Miracle in Bethlehem, PA

7.9 stars.

The most refreshing part of this film is the arguments between the lead male and his recent ex-girlfriend. What a breath of fresh air. I can't recall the last time Hallmark had actual scenes of conflict at this level of escalation, mainly the ex girlfriend is for real yelling at him, like you see in movies with genuine drama - movies other than the usual Hallmark, Family, UP. I am still surprised and it's what makes this film stand out amongst the rest, literally 600+ Hallmark films I've seen, this is a first.

The emphasis is also a bit above and beyond the norm. 'Miracle in Bethlehem, PA.' has a very inspirational and religious feeling to it. There is a focus on how most of the characters believe in the God of Christianity, and they pray for miracles and for good things, and of course, before meals.

A hot-shot single white female lawyer is finally able to adopt a baby. She's been waiting for over a year on a long list of recipients who are generally unable to have children of their own. She has had difficulty being selected due to her single status. Once she finally picks up the baby from a hospital four hours away from her home in the city, she is on her way back when a snow storm hits the east coast. She is now stuck in some podunk town called Bethlehem, PA (of all names) and can't stay at the inn (because there is literally no room anywhere), but she doesn't stay with the animals and her baby is not in a manger, but you get the point. This "loser" of a guy (really he's just mourning the loss of his dad who died fairly recently) takes her into his home until the storm passes and the roads are cleared. The two of them bond, but what's really nice is the narrative is unique and uplifting. We get a really good feeling from all the characters and the events and storyline flow. The lead male's sister has a son, about seven years old, and she's pregnant and very bossy. The rest of the characters are undeveloped. All ends well, as is the typical Hallmark "happily ever after" theme, but the road is bumpy due to the lead female's apparent lack of trust in anyone or anything (especially her family-her mother in particular). We don't really know why she's so cynical, but it's probably due to her ex-husband who left her because she was unable to have children.

P. S. The supporting female sister is a well known Hallmark regular who can't seem to land a leading role, and I suspect she never will. Also, there is a lot of discordant singing. The lead male's character is supposedly the lead singer of a band, but you can tell that he can't carry a tune. And the church choir was way off key. But maybe that's part of the charm, making this whole experience seem more legitimate.

A /Miracle In Bethlehem/PA. (2023) -

I'm not one for God bothering, the closest I get is asking my Grandad in Heaven to find me a parking space. As such and based on the title I hadn't expected to necessarily make it to the end of this film which was clearly framed around the Nativity story and yes there were a lot of references to that including the leading characters named Mary Ann (Laura Vandervoort) and Joe (Benjamin Ayres).

However, despite the fact that there were a few times where it got a bit heavy for my tastes, talking about their wonderful Lord, for the most part it was fairly subtle, which I thought was a great idea to keep the standard, less church going viewer watching. I always find it hard to get excited about a relationship when they give all the credit to almighty upstairs. I don't mind it being a bit magic and fate taking a hand, but having Faith in anything has been hard for me for a long time and worshipping a God that sends so much pain has never really made sense to me either. So anyway I liked that about it.

Otherwise the story of a snow storm trapping Mary Ann, with her new baby, in a small town where the inn was full and her only choice was to stay with the innkeeper's Brother Joe was quite sweet and I did like the leading actors.

Mr Ayres in his role of Joe was scruffy but handsome and roguishly charming. Although his breathy rasping was not what I would call proper singing. It was hard to believe that had been a previous career for him. It can't be that hard to find handsome actors that can sing please???

The singer in the church at the end was not the best choice either.

As for Laura, she was great at showing the feelings of her character Mary Ann, her torment from her last relationship and her warmth towards baby Natalie as well as her growing bond with Joe. I might have liked to have seen her with Natalie a bit more though. I supposed that was due to time constraints, which is where the rigid formulaic nature of these films lets them down. Another five or ten minutes to show her strength as a Mother would have been really beneficial to the story, because as it was it did make it look a bit like she needed a man to help her raise the baby which was sort of opposite to what her character was trying to say.

And personally I could never be away from my Mum at Christmas, so I will never understand that these people can do that? Again that is an element of these films that has always felt wrong to me, although it probably does make any reunions that they DO have sweeter?

In the end I felt that the religious bits had worked appropriately and that I'd watched something quite lovely.

7.63/10.

There has been a lot of revisionist Hallmark history going on and this movie highlights it. This movie is basically an allegory about the traditional story of the birth of Jesus, complete with The Bethlehem Star Inn, Mary (Ann), Joe, Goldie, Frankie, and Grandma Myrtle, an old barn, and even a Wise Man, a guy named Shephard and a dog named Donkey. The story is about a new adoptive mother (told the good news that her baby is ready for pick-up by a woman named Gabriella) who is caught in a snowstorm and has to bunk in with Joe because all of the hotel rooms are filled. In short, it is a very Christian religion-centric movie where the leads actually talk about their faith and God, and quote the bible.

Some seem to think that Bill Abbott and his GAF network somehow scared Hallmark back to faith-based programming when actually the opposite is true. It was under Abbott's leadership that Hallmark got away from more faith-based programming. Here is a quote from him about Hallmark in 2019 in answering why Hallmark seems to snub other religions and traditions:

"...we don't look at Christmas from a religious point of view, it's more a seasonal celebration. Once you start to slice it more finely within individual religions it's a little bit tougher to necessarily tell that story in a way that doesn't involve religion and we always want to stay clear of religion or controversy."

It was under *his* guidance that Hallmark cut out Christianity from Christmas. To the point that there were no more Christmas Carols that sung about God or Jesus. What forced him out of Hallmark was the incorporation of gay and lesbian couples and more racial diversity, not that he wanted to put on "Family and Faith-based programming." At Hallmark, he was all about keeping movies secular with no God or Jesus involved in Christmas movies. Needless to say, he has now changed his tune.

Now that Abbott is gone, Hallmark is returning to its faith-based roots with some of its movies and outdoing GAF at its own game. This movie, and many other movies since he left exemplify that in large ways and small (religious Christmas Carols are finally back.) Hallmark is incorporating the traditions and beliefs of other cultures and groups Including but not limited to Christians, both conservative and liberal. You can pick and choose which movies appeal to you and watch just those, or embrace all of them. At least, with Hallmark, you have a choice.

This was a delightful story of healing and courage and faith. We truly enjoyed it.

A nice surprise from Hallmark. Reminiscent of early years HM movies when faith was part of the story.

Loved the family support, grace in healing of relationships, and the loving way the adoption process was handled.

If your Christmas includes Christ and His birth, you will enjoy this movie.

It also addresses single parenting challenges, and forgiving past hurts.

We highly recommend this movie. It was a nice change from the cookie cutter storylines; a sweet, tender love story.

Thank you, Hallmark, for airing this one!

A touching and moving drama, with a bit of humor, this one may be the best of the Christmas 2023 movies. An inclusion of family, unafraid to represent religious beliefs along with a marvelous music score. Many of the beliefs that fans of Hallmark have watched dissipate over the years will be glad at the there's presented.

Bringing joy to parts of life that produced failure, the movie allows the audience to look up and forward, while the writers did not negate the struggles that people experience in life. The movie works and is likely to be a favorite for many years to come.

Great acting, writing and production.