Christmas on Cherry Lane

There's so much in here about families and how Christmas brings out the best and worst in them, that it almost feels like the writer is presenting a theory and philosophy of family Christmas.

It's one of the most interesting and innovative of the "family Christmas" sub-genre of Christmas movies that I've seen.

That said, there is an awful lot going on here and I got a little lost as I wasn't paying full attention. Not least because the description I read didn't make it clear that events are happening at different times in the same location. So I was struggling, at times, to work out precisely how the various characters spanned the 3 time periods.

For the first twenty minutes of this movie, before the commercial break I was lost. Or maybe disinterested is a better term. Then it closes before the break and says that the three stories we were watching are all actually happening on different timelines. Great, sounds fun. No. It's a slog. The stories are interconnected through the house the ALL live (or lived) in, but it doesn't really come together until the final five minutes of the movie, which left me a lot of time to wonder why I should keep watching. For a movie with Jonathan Bennett, I thought we'd see some funny moments, but no, it was all serious future-dad, fancy dinner chef drama. John Brotherton and Erin Cahill could have just had the whole movie to themselves and we'd have all been better off for it. And another thing, you don't keep having to mention "high oil prices" to tell us the year the events are taking place. We get it . . . Oil crisis. We just don't care.

I didn't pay enough attention to the trailer that preceded this film's release during the week. This is one Hallmark film where the ending doesn't matter as much as what happens in each of the three stories. This film has sweet and relatable stories, and as is the way with Hallmark, love still takes center stage. Note: If you're a bit drowsy or are overly distracted, perhaps wait till you're not to watch, otherwise you'll likely miss the smattering of clues to help you understand what's going on with each of the three stories. With a large stellar cast, this film is not your typical Hallmark movie. Love that Hallmark is working hard to ensure ensure representation in story lines as well in casting.

I was a huge Good Witch fan (I wish more of those were being made) and I love Catherine Bell and James Denton, which is why I was excited to see them together in a Hallmark holiday film. So, I came for the two of them...but found myself enjoying quite another storyline instead, that of John Brotherton (John Hamilton) and Erin Cahill (Lizzie). John and Lizzie play a couple who have just moved into their first home, expecting a new baby, money is tight, they haven't unpacked, and Lizzie's big family descends on them for Christmas when they expect to have a quiet Christmas Eve just themselves. Funny and real with each other, this was definitely the story at the heart of this film.

Cleverly the writers tied three stories in three different time periods together in the same house...and with some of the same people, like their neighbor on Cherry Lane played exceptionally by the same actress in all three time periods.

There were some inaccuracies with their time frames, but they did try to throw in some time period specific notes...like the oil crisis and a hallmark keepsake Christmas ornament. I appreciated having a foster child pay it forward and make another foster kid's Christmas special. That was a really nice touch.

This wasn't really a romance, but it was a family drama. If you like holiday family dramas then this might be for you.

This is really interesting that I'm saying this about a Hallmark movie. That's because it's incredibly different from any other Hallmark movie. Yes, they have the love. Yes they have all the other blah blah blah, yada yada yada. But I love the way that they took three different storylines from three different years in the same house and tied them all together. You just don't see that sort of thing these days. And, just when you think you've got it all figured out, they throw you a curveball. I like a nice curveball. I like it when a movie keeps me on my toes and I don't honestly see what's coming till almost the end. That's why I'm giving this one 10 out of 10. Well done whoever wrote this one.