A Very Vermont Christmas

Hallmark lost an opportunity to represent the deaf or hearing impaired community by not only not addressed the lead actresses hearing loss but by covering her hearing aids in every single scene. Shame on you Hallmark. This move makes you no better than those who left because they disagreed with certain storylines you were showing. I will no longer be watching Hallmark movies.

That being said the same old storylines are getting really boring. It's seriously time to light a fire under your writers and get some new content where not everything works out perfectly or the female lead doesn't give up everything for the "man of her dreams".

This is one of the odder entries in the 2024 Hallmark holiday film lineup. It is all about microbrews and instead of mocking the snobbery, they have fully embraced it. I don't drink beer at all, so all of this craft brew nonsense was lost on me. In fact I think I might really dislike this film with its clear jealous villain, if it were not for its main leads.

This is about the rivalry of a big beer company and a small ma and pop craft brewery. The Ma and pop, now run by the ma and daughter is struggling until they enter a competition and come up with a holiday aka seasonal craft brew that the jealous ex-boyfriend steels and sells to the big beer company (in a totally ugly and unseasonable move).

This might be a good holiday film for someone, but it wasn't my cup of tea...which keeps me from recommending it.

The following could be true of all Hallmark movies. If you are a critical person or in a bad mood, all of the holes and faults noted elsewhere are true. You can not have a completely new plot after hundreds of xmas movies produced in the Hallmark formula. If you are in a good mood, you might enjoy the sweetness and predictability of this movie, rooting ahead of the plot twists. I am completely burnt out on these films, and can be intensely critical, but I still enjoyed it. The actors were relatable, not Emmy winners, but entirely appropriate for their roles. So, feeling good is still the mission for some of us who are not grinches.

YET ANOTHER LET'S SAVE THE BUSINESS PLOT---hoo hum! Local champion skier and Vermont brew master team up as an unlikely match to create a seasonal microbrew, in order to save her family's business . First of all I didn't like how Katie Lynn Leclerc portrayed the main character, I found her cold, arrogant, and bossy, absolutely no warmth which created problems with chemistry with her and male star, Ryan McPartlin. The plot went into so much detail on the microbrew business I felt like I was applying for the job! Perhaps the writer did this because the plot is so simplestic which centers around a microbrew recipe. This whole movie is just too predicable and boring. Viewer beware this is 2 hours you will never get back!

Hallmark Channel's Christmas in July continues with a craft beer and skiing in A Very Vermont Christmas. The plot unfolds in a Vermont ski town during the holiday season, where Joy (Katie Leclerc), a young brew master and local champion skier, manages her family's traditional ski pub, Mogul Joe's, alongside her mother, Mary (Joanna Herrington). Facing financial difficulties since Joy's father's passing, she worries about covering their expenses this Christmas.

Unexpectedly, Joy's ex-boyfriend Greg (John Forest) shows up and informs them about the Brew-Ski competition he's organizing at his rival venue, Frosty's. Intrigued by the opportunity, Joy and Mary see winning the competition as a potential Christmas miracle. Meanwhile, Joy crosses paths with Zac (Ryan McPartlin), a charming yet inexperienced skier, on the slopes after a lift mishap.

Lightweight, sweet, family oriented romantic comedy ... nothing special but enjoyable.