Coup de foudre à l'auberge de Noël

I enjoy holiday movies any time of year. I also enjoy romantic comedies involving the holidays, such as is the premise of this movie. Unfortunately, although the plot and theme of the movie was attractive, I never saw or felt any chemistry between the leads. I especially felt that Graham was just going through the lines, no emotion, no connection and no chemistry at all. , I never got the warm, touching, and feel good emotions that I generally get when watching the Hallmark movies. If only the chemistry would have been there and perhaps Grahams part could have been written better or played by a different actor, but I don't think even that would have made that much difference. Sorry, but that's the truth.

From the moment I saw who the two leads were, I knew it would this would an enjoyable movie. The two lead actors are top notch and I recognize them from previous viewing. I really like Jen Lilley. She is delightful and so pretty. I mean really so very Interesting to watch ! I have seen Jesse Hutch in other things and he's definitely a good actor because he's got range and he doesn't play the same character twice like some of the more typical ham and cheese leading men do. The plot is nothing new . Another typical love story with Christmas as just the back drop. Normally these bore me to tears. The plot is very predictable. However, the great acting makes up for it. It's well paced and the scenery is great. I will probably watch it again.

The plot isn't new ... a travel reviewer arrives at a property (in this case a struggling B&B) which needs some good publicity to combat the business they're losing to the new hotel in town.

Of course, the reviewer comes with secrets. Her boyfriend--who was supposed to come to the town and stay with her--just dumped her, and she's ALSO supposed to review the new hotel.

In my mind, the first 3/4ths of the movie was better than the end, as it had all the secrets and angst and meetings and funny awkward moments. But that doesn't mean we didn't enjoy the movie. It also has what all these movies need and not all provide ... legitimate relationship building scenes and enough of them.

Recommended, and we'll watch again.

I really liked B&B Merry!! I absolutely adore Jen Lilly and I really like Jesse Hutch. They made a cute couple. We've seen a variation of this storyline with Hallmark movies. Jen is a blogger who was asked to come to Silver Peak B&B to help bring guests in with all her followers. There is competition with a newer high end hotel that is in the area. She does review both of them. I'm not going to give anything away. Although it's predictable it's really well done. I absolutely loved the comedic antics of the mom and Aunt. They played well off each other. This is one of my favorites of the season.

The mind actually boggles at how many of these cheap, soft-soap Christmas TV romance movies the channels can churn out.

With my wife, I've now watched three in a row of this type and the characters and plots seem interchangeable in every one. An attractive young woman, usually from the city with a nerdy / emotionless boyfriend, finds an excuse to go to the country at Christmas time where she invariably 1) helps the local community in some way, 2) finds herself but only after overcoming a minor setback or source of confusion in her life and 3) naturally finds love with a handsome, single local man who brings out the country girl in her so that she can reject that mean old city with its fast, shallow lifestyle.

This one sees travel blogger Jen Lilley end up in Smalltown, Vermont just in time for the Christmas holidays. She's been invited there by a down-on-its-luck bed and breakfast property run by a widow, her older sister and, you guessed it, her handsome, single son. Only trouble is, she's already been hired by a major magazine to favourably review a big hotel in the same town, which is killing the prospects of the homely little B and B. Conveniently, on her very first day in the town, her current boyfriend dumps her. So what do you think are the chances of her turning around the fortunes of the little establishment, rediscovering her moral compass and naturally, fall for her soulmate-in-waiting, who just happens to be the eligible son of the bed and breakfast proprietor? Well, does Santa have a big white beard?

My wife and I had a lot of fun guessing the plot developments well in advance of their actually occurring, in fact you could extend that anticipation to actual lines of dialogue.

With lots of lingering, soft focus camera work, dialogue straight out of a batch of assorted Christmas cards and some sappy incidental seasonal music trilling away in the background, this is another one for the Hallmark set, although I must say, even my wife is starting to weary of these almost identical productions from which you can't seem to escape at this time of year.