A Very Merry Bridesmaid

This film had Sixteen Candle vibes all over it, brother's wedding...forgotten birthday. But instead of a sweet sixteen birthday it's a thirtieth birthday. Shockingly they picked someone as handsome as Jake Ryan.... I love Casey Deidrick! (Any Driven fans out there?)

Leah's brother Paul and his fiancé, Julia, plan her dream wedding...on Christmas Eve, which just happens to be Leah's thirtieth birthday. Julia has real ideas about her wedding and Paul is trying to create her dream and he needs his friends and everyone in the family to help. In all the commotion everyone had forgotten about Leah's birthday (sound familiar?), except Paul's best friend Drew...who just happens to be Leah's childhood crush.

Drew takes it upon himself to make Leah's birthday special, while respecting her wish not to bring it up to anyone else. Through the process...they get to catch up and relearn what makes the other one tick.

Leah hasn't done all of the things she had hoped to do by the age of thirty...and is a bit melancholy about it. Drew on the other hand has done the traveling that Leah missed out on and they both share a great fondness for his Nana who used to live across the street from Leah and Paul's childhood home in Roselake.

"Not gazebo in winter crazy."-Drew.

I really liked the familial love and sacrifice. I also love the friendships and the brother warning off his friends and warning his friend to not hurt his sister.

This was sweet and romantic...with lovely throwbacks to one of my favorite films of all time, Sixteen Candles. I highly, highly recommend seeing this over the holidays!

I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised with 'A Very Merry Bridesmaid'. There was no time-traveling train, no over-the-top Christmas contest, or no mistaken identity plot device used in this one. Instead, it is a low-key, or rather, a slow-paced romance, a romance with a genuine and authentic feel to it, which makes it stand out among the crowded room of Christmas movies this season. From the grounded script and superb acting to the surprisingly appealing cinematography, it is a nice new edition to Hallmark's 2021 Christmas movie line-up. The story centers on Leah (played by Emily Osment), owner of a shop called Worldly Charm. This Christmas Leah is quite busy. In addition to running her shop and worrying about her father's health, her brother Paul (played by Patch May) is getting married on Christmas Eve at home (and she is a bridesmaid, of course), which happens to be Leah's 30th birthday (yes, she has a Christmas Eve birthday). The good news is that Leah's childhood crush Drew (played by Casey Deidrick) has returned home from abroad to act as the best man in the wedding and sort out his late grandmother's estate. Drew, who is determined to make Leah's 30th birthday special, starts spending time with Leah, helping her with this busy season. Will they develop a romantic connection before Drew leaves town for another adventure and journey abroad? At the heart of this story is the relationship that develops between Drew and Leah. The writers do a splendid job of developing the relationship thru the dialogue and interaction between the two. It feels real, it feels grounded. Given that the story/movie spends a significant amount of time developing this relationship, the viewer can actually watch it develop and grow on-screen, which is something many of the 84 minute Christmas rom-coms/romances lack. This also allows the writers to spend time developing these two characters and their backstories, which makes it easier to engage with the story and connect with the characters. Naturally, what makes this all work on-screen is the acting, which, overall, is very good. Osment has an impressive performance in this one. She brings so much warmth and feeling to the role of Leah. At the same time, she does a brilliant job of capturing Leah's disappointments and acceptance of how things are thru a touch of melancholy in her performance. The combination makes Leah's character quite loveable, I felt. Similarly, Deidrick's portrayal of Drew has a warm, gentle, and caring vibe to it, which is appealing on-screen. The chemistry between the two is very strong. You could feel the emotion and connection between them. Plus, there is a pretty hot and heavy kissing scene, if you had any doubts. Finally, the movie has a nice Christmas feel to it, and there is even a little history/trivia on the Christmas Eve flower, the poinsettia. All in all, 'A Very Merry Bridesmaid' is a warm and sweet Christmas romance with two very charming leads. I highly recommend it for those looking for a bit of (slow-paced) romance this holiday season.

I loved how deep the story went into the background relationship between Leah and Drew. It was fun to see them making alfajores and Emily Osment looked great in all the blue comfy-looking sweaters. I really don't think they needed to explain what a milestone birthday is three times, but whatever. Also, who would have their wedding on their sister's/future sister-in-law's birthday? That said, they did a good job not making Julia seem like bridezilla (for example, she apologizes very quickly when she thinks she may have offended the family and is not quick to blame or yell at the airline associates on the phone). I thought the line about someone putting the ornaments on the tree before the lights was pretty funny!

Despite the lost wedding dress, this movie is mostly upbeat. No one is about to lose their job or under pressure to achieve something for a promotion. There are no great highs or lows or tension. As a result, the movie is about the relationships, and it does a pretty good job there.

I thought the chemistry between Emily Osment as Leah and Casey Deidrick as Drew was quiet but good. Also, Emily shines in her unselfishness kindness toward Julia.

There were some nice moments, some sweet and some funny. The reveal moment by the brother Paul to his bride was nicely done. The first presentation at the wedding dinner was a little different and also sweet. The car driving up to the house after the wedding was a cute touch. Some or all of these things may have been predictable, but they were still nice.

All in all, many little things added up to an enjoyable movie. I will probably watch this again when it comes around next year.

A Very Merry Bridesmaid (2021) -

This film contained a believable romance that was delivered with aptitude by two good actors. I felt their interest in one another and I liked it. I also liked the whole setup of the film and the structure of the wedding as the backdrop.

Drew, played by Casey Deidrick was hotttt!!! I look forward to seeing more of him when I finally catch up on the 'Teen Wolf' (2011-7) TV series and I will look for his other appearances too. It was nice to see a new face for a change and a handsome one to boot.

Even Paul (Patch May) was cute in a wonky kind of way, a bit 'Samwise Gamgee' almost.

Emily Osment was quite a lot to take, playing Leah, but definitely likeable and I was happy for her to get together with Drew. I have been wanting a lot of the leading men to get together with the brothers and other players in many of the latest films I've seen, because there has been no chemistry between the leads whatsoever, so it was nice to feel that they worked more on this occasion.

Julie (Frances Leigh) however was high maintenance. Just because her parents had died, she was treated like a spoiled brat. I mean get over it! She was also quite an annoying actor. I did feel sorry that she was abandoned a lot throughout the film though. After all, according to Darlene Love, nobody wants to be alone at Christmas.

One criticism that I have for the films released this year is that last year they actually released some films with same sex leading couples, but this year they just seem to be saturating all of the other films that they've made, like this one, with sideline LGBTQ+ characters. I've actually started lesbian spotting, because they seem to be in them the most.

They also need to stop using mistletoe as an excuse to kiss as well, or at the very least, less often, because it suggests that they don't really want to do it otherwise, which makes things awkward and harder to believe and it's slightly lazy on the part of the writer.

I did love the fact that there was actually real snow used for a change, even if it was a bit inconsistent. Either that or it was a brilliant facsimile.

But, I don't care how many patio heaters they squeezed in to that tent at the end, it would be way too cold to sit outside in December in a place that was already coated with snow.

Also, I laughed when I saw the note in the Sex and Nudity section about cleavage, but those babies really were out there for everyone to see. Yikes! As I'm not a boob fan I had to look away, but be warned that they're there.

It was a nice film though. Charmingly filled with love and the season, without going over the top and apart from Julie everyone delivered well.

7/10.