An Alpine Christmas

This was definitely my least favorite Christmas movie of the past three years. The male lead (handsome French guy) was the best character and he's a decent actor so I hope Hallmark uses him again. But I typically dislike Ashley Williams as an actress and avoid movies with her but this particular character, Faith, was the absolute worst - an irrational, spoiled brat. All I wanted was to slap her and I hoped her nice guy boyfriend would kick her to the curb when she got home. I did NOT feel sorry for her . . . Only sorry for her ridiculously patient sister. Overall this really sucked.

The reviewer grammajamie perfectly expressed so many things on my mind.

The one positive, and boy was it a positive, was the scenery. Gorgeous mountains at one point seen from above the clouds. And there is a little glass room, including floor, where the tourist is right out in the middle of the scenery. If you get bored early on skip to about the one hour mark (commercial free running time). There is a little over 5 minutes of high on the mountain. There's a little more close to the end but not as breathtaking. And much earlier there are some ariel shots of some beautiful French towns. Oddly, Paris is almost entirely skipped.

As for the not so good, Ashley Williams' Faith was over the top. I think it was made worse if you have seen a lot her previously because this character is different than her usual bubbly character. Faith is constantly on edge, takes offense too easily with her sister and sometime mean.

The script was choppy and overdramatic. I didn't enjoy or believe the romance because the sister drama overpowered it.

Kelly was too anxiety ridden. She was afraid of almost everything. She was even afraid of Frédéric at first meeting.

I usually comment first that a movie follows too many common tropes. A beloved grandmother requires in her will that the heirs climb the mountain in France. The grandmother practically raised them. The female lead meets a handsome man and they fall in love in two or three days. The quarreling sisters is not new, but this story took that further to the Dark Side than usual.

I was very surprised at how dangerous some of the mountain climb seemed given that it was apparently open to common tourists.

Not a good movie from the story or acting point of view.

If you are looking for a fun and bubbly Christmas movie, this movie doesn't really fit that bill, but it has some qualities worth noting.

It's a story about two sisters, their growing tension, and their deep love for their family (grandparents). Romance was a distant side-story, although some is added for the sake of being Hallmark-y.

Rather than dissect this easy-to-follow plot, I'll spare us, and move on to commentary.

The good aspect of this movie for me personally was moving beyond everything being perfectly-perfect. Every family has their relationship challenges. This one explores the all-too-common problem of one grown sibling undertaking more familial responsibility than the other.

Ashley Williams was believable in this movie. She didn't play a fan favorite (see other reviews), but depicts a person that has tried to escape their own guilt and reality for too long. She is like a lot of us, in that she thinks she is on top of her life-game, but needs to self-reflect and explore her priorities AND own her mistakes. I appreciated that she was not her usual 'zippity doo-da' self, and was less pleasing.

Laci Mailey was a lovely addition to this movie. She is easy to watch and credible, and her chemistry with Ashley was positive.

The sister relationship resolution was a little fast and 'too easy'. In real life, I feel like Kelly (laci) would have held more of a grudge than her character portrayed, but that wouldn't bode well for a Hallmark movie. Other reviewers mention the bickering/snips between the sisters, and I agree that it's not ideal for people who hate to watch drama.

The worst aspect of this movie for me personally is the bleakness of the weather. Obviously I am alone on this, because so many appreciate the beautiful backdrop, but the gray and snowy/cold look made me sad.

French Freddie didn't seem to play much of a role in the plot, and was - i hate to say it - "eye candy", without any depth. I don't remember much of what he did or said, except "let me leave you two alone".

Faith (Ashley) was sometimes super annoying, with her relentless insistence of snow-hiking through a snowstorm, but this can be reframed as a Hallmark nod to the stupid battle lines that often lead to big sibling estrangements.

If you watch this movie, it is probably best for a weeknight, or a really hot summer day when you might be wishing for cold, snowy surroundings.

Credit must be given to the scenery in this movie although, apparently, it was filmed in Bulgaria (not France). The locales are very attractive and interesting. The problem is, the performers get in the way with some of the most inane dialogue you have ever heard in a Hallmark movie. We usually enjoy Ashley Williams but, here, her performance is over-the-top goofy. What was she thinking ? She is so weird that her character loses any sympathy whatsoever. The only other plus is that it is interesting to see real French performers in a Hallmark movie - not North American actors using a fake accent. But, there are some absolutely ridiculous circumstances that the director should be ashamed of. For example, the three leads trudge through a horrendous snowstorm at the top of a mountain and finally reach a rickety looking cabin. When they go inside (which is amazingly beautiful and full of Christmas decorations !), they are completely dry with perfect hair and make-up and ready to make some cocoa !!!!! Are you kidding me??? This simply is a far-fetched story, poorly written, and over-acted by the leading ladies. Too bad because the scenery is quite good - if only the performers had kept their goofiness out of the picture.

6.6 stars.

'An Alpine Holiday' had A LOT of potential, they simply misplaced the magic. It's a shame, because they had a perfect couple for romance (Mailey and the Frenchman) and the perfect setting, but the wrong story.

I am looking for all the bad stuff people talked about and I'm overly prepared for a total meltdown. But this movie doesn't implode and the sisters don't monumentally crash out. On the other hand, this is not the usual entertaining or even mundane Hallmark romance, and it's certainly not the most romantic story -- quite the opposite.

The story revolves around two grown sisters who are at odds with each other. As other reviewers have stated, Ashley Williams seems like a real gem (tongue in cheek), but she's not a total nightmare. Sure, she's irritating and sometimes a brat, but let's not get all bent out of shape. So it's not your favorite Hallmark, it's certainly not as bad as 1/10. The picturesque mountain scenery and some of the emotional scenes warrant at least a 5/10 and the fact that it's technically proficient, raises it another point+. I really like Laci Mailey, I'll raise it up to a 6.6/10, although I'll never return to see this again because it's just not that entertaining.