Trois Frères, Noël et un couffin

This movie has a lot going for it especially in the way it swayed from the usual generic hallmark movie format/formula, I was looking forward to it for that reason, so had higher expectations than usual and ended up having a pretty fun time. It was cute, the script was good, it was genuinely funny at times and got quite a few giggles, smiles and laughs from me. The 3 main actors were good choices for their respective roles and actually seemed to be having a nice time acting in this, which is more than I can say for some of these made for TV movies, and it still kept in the usual vein of somewhat corny, lighthearted Christmas spirit one looks for in these types of things. Worth a watch.

Why does this have such glowing reviews?

Three reasons:

It's very, very funny. It's well written. And the cast, for the most part, are all equally superb.

Paul Campbell and Kimberly Sustad have hopefully already signed long-term contracts w/Hallmark as they clearly know what they're doing. They're both not only excellent actors with great comic timing, but they KNOW HOW TO WRITE comedy -- and drama as well.

They create empathetic characters with believable relationships right from the start. No line is wasted, no line is unnecessary. A few reviewers have mentioned how horrible and unfunny it is that someone left a baby alone right before Christmas, but IMO these people must've gotten up on the wrong side of the bed and are really angry about something else in their lives.

It's a MOVIE, not a documentary, and again, the way it's set up is credible, as is the resolution.

And while all three leads are great -- both funny and at times very touching -- special kudos go out to Tyler Hynes, who's dry, sarcastic delivery is spot-on, and to Margaret Collins, who matches him line for line. She's completely believable as the mother of these three misfits.

Bravo Hallmark. (Something I never thought I'd say.)

Luke (Andrew Walker) is a fireman and one day someone drops a baby and a note specifically asking him to take care of baby Thomas. Just another day dropping babies with strangers. So, he is determined to take care of him for a few days just as the note says. Stephan (Paul Campell) and Taylor (Tyler Hynes), his brothers help him do so.

It is known this was one of the most awaited Hallmark movies of the Christmas season due to our three leads. But the fact that it was written by Paul and Kimberley Sustad improved this by a 100%.

It is funny. It is very funny. There are funny moments, there are great one liners specially by Taylor. I have never been a Tyler fan but he's been my favorite in his last two movies. (Maybe it's the beard and the short hair, who knows?)

Other than funny, it's real. You see three men taking care of a baby but you also see three boys whose father left them and all of them have insecurities or anxieties because of that. Other than that, their relationship broke as well. Funny that a unknown baby is the one to put it back together. I really liked that the romance is minimum. You blink and you missed it.

When I saw that Kimberley co-wrote this, of course I was expecting her appearance. I was not disappointed. It's a shame she wasn't Stephan's love interest. She and Paul make a great duo. You know who is also in this movie? Ali Liebert. Another favorite. This was great.

Anyway, do yourself a favor and watch this. I will definitely watch it again.

The story about three men who find a baby has been told many times in the movies, starting with a silent movie in 1916, followed by several more, most notably "3 Godfathers" with John Wayne in 1948 and 1986's "Three Men and a Baby" with Tom Selleck.

Writers Paul Campbell and Kimberley Sustad have taken the story and updated it in clever and expert fashion. This is extremely well written as the baby causes the three men to come to understand themselves, as well as women, particularly their own mother.

The three actors here, Campbell, Tyler Hynes, and Andrew Walker, are all just wonderful and you can tell they really enjoyed playing these parts. Supporting them are Ali Liebert as Fiona and Fiona Vroom as Susie, both very good, and the producers cleverly cast Margaret Collin, who co-starred in the Selleck movie, as the mother, and she is simply terrific. Add Matt Hamilton as an obnoxious neighbor and Sustad herself, briefly, as an ER doctor, and you've got a cast that comes together perfectly.

The direction and editing are great and serve to add to the spirited, funny, and sometimes heartwarming script.

Sustad and Campbell have written before for Hallmark (the wonderful "Christmas by Starlight") and we can only hope that this partnership continues.

Sustad's other new movie this 2022 season is "Lights! Camera! Christmas!," another "10" in my book, but "Wise Men" beats it by a "baby step" as the best so far.

If this doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, nothing will.

Ps Wrote the above review in 2022. Turns out that this movie was the most watched made-for-cable movie of that year in the US and Campbell and Sustad won a Leo Award in Canada for their screenplay/writing.

I really enjoy this movie, the humour, family connection of not being perfect as we all see within these Christmas movies. I really like all three male actors. That "LOVE" between a man and woman wasn't the focus of this movie. It was more about family and the brotherly love. I have already watched it twice and will watch it again next year I am sure. How we see all three brothers so different in their personalities but in the end all come together. The other cast members all played great and interesting parts to the movies which just added to a great movie. I could also see another movie with the same characters next year.