Noël à Maple Valley

I loved the way this movie started. A horse ride through maple trees, sap buckets and candy canes, a warm loving family, a handsome stranger who returns a lost horse and... a very un-Hallmark early kiss between the two leads (and a bold and surprising kiss at that). I loved it. I'm so tired of the "almost kiss" that gets interrupted and isn't attempted again until the end of the movie. Ugh. It's easily one of the most annoying Hallmark tropes. But here, they tried something different. The boldness of that early kiss was very modern and a wonderful change of pace.

The handsome stranger was played by Hallmark all-star Andrew Walker. He's a sure thing. But I didn't recognize Peyton List, who played Erica. Although bold and interesting in the beginning, Erica is revealed to be rather unpleasant. She's quick to unfairly judge Aaron, disrespectful to her own sweet sister, acts like a bully, and is beyond thoughtless with her loving mother.

And it all goes on way too long. She comes across as a spoiled brat and that makes it hard to root for her to find love with Aaron.

There are also a few lines that cut like a knife:

Erica: "You're a rich kid who's lost and thinks he'll find himself by putting on a Stetson hat and playing cowboy." Aaron: "Maybe you don't pick the wrong guys. Maybe you pick the right guys, and just drive them away." Erica: "Maybe so, but like I said, I don't date tourists"

Ouch.

Her mother actually expressed what I was thinking when she told Erica to "pull it together". And the whole plot about turning over the business to her daughters, to the point where one talks about buying out the other? What's mom going to live off of? It's not like she sold the business to a third-party and banked the proceeds. It sounded like she just gave the business to her kids, without taking anything, not even a salary. That's all too typical in Hallmark movies- a complete disregard for financial realities. In real life, mom might leave her kids in charge but they'd have to wait until she passed before taking ownership.

Erica's sister Heidi was played by Ella Cannon. In contrast to her sister, Heidi comes across as sweet and kind. And she's in a healthy marriage to a good guy. And she's even more beautiful than Erica. I wish the movie had starred Ella Cannon as the lead (and as a nicer character than Erica).

Aaron's father was played by Paul Jarrett and he nailed that horrible character.

I did like the running gag about "the hat" (which looked good on Erica, less so on Aaron). And though unearned, the ending was lovely. But I really didn't like the way Erica was written and Peyton List couldn't make her more likable (in fairness to her, it's not within her power to change her lines).

I really enjoyed this movie and will 100% watch again. I truly don't get why so many felt there was no chemistry between the leads. Perhaps having a female that is atypical is what turned them off?

The story starts with a successful (a nice change from the usual fare, to be honest) family-run maple syrup business looking to buy the property next door when it finally goes on the market. But lo and behold, a developer from a large city arrives to outbid the heroine. Our heroine and protagonist, almost from the start, works and grows with her love interest to try to keep the deal from happening. There aren't any big misunderstandings or hidden secrets here. It's just honest communication and two people being surprised about their feelings and healing from their past broken hearts. Our female lead is guarded, but I found her relatable and likable.

The meet-cute was finally not a ridiculous over the top trope, but original, without the female lead being unnecessarily rude or snapping to judgment or having that "You" moment when they run into each other later. There weren't any eye-rolling misunderstandings to get past; everyone was fairly honest from the start. There wasn't the overdone scene of an interrupted kiss: it happens spontaneously in the first 10-15 minutes. There wasn't some widower's/divorcée's kid trying to move the plot forward with an overly sweet and far-too-old-to-be-acting-as-babyish-as-they-typically-do act. The scenery was realistic and what wasn't winter or Christmas-y was overall well-hidden. And finally, I didn't find this with any of the usual cheesy professions of love that generally make me cringe with embarrassment for the actors who have to do them. Again, I will 100% watch this in the future.

My wife and I watch every darn movie these channels put out and this is one of worst. I genuinely don't like any of the characters and especially hated all of the lead characters. Yes I expect the ones on the movies and mysteries channel to be more dramatic and schmalty. But this one has presented very two dimensional characters with no redeemable qualities. I normally like Andrew Walker but his stunted development and lack of warmth is terrible. Honestly I have not even finished watching the movie yet but I had to get this off my chest. I'm sure everyone will live happily ever after but in the meantime I feel like yelling at the tv every two minutes.

We have the often repeated premise of dad sending his son to close a development deal. One part of that we don't have is that the family farm is not in trouble here. But the deal is about what was once family land.

So many things in this movie make no sense unless it fits my title. Crazy things happen spontaneously. Erika kisses Aaron passionately after knowing him for part of a day. After that they are destined for love despite all the obstacles. It doesn't matter that Andrew Walker and Peyton List have no chemistry. In fact, List's Erika is an extremely unlikable romantic lead. She argues over everything. She's rude and disrespectful to her sister and her mom. She doesn't really listen to either one.

This is Hallmark, so it is axiomatic that everyone is going to kiss and make up. Trouble is, based on the personalities, I just don't buy that any of these people really changed. And they still make emotional decisions.

Maybe it was how I was already feeling about how shallow everything was, but there were two symbolic gestures that you know are coming from a mile away and for me, they were just cheesy.

The acting is decent, but the dialogue lacks any flair. Most Hallmark movies have good scenery, sometimes dazzling but not here. What stuck out to me were the muddy horse trails and not in a positive way.

Note to self - make sure you don't ever watch this one again.

7.7 stars.

Peyton List has that face for me. My imaginary soulmate has a visage very similar. I know many would probably disagree saying her face is flawed somehow, who knows, it's just my opinion. She is one of my favorite actresses mainly because she's decent overall, at least in specific roles, this being one. So now this review will be skewed in proportion to the angelic nature of her appearance and presence. Ok, I'll keep it real for the sake of consistency. The movie is not bad, it's laid back, has a nice slow pace. All the actors are good as usual these days for Hallmark. Back in the 2016 and prior movies, sometimes it would be hit and miss, but the last several years I feel the acting in general is of higher quality.

I am pleasantly surprised in her sister's performance, she's a real heart stopper that one, lovely, and beautiful, charismatic, and a good actress. We have the privilege of two leading ladies in this movie.

There are many old wounds that need healing in this story, and everyone is ready and able to mend each others hearts. A son has difficulty measuring up to his father's impossible standards, and a daughter is hard on herself, needs perspective and the ability to cope with failure. Together they help each other improve, and as a bonus they fall madly in love. The anticipation, friction, and tension is palpable, and really adds to the passion. I'd recommend this inspiring tale for anyone who also likes horses, outdoors, farms, and lots of trees and snow.

The end was well crafted with forgiveness, closure, good food and Christmas joy.