Beaus of Holly

Holly assumes her long distance boyfriend would jump at the chance and accept her offer of engagement. He doesn't, and they 'break up.' Devastated, she is comforted by a warmhearted sympathetic sleigh driver. They spend several days together and discover one another. Along the way, she is confronted by her own shortcomings and grows from her experience at rejection. All three characters learn from their experience. I particularly liked the slow moving romance between her and the driver, as they talk, discover and play together during the Christmas holidays.

Holly, a rather unlikable young lady, decides to propose to her unattractive and also unlikeable boyfriend of two years in order to maintain the schedule she has for her life and career. He dumps her and she is thrown into the company of Jake, a very likable, nice, and attractive tour guide. My ultimate take after this long slow slog is that the two unlikable ones should have got back together and left the nice cute guy alone to follow his bliss.

I was somewhat unimpressed with ION's first two originals this 2020 season. So, I was doubting the quality of this one a bit beforehand. It turns out, this was an entertaining Christmas movie. I really enjoyed it. The storyline is a bit different, which I liked. Holly (played by Jennifer Freeman) plans a romantic Christmas getaway with her boyfriend Phil (played by Michael Copon). The trip doesn't start as she planned (her proposal of marriage goes south, that is). A horse-drawn sleigh driver (played by Johnny Pacar), with a horse named Snowdrop, convinces her to enjoy the small town of Winterland (as opposed to taking the train home in tears). And so, this romantic Christmas journey begins. The plot, of course, was quite predictable once their journey began. That said, I think what is most important is whether the movie pulls you in, engages you. I found myself pulled in by the story from the start. The dialogue and exchanges between Holly and Jake (the horse-drawn sleigh driver) were warm, cute, and fun, which was one of the strengths of the script, I thought. There was even a bit of comedy around the ex-boyfriend, Phil, to boot. What made all this work on screen was the acting. Freeman had a lovely performance. She had a happy and warm, yet focused, vibe to her portrayal of Holly. She was great on screen, I felt. Pacar's performance was also strong. The chemistry between the two worked well, which is important in a romance movie. About 52 minutes in, the scene in the cabin, I was rooting for them to kiss. Some good chemistry there. The supporting cast had a solid performance as well. For example, Copon did a good job; I had a little laugh here and there with his performance. The scenery, props, and sets were quite festive and cozy. You got love Snowdrop, of course. All in all, it is a fun, cute, and festive movie, a nice new edition to ION's 2020 Christmas movie lineup.

The movie got off to a nice start going against the way so many of these movies start out. Instead of expecting her boyfriend to propose, she proposed. Then he's the one who isn't sure. So instead of the guy dumping her, she dumps him (she thinks). Actually, it was almost a mutual dumping, but only after she told him off.

There was none of the usual animosity between the romantic leads. Holly was a bit slow to warm to Jake, but that was grief over the breakup. It didn't take long and the two were having a great time. Jennifer Freeman and Johnny Pacar have good chemistry.

Unfortunately, about the time when Phil was wising up (the ex always shows up again), the movie goes off the rails. Phil was a complete selfish jerk. The girl he runs to at first, Tiffany, might have been more of a jerk. Everyone, including Holly, got mean from that point and I was ready to say "who cares?"

There is some physical comedy and some good lines and situations. The climax is kind of cute.

I think if the Phil's return had been handled differently, I might have liked this movie. He was extremely mean. As it is, I had mixed feelings.

Painstakingly slow and no real conflicts except towards the ending which is also without any surprise. It's very cliche. I'd rather watch Christmas Vacations again.