To All a Good Night

This has to be one of the best Hallmark movies they have presented in a long time.

The story line is original and fun with moments that touch the heart in the ways that Hallmark did long ago.

Sadly, over the years it seems like Hallmark has tried to put out too many movies during the holidays and they've become to formulaic and boring. Despite this year being another year of too many movies, this one actually has a beautiful story. The connections within the community and how one individual could touch so many lives even after he is gone is beautifully done.

This story also has some great actors. The actors and actresses did a fantastic job. The characters are easy to connect with as well as the fun fur friend keeping them on their toes. I also loved the inclusion of the deaf husband and minor bit of ASL, wish there had been a touch more of that, but it's still progress.

Well done!

8.2 stars.

Sustad is the source of this drama gold if you ask me. Just about every movie I've seen her in is a winner. I don't know if that's dumb luck, or she has some special connections with one of the big wigs, or she's just that good. I am always ready for a fun time with her characters. Although most of her personalities are similar, they have some minor nuances that she likes to surprise us with now and then. Her character in this film is a very down-to-earth woman who misses her dad something awful, he died recently. Her stepmother is the only person she has left, and their relationship was never a close one.

She has a bestie who helps her through the trials, but the people she meets, a man and his cousin, these become new and wonderful friends. The whole town supports her, they keep her little secret because of a mystery behind a man on a motorcycle. He crashes into some trees, gets injured and she rescues him, but why is he there, what does he want? She hides her identity from him in order to maintain a low key surveillance operation. All these factors come together to make this a very rich story, full of entertainment and very interesting personalities. What an amazing movie.

Ceci Carmichael (Kimberley Sustad) is a photographer for her small town newspaper. She recently lost her father and cancels a local Christmas tradition called Good Night. She comes to the aid of motorcyclist Sam Calloway (Mark Ghanimé) who crashes in the woods. Right before passing out, he asks her to marry him.

I really like the elephant necklace premise. I like a lot of that back and forth and its eventual resolution. I don't really like that he keeps his land development idea a secret. He could simply tell her that he's not buying her land and she would not believe him. That's a lot cuter and reasonable. I would like for her to read the letter. It would jumble the ending around a little, but I think it improve it. This is a movie filled with only nice people and that's a nice fit for Christmas.

This Hallmark holiday film was a little different than the usual formula. It had an unconventional male lead, who was mysterious, supportive, funny and giving. It had an adorable dog who was the thief of Harmony Bay, which worked into an ongoing gag. It had a female lead who was grieving the loss of her father, but open to healing and help.

It still had the loving, small town community and it had a gorgeous backdrop that looked exactly like my backyard growing up (it came as no surprise that it was film on Victoria Island...which you literally can look across the Salish Sea and see from my Fidalgo Island backyard).

Great supporting cast and a demonic bongo Santa. The dialog was wonderfully written...jokes, romantic stories, military support, and the concept of sharing something beautiful with the community that you love.

Ceci and Sam are a match made in heaven. Their meeting over a motorcycle accident and her first aid and conversation...and his proposal were great.

This is one for the romantics. The story was funny and romantic. I highly recommend it to romantics like me. Kimberley Sustad (Ceci) and newcomer Mark Ghanimé (Sam) had wonderful chemistry. I liked the multiple stories within this storyline and I really appreciated that they didn't make Vivian a villain.

I have seen a ton of Hallmark movies. To me this is one of the if not the best ever. The writing is brilliant, on spot, funny and emotional. So is the acting. Excellent. It's upbeat with positivity. Cinematography is also fantastic. No plot spoilers here. It's somewhat different from the standard Hallmark predictable formula. If you want an enjoyable good time with a movie I totally recommend this one. Even the dog is great. So are the lead stars as well as the rest of the cast. This movie has a refreshingly different feel to it. It's well produced, directed, acted, and photographed. Hope you enjoy it as mych as I did.