funny and at its best hilarious. As far as Hallmark films go, 'Five Star Christmas' is one of the funniest and in a way that always feels natural and not strained.

Also liked that the story was a lot less predictable or formulaic than most Hallmark Christmas films, especially the conflict which is not forced or easily telegraphed this time. There is a good deal going on, but it doesn't feel too much, almost all the subplots work and the chemistry (especially the central romance) is genuine all round. It is also very heart-warming and never comes over as too heavy, with plenty of light heart. Great to see characters that were interesting and worth caring for. Bethany Joy Lenz is terrific and the heart of the film, and she is just as much a joy in her chemistry with charming Victor Webster in one of his better performances. Loved the grandparents, so entertaining and endearing. Paula Shaw coming very close to stealing the show.

Overall, very well done and highly recommended. 8/10.

A man and his family put on a good face for an incognito critic who visits their B&B.

This Hallmark holiday romance has a strong cast, featuring Bethany Joy Lenz as Lucy Ralston, daughter of the owner of the Ralston Inn.

This film has elements of comedy combined with heartwarming moments. It also has a gentle tone and a slower pace.

I really enjoyed this film! Of the 2020 Hallmark Holiday film offerings, this one was one of my two favorite ("Holly and Ivy", being the other). I loved the script, the sets, and most of all, the chemistry of the entire acting ensemble. It made me laugh, which felt good, especially after this year!. Bethany Joy Lenz never disappoints, and always delivers. I wrote a quick note to the production company, echoing my sentiments here, and wondering if(hoping) we might see a sequel of the continuing adventures and goings-on at the Ralston family B&B for Christmas 2021.

Cheers!