Christmas at Plumhill Manor

This film made me laugh a lot! The leads both did well with their insane plot and managed to be quite charming. As soon as she gets to England the mad accents and cliches are just great - the annoying housekeeper(maybe? She seems to do everything in the village) who's insanely scottish despite this being suffolk, the pub scenes, the bell ringing, the xmas pudding class, the hero's pet lamb - all completely mental. Many things make no sense - why focus so much on the gardening when it's all wrong? The "snowdrops" that aren't (they're aquilegias) and it is clearly summer flowers everywhere, and the plastic poinsettias they plant up...plus the "norman" arch that is gothic, a hidden "castle", some really strange ideas about "residential taxes" that don't exist in the UK, no concept of planning laws for historic buildings and yet then a bizarre fantasy about the national trust saving the day (if only that was really possible!). I really enjoyed it! Well worth watching! I can see the manor exterior and gardens is the beautiful Crow's Hall in Suffolk as others have said, but none of the interior scenes look very convincingly old. Just adds to the weirdness! Enjoy!

I liked this movie. The lead actress is brilliant, the manor house pretty and the scene stealer is cute kid Beatrice who is one to watch. She was perfect despite a limited role and the total lack of any other children at all to bounce off.

The filming should have taken place in winter and aside from some of Ipswich in Christmas lights this was mostly achieved with a filter over summer flowers - if you're a gardener it will grate that the poinsettias being repotted are clearly plastic ones and the beautiful snowdrops are actually white aquilegia.

The ensemble had fun making it and didn't take themselves too seriously, and norshould you. Switch off your brain, be thankful for a budget movie with the sole aim of bringing wish fulfilment and good cheer for all it's many flaws it was filmed in Suffolk and people from here will recognise that. The black horse pub in Ipswich you can visit if ever you're at the New Wolsey theatre. Support the arts in UK and in Suffolk and enjoy!

"Christmas at Plumhill Manor" repackages the typical Hallmark holiday formula-saving an inheritance, a hotel, or a farm-but this time it's set in an old English manor. The film maintains the usual cheerful holiday spirit, although the character Jackie was particularly annoying, and didn't quite resonate as a believable figure from England-perhaps more fitting for a remote Scottish village.

What really detracted from the film's authenticity was its disregard for local UK laws regarding historical properties. Most buildings from the 1700 to 1840 period are listed in the UK, meaning they cannot be modernized in ways that alter their historical character, such as changing windows or doors, or even repainting. The film overlooks these restrictions, which is a significant oversight given the plot revolves around preserving and potentially upgrading a manor.

Additionally, the film misrepresents UK property tax laws, UK has no property tax, just a stamp duty paid once upon the acquisition of a new property such as a VAT, there is inheritance tax exemptions for listed buildings or for non UK domiciled individuas, and the only debt possible would be by not paying the local council tax (used for garbage collection and maintenance of various local public spaces such as schools, libraries, parks, roads and more). But even this would cause the fury of the local council to summon you to court after missing two payments. Years of unpaid council tax is very unlikely.

This lack of attention to detail might not trouble everyone, but for those familiar with UK laws, it breaks the immersion.

Despite these inaccuracies, if you can look past the legal and geographical liberties, the movie does offer the quintessential cozy Christmas charm expected from a seasonal film.

Margot Stone is a successful architect. When her Great Aunt - Lady Victoria - passes away, Margot is informed she is the sole beneficiary. The codicils stipulate she can either retain or sell the property (Plumhill Manor), but that she must stay seven nights on the property before making up her mind.

Believing it to be a joke at first, Margot's mother convinces her otherwise, and Margot accepts the offer. So, she heads off to England to stay at the manor. She meets Jackie, who is to be her liaison for the week, and I thought Caroline Colomei was just fabulous as Jackie.

She also meets the handsome Alfie, the groundkeeper's son, who off course - predictably - becomes the romance interest. Clues are left throughout the house for Margot to solve. She also learns her Aunt used to throw big Christmas parties at the manor for the townsfolk, and she decides to continue the tradition, since she will be at the Manor for Christmas.

Yeah-yeah, we can foresee the outcome a mile away, but this is a feel-good movie of note, and rather delightful, actually.

This is the first Christmas movie I couldn't make it through this season. I only lasted until the first pub scene.

The redubbing of Margot's lines near the beginning was painfully obvious. The words just didn't match the mouth. And she just seemed so harsh and unlikable.

What finally drove me out was the annoying character of Jackie. Her over the top cheerfulness and overacting was really grating. I couldn't understand half of what she was saying. And those giant teeth were very distracting.

I obviously can't comment on the rest of the movie but I'm sure there was some kind of misunderstanding with 20 minutes left that threatens to blow everything apart. Followed by the "follow your heart" speech and a kiss with one minute left. Just going on on a limb there.

Skip this one.