'Tis the Season to be Merry

Merry (Rachael Leigh Cook) goes to Vermont for the holidays to escape her problems. She has written a self-help book about relationships that is based on a fabrication and her publisher is demanding a rewrite. While away from the city, she reconnects with Chris (Travis Van Winkle), a free-spirited altruist who rubs her the wrong way. When her publisher follows her to Vermont, it looks like Merry's holiday will be a bust.

Cook does a fine job playing the lovable dork. Her awkwardness around Van Winkle works well to make this film a comedy-based romance. Like all Hallmark romances, the end results are fairly predictable, but solid acting by the entire cast keeps the story enjoyable.

Further proof that Rachael Leigh Cook definitely knows a good Hallmark movie when she sees one. Has she ever starred in a bad one? I don't think so...

What seems like a fairly shallow type of plot actually becomes something more.

Yes, you have the smalltown Christmas theme - all the usual Christmassy events are there - but don't let that discourage you if you're not a fan of that particular trope.

RLC (who I must admit is very easy on the eye) and Travis Van Winkle as Merry Griffin and Adam Walters steal the show. They are fantastic together, and strong in their solo scenes as well. They benefit from a funny, witty and surprisingly heartfelt film. There are a few cringey moments, but they were thankfully few and far between.

Of course it ends with a kiss. They always do. But this one felt less cliched than many others.

As a Clemson Football fan, I loved the nod to Clemson with the orange and purple decorated Christmas tree, along with Joe and Sonia, the two characters with ties to Clemson. I found Rachael Leigh Cook to be really charming as Merry, and this is my favorite movie I have ever seen her in. I specifically liked her supportive friendship with Darlene and the comical moments between her and Adam. All around this is a fun holliday movie.

I loved the movie!!

The chemistry between Merry and Adam was spot on! (And the kisses between them did not disappoint!)

I enjoyed the friendship between Merry and Darlene, and the brother sister relationship between Darlene and Adam was very believable! This movie put good attention to detail and I noticed! From the looks the characters gave to each other, to their interactions, to the effortless and organic humor!

It just looses a star because I didn't care about the coupling of Joe and Sonia. Those parts were kinda boring.

Everything else was great! Hallmark, please pair Rachael and Travis again!

Well, the movie was fair; your typical made-for-tv Christmas movie. But what made me submit this was IMDB's own description, where it says Merry "finds a new perspective and Christmas cheer with charismatic aid worker Chris." Who is Chris? There's no Chris in this movie. Obviously, they mean Adam, the male lead opposite Merry.