Christmas at Plumhill Manor

I liked this movie. The lead actress is brilliant, the manor house pretty and the scene stealer is cute kid Beatrice who is one to watch. She was perfect despite a limited role and the total lack of any other children at all to bounce off.

The filming should have taken place in winter and aside from some of Ipswich in Christmas lights this was mostly achieved with a filter over summer flowers - if you're a gardener it will grate that the poinsettias being repotted are clearly plastic ones and the beautiful snowdrops are actually white aquilegia.

The ensemble had fun making it and didn't take themselves too seriously, and norshould you. Switch off your brain, be thankful for a budget movie with the sole aim of bringing wish fulfilment and good cheer for all it's many flaws it was filmed in Suffolk and people from here will recognise that. The black horse pub in Ipswich you can visit if ever you're at the New Wolsey theatre. Support the arts in UK and in Suffolk and enjoy!

There are lovely views of Crow's Hall in Suffolk in late Spring - cow parsley, ox-eye daisies and so on, which mysteriously morphs into winter. But so corny! And how could a supposed expert in architecture mistake a gothic arch for a Norman one? Some of it was filmed at Shrublands Park in Suffolk, bits in Ipswich and in a pub I couldn't identify. Clearly the writers know little about British planning regulations, taxes or architecture. A six-storey hotel on a moated 16th century plot? I think not! Property taxes mounting up? No. A castle lurking unsuspected behind a door? You're joking! Sadly I shan't be recommending it... a group of us watched it and managed to last to the end, but it was tough going.

This is the first Christmas movie I couldn't make it through this season. I only lasted until the first pub scene.

The redubbing of Margot's lines near the beginning was painfully obvious. The words just didn't match the mouth. And she just seemed so harsh and unlikable.

What finally drove me out was the annoying character of Jackie. Her over the top cheerfulness and overacting was really grating. I couldn't understand half of what she was saying. And those giant teeth were very distracting.

I obviously can't comment on the rest of the movie but I'm sure there was some kind of misunderstanding with 20 minutes left that threatens to blow everything apart. Followed by the "follow your heart" speech and a kiss with one minute left. Just going on on a limb there.

Skip this one.

This film made me laugh a lot! The leads both did well with their insane plot and managed to be quite charming. As soon as she gets to England the mad accents and cliches are just great - the annoying housekeeper(maybe? She seems to do everything in the village) who's insanely scottish despite this being suffolk, the pub scenes, the bell ringing, the xmas pudding class, the hero's pet lamb - all completely mental. Many things make no sense - why focus so much on the gardening when it's all wrong? The "snowdrops" that aren't (they're aquilegias) and it is clearly summer flowers everywhere, and the plastic poinsettias they plant up...plus the "norman" arch that is gothic, a hidden "castle", some really strange ideas about "residential taxes" that don't exist in the UK, no concept of planning laws for historic buildings and yet then a bizarre fantasy about the national trust saving the day (if only that was really possible!). I really enjoyed it! Well worth watching! I can see the manor exterior and gardens is the beautiful Crow's Hall in Suffolk as others have said, but none of the interior scenes look very convincingly old. Just adds to the weirdness! Enjoy!

I couldn't get over the filming of the outdoor scenes with roses, hollyhocks and lupins in flower just before Christmas and all the trees in full leaf. It was obviously filmed in the summer.

The snowdrop wasn't a snowdrop and even if it was they are the first sign of spring and do not flower around Christmas.

The main characters had absolutely no chemistry and the plot was so obviously written with an American view of the U. K. If you're looking for a film where you can disengage from reality then I guess it may interest you but I have seen many better and more believable Christmas films. The house was beautiful though.