Jingle Bell Bride

So, this is my 3rd Hallmark Christmas movie of the 2020 season. It is at the top of my list thus far. The acting was good. Julie Gonzalo was great; I tend to like her Hallmark (or Hallmark like) films. The chemistry between the two leads was pretty good as well. I liked the cookies scenes, for example. The support cast too did a good job. I thought the aunt (BJ Harrison) had a good performance. The storyline/plot was what I expected from a Hallmark film. So, no surprises there. I did find the stopping at the Moose crossing to be a bit odd. We have these where I grew up; you did not stop, but slowed down and paid attention for moose, if you saw one then you stopped. Overall, it was a good start to the 2020 Christmas movie season by Hallmark.

The story has an unusual start. A wedding planner has to obtain a rare flower which she has to travel to Alaska to get.

Boss says "Do whatever it takes. Do the impossible." Planner says "I have to fly to Alaska." Boss says "Isn't that a little much." (Paraphrase)

Don't worry, there's still plenty of the standard stuff. There's a town festival. A festival princess. (Cute little twist here, though.) Up for a promotion. A thousand things happen to keep her from leaving. Difficult cell service including holding the phone up over her head. Battery died and no phone charger. Everything about a small town is wonderful. "No, no, we're not together." "Let's decorate together even if you're a stranger." The community center's pipes broke. And so many more.

There is a worthy mini-villain. Between her and the situation there is just a little tension.

I've enjoyed Julie Gonzalo in several parts in similar movies. But her character Jessica didn't get off to a good start. Arrogant and narcissistic. Of course in most of these movies, that's the way the leads start off, with antagonism toward one another. Then suddenly, they turn angelic. And Jessica suddenly loses her NYC arrogance and becomes a very likeable lady. Gonzalo and Ronnie Rowe develop good chemistry. Mostly the movie is held together by their relationship.

The climax and ending are neither surprising nor sparkling - just nice.

I have to give the writers credit for one thing. I can't remember a Hallmark movie that actually understood when the sun rises and sets in the winter in northern latitudes. Jessica learns about long hours of darkness right away.

This movie was alright. It wasn't the best feel good movie but the setting looked nice and the main leads looked good together too.

This was the premiere for the hallmark countdown to christmas so I picked it for my 100 christmas movies before Christmas day challenge.

Would I watch it again? Yeah probably.

Pretty good. Julie Gonzalo was charming and funny and I liked they incorporated her Latino heritage into the character. I usually appreciate it when there is more going on that just the love story, and this one brought in her professional life and challenges. I like the tension with her coworker trying to steal her client when she got stuck in Alaska. A Sweet love story and I was actually a little moved at one point.

This movie had a beautiful message: Life is too precious to race through. It is a lesson that I am learning.

The overall story is about a wedding planner, who in the pursuit of creating the perfect wedding for her client, travels to a remote Alaska town to procure unique "Jingle bell flowers". (One pet peeve: the flower is a fuschia not a jingle bell flower. I don't know why the names have to be changed. Fuschia is interesting all by itself.) Our wedding planner, Jessica, gets stuck in town for their Jingle Bell Flower Festival...even getting drawn to be crowned the Jingle Bell Princess for the events. There she is stressing about her most important client of her career but due to poor cell phone coverage and circumstances has to slow down and enjoy life a little...which gets her thinking about her sister and her niece. Meanwhile a snake at work, named Rebecca, does everything she can to steal her client while she is gone. In Alaska she meets an amazing man named Matt, who made sacrifices to move back to Alaska to help his aunt on the flower farm when her husband passed away. He takes it upon himself to help Jessica slow down a little and enjoy Alaska while she is there.

The Alaskan farm house was gorgeous inside and out. I hated that they had to have the selfish character Rebecca...I think she was an unnecessary mean bit in an otherwise sweet holiday romance.

I am sad that New York and the tiny town in Alaska are so far away... Sweet film to recommend for the holidays.