I must admit, this one was a pleasant surprise. I'll start by stating that the budget for this movie was not very high. So, do not expect a Hallmark production. That said, the plain and simple nature of the film was rather refreshing and placed much of the focus on the dialogue and interaction between the actors. All in all, it is a lovely little Christmas movie. The storyline revolves around Scarlet (played by Kristi McKamie), an NYC veterinarian who heads home to Vermont for Christmas with her son Milo (played by Pono Say) to visit her father (played by Michael Swan). While home, she meets Josh (played by Jonathan Stoddard), a doctor who relocated to Vermont to get away from the city. She also begins to reconnect with her roots, helping her father with his practice doing house calls on the Vermont countryside. At the heart of the script, are the dialogue and interactions between Scarlet and her father, Scarlet and Josh, and Milo and his grandfather. In all three cases, the writer doe a pretty good job creating a warm and authentic story. My only real critique regarding the script was that the relationship between Scarlet and Josh developed too quickly, climaxing in the roller skating scene, which seemed forced as a result. The acting was strong. Both McKamie and Stoddard are new faces on screen for me. Both had convincing performances, with some nice scenes together. Some good chemistry too. Swan (as Mitch, the father) too had a strong performance. I especially liked the back and forth between him and Scarlet, and him and his grandson Milo. At times, these were cute and heartfelt. Though not a Hallmark production, the movie does a pretty good job of getting you into the Christmas spirit via some fun and festive scenes. Overall, this is a charming Christmas movie. Well worth a watch if you are looking for something plain and simple.
