L'Héritage de Noël

An American-Canadian romantic drama; A story about a man who becomes suspicious why his late father left his nurse a large sum of money after knowing her for less than two months. A formulaic Hallmark-style TV movie, but it will appeal to most people's festive feeling, knocking many of the bigger and more sickly-sweet Christmas films out of the park. The story dries up like a leftover box of Eat Me dates by the end, but the big reveal and the predictable ending were satisfying - damn it - I didn't think it would get me, but it did! Autumn Reeser and David Haydn-Jones deliver good performances.

While settling his father's estate, Finn Conrad becomes suspicious as to why the man left a nurse $1000,000. Just before Christmas, Finn wants what to reclaim what he considers his family's money, going undercover to investigate the nurse who is know vacationing at a bed and breakfast which happened to be paid for by his dad.

I have become a huge David Haydn-Jones fan. I have seen him in a few Christmas movies now and he is one of the best.

What was nice about this story is "Nobody" in this film comes across as a villain but in reality there is one.

My problem with this film is that the deceased father abandoned his children and never saw them again.

Throughout my whole Christmas film completest quest undertaken since late 2019, an interesting quest but very mixed one, there was never the mentality of expecting a classic or the film in question to be flawless. Something that was never managed with Hallmark's output. There was however always the expectation of seeing a film where one can see at least some effort rather than merely cash-in level. One could see that with enough of Hallmark's output but not all.

'A Bramble House Christmas' is not a Christmas classic, but seeing it the amount of effort that went into it was more than evident throughout. Hallmark's Christmas output has been very variable, the best ones being surprisingly well done and the worst being terrible. 'A Bramble House Christmas' in many ways is one of their overall best, with almost everything done remarkably well and only a couple of things done imperfectly which was not unexpected in a way.

Have never expected much originality from Hallmark, and attempts at doing something different were quite rare. 'A Bramble House Christmas' is not much of an exception, with the story being yet another variation on a very familiar and still done to death (for Hallmark) formula. So story-wise it is rather predictable with some slow spots here and there.

Perhaps the ending is a touch on the pat side, common with Hallmark. Do have to agree too that one character's change of heart does not make much sense (if there was any explanation provided it did escape me), is revealed too suddenly.

On the other hand, there is a lot to love here. Autumn Reeser is immensely engaging as Willa, a character that is more identifiable than most female lead characters, she doesn't overdo it while also having none of the going through the motions quality. David Haydn-Jones is even better, doing sympathetic in a very nuanced way and it is very easy to see the character's appeal. The Hallmark festive films are very variable when it comes to the chemistry between their two leads, 'A Bramble House Christmas' is an example of the warm and genuine kind that develops realistically if not perhaps deeply. The rest of the cast are strong too, with a scene stealing Teryl Rothery and adorable Liam Hughes particularly impressing.

Moreover, the production values still manage to be great, one of the best looking Hallmark festive films of that year. It's not too drab or garish in photography, the editing didn't seem rushed or disorganised and the scenery has a real charm to it. Most of the soundtrack is nostalgic and appealing to listen to, capturing the festive spirit well. Hallmark had a real habit of over-scoring their films but that's not as much the case here. The script just about avoids being corny and saccharine, both of which are common for Hallmark, and the story is mostly very engaging, easy to be uplifted by and heart-warming. Did like the characters too and they came over as more real than a lot of Hallmark Christmas films.

Concluding, really liked it on the whole. 8/10

Sometimes a story doesn't have to have twists and surprises to be worth watching, especially if it is told well. This story has a somewhat unusual approach yet relies on some traditional plot devices. Some minor mysteries are revealed along the way, but there are no great surprises.

Autumn Reeser, as Willa, is a special mom of a special boy, Liam Hughes as Scout. Willa has had to struggle both emotionally and financially as her young son has had a heart transplant from which he is finally fully recovered. Since she has no special skills or qualifications, paying back the bills has been a burden for her. Yet this quiet and kindhearted lady is special in that she makes the lives of people around her better. She did that for Mr. Conrad in his final days, and he rewarded her in his will. He gives her a chance to explore her future by taking away her debt and paying for a week at Bramble House.

Mr. Conrad's estranged son sets out to prove that Willa has conned his father. Intending to confront her, instead he gets to know her and it's not hard to figure what happens from there. As the movie goes on we find out more about that estrangement and the wounds it has left in him.

We find other characters worth knowing. There is Mable, the owner of Bramble House and her niece and great niece and a male guest. The story weaves them all together with Willa as the heart that binds them.

There are some beautiful sets of Christmas decorations both at the Inn and around town. The acting is good.

This is based upon a book titled the same, which I haven't read yet but might do so next Christmas. They say that books are always better, so perhaps I need to check it out and put it on my list of goals since reading is one of my new year's goals and it would be perfect to read it before we watch it again next year. We all know that Hallmark repeats their previous year's movies unless it is Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening (premiere time) when they play their new movies (during the holiday season). But about the movie, it's worth a viewing and I might watch again next year as well.