B&B Merry

7.5 stars.

I wasn't smiling much watching this installment of a Christmas family Hallmark romance genre... What we have in this story is a woman who does travel blogs, she visits hotels and B&B's and motels and all those places where people get lodged up. She has traveled all over the world and has a fairly popular website. Two competitors land on her docket so she has to compare them simultaneously. One is a small town family B&B and the other is the competition, a major large chain hotel in the same town, not known for charm, caters to wealthy and such. She is conflicted and falling in love with the owner of the B&B's son, and there we have the usual Hallmark/Family production.

The acting is very good, the drama is serious, the feelings are real. I like this sort of story, I don't need all the fluff and smiles. This type of movie works for me, albeit it's not making me ecstatic edge of my seat happy, but I'm entertained and satisfied. I like it when these two leads are serious, they are very good at portraying these emotions. Pleasantly surprised.

I enjoy holiday movies any time of year. I also enjoy romantic comedies involving the holidays, such as is the premise of this movie. Unfortunately, although the plot and theme of the movie was attractive, I never saw or felt any chemistry between the leads. I especially felt that Graham was just going through the lines, no emotion, no connection and no chemistry at all. , I never got the warm, touching, and feel good emotions that I generally get when watching the Hallmark movies. If only the chemistry would have been there and perhaps Grahams part could have been written better or played by a different actor, but I don't think even that would have made that much difference. Sorry, but that's the truth.

Once the premise is set up, this movie follows the usual lines for a movie in this genre. The premise has a tiny twist on blogger sent to review a place to stay in a small town. In this movie, Tracey has already accepted an invitation to a struggling B&B as an independent reviewer on a romantic getaway. But a big magazine offers to hire her for a review on another more traditional hotel in the same town. She figures she can do both, ignoring the obvious conflict of interest. So as she checks into the B&B, she has one secret but quickly adds a second - her boyfriend breaks up with her while she is literally on the porch before checking in.

From there the usual stuff unfolds. The break-up secret is revealed quickly and actually generates some sympathy. It also makes her available romantically. There are Christmas activities. There are discussions with intimate friends or relatives about the fact that there is no romance. Tracey helps Graham make the inn more appealing. They decide to revive a Christmas dance tradition. There is an expected conflict and the resolution is much the same as many movies with a similar premise.

This movie is family friendly. The acting is decent. The dialogue is also, but not sparkling. There is chemistry between Jen Lilly and Jesse Hutch. Once aspect was overplayed. Graham's mom and aunt who really run the inn go overboard drastically in doing things for Tracey in the name of hospitality. Were I the guest here I would run away from the intrusive attention.

From the moment I saw who the two leads were, I knew it would this would an enjoyable movie. The two lead actors are top notch and I recognize them from previous viewing. I really like Jen Lilley. She is delightful and so pretty. I mean really so very Interesting to watch ! I have seen Jesse Hutch in other things and he's definitely a good actor because he's got range and he doesn't play the same character twice like some of the more typical ham and cheese leading men do. The plot is nothing new . Another typical love story with Christmas as just the back drop. Normally these bore me to tears. The plot is very predictable. However, the great acting makes up for it. It's well paced and the scenery is great. I will probably watch it again.

If you want a stupid but cute Christmas movie, this is a decent option. The acting is not the greatest, the lines sound very mechanical and the reactions are sometimes way too much (seem more like a child movie), but it is very Christmasy and overall it has a positive vibe and a festive atmoshere : what you look for in the end while watching this kind of movies. The lead actrice managed to be both cute and annoying in the same time because of her way-too-much reactions. Aprart from that, the story is ok, adapted to the year we live in, beautiful decoration and beautiful image. If you don't expect too much from it, you won't be dissapointed.