A typical Hallmark movie involves two young-ish singles bonding/arguing over a baking competition or the corporate takeover of a family farm before breaking up because they’re shit communicators. They quickly realize the error of their ways and get back together, bringing the chapter to a close with a conciliatory smooch. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, which is why it’s jarring to encounter a throwback that doesn’t conform to this storyline. The romance between the two main characters in Silver Bells takes a back seat to the family drama unfolding between father and son. The film might not overly impress, but it is a welcome change of pace, especially if you’re settling in for a season-long holiday movie marathon.
Tate Donovan stars as Christy Byrne, widowed father of two and hard-working owner of a Christmas tree farm. He relies on son Danny (Michael Mitchell) and daughter Bridget (Courtney Jines) to help him cut and sell trees, something the two have done obligingly for awhile now. This year, however, Danny has other priorities, like taking photos for the high school yearbook. The teenager makes it known that he has no interest in the family business, not now nor in the future, frustrating Christy right at the start of the season.
As usual, the Byrnes hawk their trees on the streets of New York, where they stay with a motherly Mrs. Quinn (Margo Martindale). Young Bridget keeps to the task at hand, but Danny wanders off with his Leica and strikes up a partnership with Catherine O’Mara (Anne Heche), director of a photo exhibition. She recognizes his talent – since he happens to carry around his portfolio everywhere – and engages him in a special assignment photographing the city’s sculptures. It doesn’t take long, however, for Christy to see that his son isn’t doing his share of the work, and tension between the two reaches a full boil. It results in a full-on fist fight before Danny decides he’s had enough and runs away.
Hallmark movies don’t typically take such turns, at least not these days, and the conflict between the Byrnes does most of the emotional heavy lifting. This is a quieter Christmas film, one that dwells on feelings of regret and loss rather than joyful merrymaking. While I like what a story like this adds to the landscape though, it doesn’t quite tug at the heartstrings enough to make an impact. It takes too long to dig into their interior lives of the Byrnes family. Martindale as Mrs. Quinn might have helped certain characters open up, especially the impressionable young Bridget, but she’s underused and kept to the background. The same is true for a subplot involving the wealthy Rheinbacks. Father Sylvester (John Cunningham), Catherine’s boss, has mellowed over time and now fancies himself a patron of the arts. This puts him at odds with his son, Lawrence (John Benjamin Hickey), who sticks to business line. Unfortunately, the parallels between both sets of fathers and sons never fall into place. Lawrence in particular feels like a player in the Byrnes’ story more than his own. Heche is the bright spot in all this, bringing depth to her role and the movie as a whole. The most nuanced character in the film, Catherine makes her presence felt whether as a mentor to Danny, a widow struggling to find her own inner-peace, or a partner for Christy. The romance is admittedly rushed and unnecessary, but Heche still impresses.
Released: 2005
Dir: Dick Lowry
Writer: Jim McGrath
Cast: Anne Heche, Tate Donovan, Michael Mitchell, Courtney Jines, Max Martini, John Cunningham, John Benjamin Hickey, Lourdes Benedicto, Margo Martindale, Steve Ryan, Mike Colter
Time: 95 min
Lang: English
Country: United States
Network: CBS
Reviewed: 2021
Fits of Fury 