Noël à Pemberley

This is not coming from somebody that hates Christmas or has a bias against Hallmark. They did make quite a number of average and less films, but also quite a number of above average and more ones. Hallmark Christmas films do have a tendency more often than not to be very predictable, cliched, very cheesy, too schmaltzy and over-scored. There have been many times where they have also been very cute, warm hearted, heartfelt, charming and appealingly acted.

As much as there was the genuine want of 'Christmas at Pemberley Manor' to be in the latter category, it sadly didn't do much for me. Which does sadden me a good deal, because clearly very formulaic the premise did sound charming. It has good points and is a long way from being one of Hallmark's worst, but sadly 'Christmas at Pemberley Manor' has nearly all the negative qualities mentioned above and came over as mediocre.

'Christmas at Pemberley Manor' is not a complete humbug. It is graced by an immensely likeable Michael Rady, who doesn't make his character too perfect or overplay his weaknesses. As well as a scene stealing Elaine Hendrix who was clearly enjoying herself (despite playing one of the most cliched types of characters in the book of cliches).

It looks pretty good, especially the manor. Which looks beautiful and is like a character of its own (exteriors and interiors). The photography is never too drab or over-saturated. There is a nice festive atmosphere at times.

Jessica Lowndes however didn't cut it for me sadly in the female lead role. The performance just felt rather affected and also lacking in expression, plus her character is dull and never goes beyond a typical Hallmark cliche that doesn't really grow all that much. She and Rady have very little chemistry together, what little there is doesn't charm or sparkle at all and the relationship itself lacks development. Didn't really buy their love and there is not much conflict or anything that leads to it, so it felt like it came out of the blue. The supporting cast try but can't do much with very sketchy typical roles, nobody is annoying but nobody is interesting enough.

When it comes to the dialogue, it is very awkward in flow and there is no heart to it. Both the cheese and sentiment go overboard, and because of disliking the characters so much there was nothing in 'Christmas at Pemberley Manor' to connect with emotionally. The story is not much of one at all for most of the length, much of the first portion is endless and pointless filler and what there is of the story is very dull, excessively predictable and at times silly. The too neat and contrived ending can be seen from miles off. The direction is routine on the whole and will agree that the music is overbearing.

Overall, lacklustre but not terrible. 4/10

As far as Hallmark Christmas movies go, this was one of the worst ones I've seen yet from them. (A Princess for Christmas 2011 still takes the prize.) This movie had so much hype, being the first of the new "Countdown to Christmas" season. As someone raised on the 1995 Pride & Prejudice (Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle), drooling over the grounds of Pemberley and the Pemberley mansion, when the camera showed this new "Pemberley Manor" it was as if someone tricked me with a poop flavored jelly bean. I was expecting something yummy, but was left betrayed and disappointed. The discouraging mirage continued. This movie lacked any chemistry. I like Michael Rady, and Jessica Lowndes is still growing on me, but together, they were unconvincing and awkward. Michael Rady should have talked to Colin Firth about how to be "Mr. Darcy."

Overall, there was nothing Pride & Prejudice or Pemberley about this movie, it lacked chemistry, and was stupidly predictable.

This movie has everything: loud music (my biggest problem of them all), fake snow, an empty luggage, an empty coffee mug, a lead assuming something he shouldn't and a "magical" Santa fixing the lead's problem. There, you have a Hallmark movie.

While I didn't hate it, I didn't love it either.

I liked William's character, there was character development in there, which is almost enough for me. I'm not sure about Elizabeth's character: I understand her motivation thoughout the movie but I couldn't connect with her. I felt she was off. The chemistry was there, maybe not as strong as I would have liked it to be. I also found Jane and Travis adorable (predictable from the first moment) so points for that. Other than this pair, William was the best part of the movie, in my opinion.

As a whole it was enjoyable, not strong enough to start the season, but I didn't hate it and I actually enjoyed it.

Other than Elaine Hendrix (who plays a villain to perfection), I didn't recognize a single actor in this movie. The lead actress was so inexpressive and wooden I honestly thought she was another famous-singer-wants-to-act-so-gets-her-start-in-a-Christmas-movie train wreck. I thought my suspicions were confirmed when she started humming her little tunes halfway through the movie. I had to look her up after she destroyed the upper register in "Oh Holy Night". Apparently she is actually an actress. Okay. I just couldn't connect with her at all. It didn't help that every single time I looked at her face, I wondered if she had some terrible Botox treatments or if her plastic surgeon should be fired.

The guy who played Mr. Darcy, however, was fantastic. He was every bit what you would think Darcy is. This really has absolutely nothing to do with the Jane Austen novel, but at least the names were the same. Santa Claus just seemed awkward and creepy, yet again for reasons I can't seem to pinpoint.

If you love Christmas movies and are like me where you have to watch every single one ever made, watch it. Just be prepared to be underwhelmed.

Christmas at Pemberley Manor is a shameless attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Jane-Austen based contemporary romances. Unlike Unleashing Mr. Darcy, however, the story and the characters have nothing to with Pride and Prejudice. Zip. All the writer did was tack on various names from P & P on to the main characters. Sometimes quite randomly. For example, Elizabeth's old boyfriend was named "George" and was a nice guy, the mayor of the town, and trying to win Elizabeth back. The doofus assistant to William Darcy, who wins the heart of "Jane" Elizabeth's last minute assistant, was named Travis. Why not "Charles?" It was insulting to the intelligence. If you can set that aside, however, this was not a bad Hallmark Christmas movie. At least I stayed awake. I am not usually a fan of Jessica Lowndes. Her looks are usually too jaw-droppingly glamorous for the rolls she has played. In this one, however, they were toned down somewhat, so she looked like a relatable woman. Her acting, as usual, was not the best, but at least she didn't stick out like a sore thumb. Also, I loved the actor who played the hero. He had a lot of charisma in this role. The young actress who played Jane had appeal and had a secondary romance of her own. The villain in the piece was "Elizabeth's" boss who was played by the same actress who did such a great job as the prospective evil stepmother in Linday Lohan's Parent Trap. Although the script and the director in this one did not make use of her comedy chops, it was nice to see her again.

Burning questions: Why would the board of directors of a world wide corporation want to demolish the CEO's beloved home? Surely it's but the teeniest fraction of an expense against the mega corporation's humongous assets? Why would a festival that has attracted press from all over the country and is a mainstay of the town's budget and beloved tradition, have only 20 people attend the climactic event? These questions will remain unanswered. The former is the fault of the writer the latter the fault of the director. Maybe my 6 stars is a bit too generous. Yep, down to 5. I just remembered the magic Santa Claus, the most tired Christmas cliche ever.