Inn for Christmas

So happy to see something different on the seasonal movie front. Quite frankly I happened across it by chance and didn't intend to watch the entire movie. The cast kept me with it. Jesse Hutch (Lucas) and Jonna Walsh as Mandy are very good together but what really hooked me? Veteran Canadian actors Jayne Eastwood and Art Hindle. Yes--a simple story line but who cares? The actors (one and all) are excellent and make it work. Highly recommended!!

Yes, the story line is the same as all the boy meets girl Christmas movies but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Jesse Hutch is one of my favourites. I didn't know Jonna Walsh before this but I will watch for her now. Old favourites Jayne Eastwood and Art Hinkle are an added bonus. Filmed in Hamilton, ON is pretty cool too. Close to home.

Mandy Leeds (Jonna Walsh) is a regional manager at a hotel conglomerate in Miami. She's visiting her grandmother (Jayne Eastwood) for Christmas. She runs into old rival Lucas Menzino (Jesse Hutch) who stole her rental car. The rivalry continues when both end up chasing after the same local hotel.

Their rivalry needs better banter. They are too nice and too bland. There is no heat in the rivalry and the inevitable relationship. Instead, they seem to be low-simmering and stalling the inevitable conflict. Then there is the hotel. They need an interesting looking hotel. If they're fighting over it, it needs to be the central piece. This is Lifetime trying to fight back against Hallmark. They are certainly not doing anything more than that with this one.

Have said many times about my love of Christmas and getting a lot of pleasure out of in particular watching films, cartoons and specials during this period, something that most years has been much needed. Wanted to see some more festive films that were more recent, lower in budget and were not childhood favourites, so in a way to broaden my horizons and have been doing so since November 2019. The idea of the film did sound predictable and similar to other hotel etc-set Lifetime/Hallmark films.

Despite being a very uneven film, with a great first two thirds but a very disjointed and odd final one, 'Inn Love by Christmas' is one of the better 2020 Lifetime Christmas films. Have said in my reviews for other films from the batch reviewed already (some way to go before completing) about 2020 being a very mixed but far from terrible year for Lifetime Christmas films, and 'Inn Love by Christmas' compares favourably compared to some of the others from the batch.

'Inn Love by Christmas' is not perfect by all means. It is let down by the underwhelming final third, which is muddled and over the top odd as well as taking un-realism to extremes. With it being so inferior to the rest of the film, it makes the film feel disjointed. There is a twist that is very jarring and predictable, as well as adding absolutely nothing and introduced far too suddenly.

Also adding nothing is the villain, who is too much of a cartoon and felt shoe-horned in and out of place. The ending is too convenient, forced and too pat.

Much is great though. It looks lovely, with scenery that captures the festive spirit very well pleasingly shot. The soundtrack also adds to the atmosphere and is easy to remember, the music does vary in Lifetime films and can be intrusive but it wasn't here for me. The script mixes amusing comedy, sweet romance and not too sentimental drama with ease and good balance, having personality too. The direction is more than competent and seems at ease with the genre.

Furthermore, despite having an underwhelming final third, the rest of the film is very well done. Charming, heart-warming, light-hearted, with momentum never being a problem. Jonna Walsh and Jesse Hutch are very engaging leads in roles that are not too perfect or over-negative, while Jayne Eastwood is great fun. The chemistry between the leads is warm and genuine.

Overall, really liked most of the film but the final third lets things down significantly sadly. 7/10.

I really enjoyed this movie. It is a warm, fun and entertaining Christmas romance, one of Lifetime's better movies this year, I thought. The story centers around Mandy (played by Jonna Walsh) and Lucas (played by Jesse Hutch), former high school classmates, who are both back in their hometown for the holidays and, more importantly for the plot, both competing to buy the same local Inn. The story is fun and cute with some entertaining dialogue, especially between Mandy and Lucas. It was quite a predictable story, of course, but it kept me engaged thru-out (i.e., it pulled me in from the start). What made this work on screen was the acting. Overall, it was brilliant. Walsh had this warm and happy vibe to her performance as Mandy, which was great. It was easy to connect with her character as a result. Hutch had a convincing performance too. Similarly, he had a sort of happy and kind (and a bit flirtatious) vibe to his performance. Together, it made for great chemistry on screen. It was one of the strengths of the film, I thought. The supporting cast too was outstanding. Jayne Eastwood (playing Gram) and Art Hindle (playing Ernie) were quite the cute couple, and Elena Juatco's performance (playing Jackie, Mandy's hometown friend) was fun to watch. The scenery, props and sets were charming and festive. The red dress Mandy wore to the Christmas party was stunning; it had a great cut, I thought. The performance (singing and dancing) at the Christmas party was great (a fun scene). It instilled a bit of festive spirit. All in all, this is a cute, fun and, more importantly, engaging Christmas movie. It is a nice new addition to Lifetime's 2020 lineup.