The Tree That Saved Christmas (2014)

If I could retire one Christmas movie plot, it would be the old “corporate takeover of a beloved family-run Christmas tree farm” chestnut. A staple of the holiday season, it rarely packs an emotional punch and is instead bloated with filler. The Tree That Saved Christmas is a prime example of the kind of sentimental drivel that Hallmark, Lifetime, UPTV, and Co. so adeptly delivers. Lacey Chabert stars as Molly Logan, an aspiring writer who’s always had her head in the clouds. Adulthood brings her down to earth, but just a little.

As a PA for her demanding boss, Walter Dunlop (Jim Thorburn), she does everything from running office errands to babysitting his two motherless girls (Yasmeene Ball and Alisha Newton). When she discovers her special tree – one that she saved from destruction at the family farm years ago – sitting in his living room, she takes this as a sign to return home. Molly arrives, stolen tree in hand, only to find her parents (Lini Evans and Eric Keenleyside) in no mood to celebrate Christmas. She learns that the bank is ready to foreclose on the farm, and with a buyer in line to turn the property into a golf resort, it’s shaping up to be the worst holiday ever.

The story doesn’t always veer into the mawkish, and some of the best moments are between Molly and her brother, Ryan (Matthew Kevin Anderson). As the two struggle with career disappointments and their parents’ uncertain futures, they feel their way through adulthood, seemingly for the first time. That vulnerability resonates far more than Molly’s endless moaning about tradition, and it’s too bad that Ryan disappears for long stretches, forcing their relationship into the background. In his place is Lucas Bishop (Corey Sevier), Molly’s old flame and the guy tasked with taking over the farm. This pairing also has potential to drive the story into a more emotionally mature space, and both actors handle dramatic scenes well. Sevier especially brings layers to his character, but the script doesn’t allow the two to grow, even as Molly and Lucas try to reckon with their contentious breakup and the lingering mistrust.

The relationships are instead crowded out by everything else the story must do. The movie crams in requisite but generic scenes of Molly’s quest to save the farm and her town. She takes a principled stand at the city council meeting and goes head-to-head with the villainous bank manager – and Lucas’s dad (James Kidnie). She even makes a tortured attempt to get their family home listed as a historic building. When the narrative takes an odd turn and focuses on Walter and his family, she’s there to heal those wounds as well. I don’t mind that it’s all one big soppy mess; I know what I’m getting. I’m more offended that it’s so unimaginative when there are clear hints of a better story to be told.

Released: 2014
Dir: David Winning
Writer: Michael J. Murray
Cast: Lacey Chabert, Corey Sevier, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Jim Thorburn, Eric Keenleyside, Lini Evans, James Kidnie, Olivia Steele Falconer, Darien Provost, Karen Holness, Yasmeene Ball, Alisha Newton
Time: 88 min
Lang: English
Country: United States
Network: UPTV
Reviewed: 2021

Boyfriends of Christmas Past (2021)

Do we need another Christmas Carol adaptation? No. Do we need some hot Asians in a sappy Hallmark movie? Definitely yes. Life requires compromise, and I’ll take what I can get, which in this case is ninety minutes of Catherine Haena Kim and Raymond Ablack’s beautiful faces. The movie doesn’t have much going for it in the story department, so it’s only right that it capitalizes on its other assets, namely its cast. Sure, the stars add some much needed diversity to the Hallmark lineup, but they also bring a bit of emotional heft, Ablack especially.

Sadly, he gets few chances to show off his talents because there are only so many directions a movie called Boyfriends of Christmas Past can go and the dramatic beats are largely prewritten. (See 2019’s A Christmas Carol starring Joe Alwyn and Guy Pearce for a truly striking reimagining.) Ablack takes a backseat to Kim and plays Nate, best friend to main protagonist Lauren. The latter works as a marketing manager and is the Scrooge of the story, except it’s her approach to dating and not her miserly ways that needs reforming. The ghosts of Boyfriends Past, Present, and Future – they’re not actually dead because this would be an altogether different kind of movie – choose the worst weekend to appear, however. With Christmas around the corner and a major bakeware campaign to rush through, Lauren’s in no mood to catch up with her exes. Ghosts, it turns out, don’t give a shit, and one by one, her boyfriends creepily find their way into her home.

Lauren’s a little slow on the uptake and resists all suggestions that she might have a thing for her longtime BFF. She brushes off hints from her father (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), her friends, and a string of boyfriends past, including Tyler (Jordan Kronis) from high school, Jake (Karn Kaira) from college, Henry the sophisticate (Ish Morris), and Logan the adventurer (Jon McLaren). Her commitment issues, however, are there for everyone to see, as are her feelings for Nate, the common denominator in all her failed relationships. Thankfully Kim has a radiant presence because, let’s face it, Lauren doesn’t deserve that man. You could not dream up a more perfect boyfriend – someone who DoorDashes you warm meals after a long day at work, helps you pick up the pieces following a breakup, and always finds a way to make you feel 100. Hell, Nate even organizes elaborate Christmas parties for foster kids because he’s that guy. Also he’s gorgeous.

That perfection works against him. Ablack proves to be the film’s strongest actor and snatches a moment of raw emotion here and there, but the lack of nuance in the story makes for boring characters. The overall dynamic of Lauren and Nate’s relationship remains static through the years, unlike what we see in the original work. Lauren doesn’t have a radical transformation and redemption arc, which might not matter if she weren’t so stubbornly oblivious to Nate’s affections. But she is, for a whole decade, and Kim just doesn’t have much to work with. She and Ablack at least have enough charisma to keep things moving, but I hope Hallmark gives them a second chance and a better project.

Released: 2021
Dir: Don McBrearty
Writer: Lisa Kyonga Parsons
Cast: Catherine Haena Kim, Raymond Ablack, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Jenna Katz, Susan Hanson, Jordan Kronis, Karn Kalra, Ish Morrish, Jon McLaren, Graham Parkhurst, Alys Crocker, Shannon McDonough
Time: 84 min
Lang: English
Country: United States
Network: Hallmark Channel
Reviewed: 2021

Christmas Tree Lane (2020)

Christmas Tree Lane kick starts Hallmark Movies and Mysteries’ 2020 holiday run with a familiar story. Alicia Witt plays Meg Reilly, owner of a music store on a once busy shopping street in Denver. Her shop, along with other locally owned businesses on Christmas Tree Lane, is slated for demolition in order to make way for a media and tech hub. She rallies her fellow merchants to try and save their stores by throwing a holiday bonanza, and during the easiest, most painless planning meeting ever, they agree to host decorating contests, vintage carriage rides, and a main stage concert – anything to draw customers back to the area and remind them of Christmases past. Yes, they probably should have tried this years ago, and no, we never find out where they get the money for glossy pamphlets and free pastries in every store, but it’s a plan. Meg also finds a sympathetic soul in Nate Williams (Andrew Walker), whom she befriends after taking issue with his overly festive coffee order. (Let the man have his sprinkles, Meg.) After sharing her sob story and a couple old records, she has him buying into the nostalgia and lending his support to the merchants’ efforts too. What she doesn’t know is that he’s the one overseeing the revitalization project.

Of course this is the way it has to be because Hallmark has a formula, and changes be damned. To be fair to Nate, he’s in the dark as well and doesn’t go out of his way to deceive Meg. The guy is newly returned to the area, having made his mark as an architect elsewhere. His dad wants him to take over his real estate investment firm, yet Nate’s experience only makes him more appreciative of the history and culture of Christmas Tree Lane. Using his relationship with his father and his insider knowledge of similar redevelopment projects, he does all he can to convince his own company to preserve the thoroughfare.

I wish there was more to say about this movie, but it’s absolutely average in every way. If you’re undemanding and just want something festive on the teevee, this fits the bill. There are Christmas trees and glittery baubles galore. The story comes with enough romance and redemption to generate some happy holiday feelings. Walker, who looks like he’s been drinking some of that Paul Rudd anti-aging juice, puts in a respectable performance, but Nate has no spectacular qualities, except being a really nice guy and Walker does that well. I’m not a great fan of Witt; she often twists her face in a way that makes her seem like a very confused deer caught in headlights, but I do love the time they give her to perform a self-composed Christmas song. With Meg’s music store at the center of the movie, some additional musical numbers or flourishes might have brightened things, but it looks like Hallmark was aiming for sheer competence and got it.

Released: 2020
Dir: Steven R. Monroe
Writer: Michael J. Murray
Cast: Alicia Witt, Andrew Walker, Drake Hogestyn, Briana Price, Paul Anthony McLean, Shannon Engemann, Malaika Guttoh, Aubrey Reynolds, Michael Scott, Matthew Bellows, Susan Dolan Stevens, Bec Doyle, Ben Lokey
Time: 84 min
Lang: English
Country: United States
Network: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries
Reviewed: 2021