Il mio trentesimo Natale

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!

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.

Leah Taylor (Emily Osment)'s birthday is Christmas Eve. For this year, it's her 30th and it's also her brother Paul's wedding. Her childhood neighbor and crush Drew Vaughn (Casey Deidrick) is back in town as the best man and more importantly for him, her birthday. The wedding plans get changed and Leah's birthday takes a backseat. It's often the case that her dreams take a backseat like traveling the world.

Emily is adorably cute and this is a very sweet couple. It has all the elements of a Hallmark Christmas romance and not much more. This is perfectly fine and probably better than most.

Leah's "milestone" 30th birthday is coming up on Christmas Eve, the same day her brother is getting married. She is a little down because she thought that by now, she would have made more of a success of her life like the rest of her family. In particular she has never acted on her life long dream of travel. In addition, she has a feeling that her family is going to forget this most important birthday because of all of the excitement over her brothers wedding. Holy Molly Ringwald in Sweet Sixteen!

When she confides in her childhood friend and former crush, Drew, who is also visiting town, he decides to do something special with her almost daily to help her celebrate. In the background we learn that the reason why she hasn't done more with her life is that she is afraid to leave her Dad, who has had a few health scares. The airline has lost her brother's fiance's wedding dress, sending it to all the wrong destinations. "Her dress is better traveled than I am!". The fiancé is a type A personality and though nice, is a little picky and difficult. Her brother has decided to "surprise" her by buying back her beloved childhood home and changing the wedding venue to there from Leah's parent's home behind her back. So there's some cloak and dagger going on while the fiancé is getting more and more anxious that her wedding won't be perfect and something is being kept from her. Also, Drew has decided to sell his Nana's home because he no longer has ties to the community and that makes everyone sad, including Drew.

In summarizing the plot, it sounds like there is a lot going on, but there really isn't. This one doesn't aim for high comedy or drama. It is gentle and low-key, yet I wasn't bored. There were a lot of layers to the story and doesn't always take the obvious path. Drew and Leah's love story takes center stage and it is sweet. It develops slowly and tentatively but was engaging and romantic. The chemistry ended up being very strong. I felt the uncertainty and the emotion. The climax is touching and I loved the ending which wound everything up in a creative and upbeat way instead of with a lone chaste kiss. I must add, parenthetically, that Hallmark and the clones have really jazzed up the kisses this year.

2021 was very inconsistent for Hallmark, not just their Christmas output but also all their seasonal blockings (the Summer Nights output being particularly so). But the standard could have been a lot worse, especially when they wouldn't have been able to have been made if the pandemic worsened. When the films were good, and there were plenty of those that year (a few of them having some not so appealing premises on paper), they were lovely. When the films missed, and again quite a lot fitted that distinction, they were mediocre or less (the worst terrible).

Quite a lot were also in between. For me, 'A Very Merry Bridesmaid' was one of the better faring 2021 Christmas Hallmark films but somewhere around high middle when it came to their 2021 Hallmark output overall. Really appreciated that it focused a lot on relationships and real life issues, and this is where the film is at its strongest, and wasn't as formulaic as the usual Hallmark Christmas film, though it may be a little too quiet and slow for others and understandably so.

'A Very Merry Bridesmaid' has a lot of good things. The best aspect is the performance of Emily Osment, she's not worked in every film but she more often than not has, and she gives a very deeply felt and charming performance here that never resorts to over-playing or taking it too seriously. After seeing so many female lead characters in Hallmark and Lifetime films where they are really difficult to get behind and have their negative characteristics taken to extremes, it was really appreciated that her character here was likeable and identifiable. She has a subtle yet genuine chemistry (one that actually grows and realistically) with equally charming and sympathetic Casey Deidrick, am not as familiar with him but he impressed me enough to be interested in seeing more of his work.

The supporting cast all give solid well grounded performances and the characters feel more real and easier to relate to than what is usually seen with Hallmark. It is attractive visually, shot with a slick look and with lovely scenery. The music doesn't intrude and isn't over-scored or used too much, while not having any memorable themes. The writing is mature and well meaning, it could have done with a lighter edge at times but it flows well and isn't heavy or schmaltzy. The story is very warm and heart-warming with serious subjects dealt with honestly, the relationships explored well fleshed out and with heart.

It is not a perfect film by all means. Did think that it was too over deliberate later on and could have afforded to let itself go more and have more light-hearted moments, the material being taken a little too seriously at times.

Did think too that the final act did lack tension and was on the too polite side, culminating in a touching and more creative than usual but still slightly too neat and not too hard to figure out ending.

Otherwise, liked it quite a lot. 7/10.