Christmas by Starlight

This is a very good Hallmark Christmas movie; it is one of the best thus far this 2020 season. The plot, of course, was quite predictable: I knew the ending already 10 minutes in after the scene at the coffee stand where the leads make a deal. However, to be fair, most people watching Hallmark films are not in it for unpredictability. I think, what is most important is whether the film pulls you in, engages you. This one pulled me from the start. I wonder if the writer was at all influenced by the film Two Weeks Notice (starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock), as this film reminded me a little of that one. The script, I thought, was well-written, especially the dialogue, the banter between the two leads. It was fun, cute and touching. Regarding the latter, I especially enjoyed the scenes with the gift Annie gave William and the one near the end where they have their first kiss (Annie's response to William here was touching, I thought). Overall, the acting was great. Kimberley Sustad's performance as Annie was impressive; for example, she did an excellent job with her dialogue (her banter) with William (played by Paul Campbell). Campbell had a good performance as well. I typically enjoy his Hallmark movies. The chemistry between the two was good but not great, not as good as the leads in, e.g., The Angel Tree (another very good Hallmark film this Christmas) or Lifetime's A Welcome Home Christmas. That said, the banter between the two was excellent. The supporting cast also had a good performance. Darren Martens had a strong performance in the role of Lyle. Finally, the scenery, props, and sets were all well-polished and quite festive. I did not notice any, e.g., fake snow in this one. Overall, this is a very entertaining Christmas movie, a nice new edition to Hallmark's 2020 movie lineup/collection.

The best dialog of any of the Hallmark movies. Reminds me of snappy repertoire from the old classic movies. Good job writers and lead actors.

This movie is genuinely funny, heart-warming, and well-written. I can only hope Paul Campbell and Kimberley Sustad do more writing for Hallmark, specifically because I love the comedic touches put into this film (for all the rom-coms they put out, Hallmark frequently forgets to be funny). Paul Campbell is a force to be reckoned with when humor is in the picture, and I personally feel he thrives in those charmingly funny roles much more than when he plays overly earnest, serious characters (his best performances for me are his roles in Window Wonderland and Surprised by Love, where he plays Shawn-Spencer-like characters that you both want to roll your eyes at and love with all your heart). Even as a businessman, he gets to be authentically funny here, and paired with Kimberley's equally sharp comedic chops (she absolutely nails awkwardness in a way that's super amusing), the movie just works. It moves fluidly, believably, and the scenes are just fun to watch even if you already know how the whole thing will end.

Funny enough, I don't think the chemistry between Paul and Kimberley's characters was particularly strong (nor in their last movie they starred in together), but they're such a great writing team, I'd love to see them work together again.

Though this is a Christmas-centric film, it keeps the focus on the central relationship. Like many Hallmark holiday romances, the inevitable resolution can be anticipated early on, but this film has a good energy, driven mainly by Kimberley Sustad's personality. She teamed up with costar Paul Campbell in writing this film, which may explain why they fit so naturally into their roles.

Kimberley plays Annie Park, a Chicago lawyer specializing in family law. When she discovers that her family's restaurant will be demolished to make way for a high-rise, she decides to confront the developer, Holt Enterprises. When she meets the son of the owner---Paul Campbell as William Holt---he hires her for a couple weeks just to assuage his father, who feels that William must constantly be monitored due to his irresponsibility. William promises to save the family restaurant in return, but can he deliver? Will he?

"Christmas by Starlight" is filled with the usual Hallmark touches, like abundant decorations, but it does not rely too heavily on the holiday schmaltz, allowing the character development to be its main focus, which is nice.

The entire cast is enjoyable, so it feels like spending two hours with a group of friends.

The heir to a development company needs a legal babysitter according to his father and when he mistakes Annie for said legal babysitter he strikes a bargain with her to fake his legal council in return for him renewing the lease on her parents Starlight Cafe.

Annie's dog is named after Charles Dickens because Great Expectations destroyed her when she read it. Off the cuff our developer, William Holt, quotes Dickens, "I loved her, against promise, against reason, against hope, against all discouragement that could be."

When Annie gets William out of legal trouble with the preservation society she gets stuck putting on a high end fund raiser at her parents cafe The Starlight.

Can William hold up his end of the bargain?

There was cute banter in this fun loving holiday romance. In fact these two were both comedy and romantic gold.

"So what's your move, hotshot?"-William.