A Very Vermont Christmas

Almost halfway through. So far it's a bit cringe worthy. We like Katie Leclerc and Ryan McPartlin, however Katie seems to smile awkwardly at everything and Ryan's hair always looks a mess. Will have to see how it pans out but I'm betting the picture Zac takes with her recipes in the background will cause a problem going forward. Also, their "relationship" seemed to take all of three days to build into something serious. The ex, Greg is really creepy. Was going to DVR it but quite honestly we don't feel like it's worth a second viewing. If you like craft beers, you may find it interesting and if there's nothing else to do it's not the worst thing to watch.

This is one of the odder entries in the 2024 Hallmark holiday film lineup. It is all about microbrews and instead of mocking the snobbery, they have fully embraced it. I don't drink beer at all, so all of this craft brew nonsense was lost on me. In fact I think I might really dislike this film with its clear jealous villain, if it were not for its main leads.

This is about the rivalry of a big beer company and a small ma and pop craft brewery. The Ma and pop, now run by the ma and daughter is struggling until they enter a competition and come up with a holiday aka seasonal craft brew that the jealous ex-boyfriend steels and sells to the big beer company (in a totally ugly and unseasonable move).

This might be a good holiday film for someone, but it wasn't my cup of tea...which keeps me from recommending it.

It's not the usual Christmas fair or charity benefit or the usual Christmas memes Hallmark seems to rely on. Even though the family pub business is riding in the balance, it's not the centerap plot line. The "villain" even had their forgiveness in the end. I'm not sure I'd have been so generous if an old family friend and former boyfriend stole from me and sabotaged me knowing it would put me out of business. There was one BIG goof that will be noticed. The 2 leads wanted to get the first chair up the mountain but Lifty Lucy wouldn't let them ride until the stroke of 9AM, despite no one else being around to even know, let alone on line. Yet when they're riding up the mountain and the camera focuses on their conversation, every chair behind them is filled. And when the camera focuses on their backs as they continue moving up the hill, there are also people in the chairs ahead of them. How did they get there? Did they fly and land in the chairs like birds? Overall, it won't ever be counted as the best Christmas movie Hallmark has ever made. But it's far from the worst. The 2 leads would be welcome in more Hallmark films, especially since GAF poached some of their bench.

YET ANOTHER LET'S SAVE THE BUSINESS PLOT---hoo hum! Local champion skier and Vermont brew master team up as an unlikely match to create a seasonal microbrew, in order to save her family's business . First of all I didn't like how Katie Lynn Leclerc portrayed the main character, I found her cold, arrogant, and bossy, absolutely no warmth which created problems with chemistry with her and male star, Ryan McPartlin. The plot went into so much detail on the microbrew business I felt like I was applying for the job! Perhaps the writer did this because the plot is so simplestic which centers around a microbrew recipe. This whole movie is just too predicable and boring. Viewer beware this is 2 hours you will never get back!

The following could be true of all Hallmark movies. If you are a critical person or in a bad mood, all of the holes and faults noted elsewhere are true. You can not have a completely new plot after hundreds of xmas movies produced in the Hallmark formula. If you are in a good mood, you might enjoy the sweetness and predictability of this movie, rooting ahead of the plot twists. I am completely burnt out on these films, and can be intensely critical, but I still enjoyed it. The actors were relatable, not Emmy winners, but entirely appropriate for their roles. So, feeling good is still the mission for some of us who are not grinches.