My Norwegian Holiday

An actual plot line - Hallmark can do it - I was beginning to doubt it.

I like this film. The setting was special. I travelled through Norway about 20 years ago and so know Bergen a little. Such a lovely city and Norway has such an unique interesting culture and I thought this film showcased it beautifully.

Of the acting; I love the character of Nora she was fun and I loved watching her dance with Henrik. I know Rhiannon from Home and Away so to have her rock up in Hallmark films has been a transition cos she has tended to play the exact same character in every film she has been in which feels staid, however is her best thus far.

The meet cute was ridiculous but I liked Henrik and JJ together they were sweet. All in all a nice way to waste away a few hours.

Jessica Johnson (Rhiannon Fish) is in a coffee shop behind Henrik Strom (David Elsendoorn) who is getting dumped by a girl also named Jessica Johnson. It's a series of name confusion, uncomfortable confrontation, slapstick chaos, and an offer from Henrik. He has an extra ticket to Norway in the name of Jessica Johnson. She has existential doubt and a free plane ticket may be what's needed. She sets off for Bergen to find an origin story while he is attending his sister's wedding.

I like this couple and they have stuff to do. Bergen is not a top tier destination and that's what is interesting. I've seen one travel show do Bergen in one episode. That's it. So I do know about "Bergen?", but not so much else. I'm sure the locals would have some issues. I have none. This is as good as Hallmark is going to get.

First off - yes, this was a Hallmark Christmas movie but there were absolutely zero typical Halmarkisms here. If I were playing the Hallmark drinking game I would have lost (or stayed sober) as no cliche scenes or moments were put into the film.

The cast, all of them, were great and worked well together. Also, having Bergen as the location added quite a bit. Often, these movies filmed abroad work better than their USA-Canada counterparts. Not sure why, but they just seem fresher.

This was a quality production from start to end and kudos to the acting and production talent. Oh, and this is a biggie - this was rare Hallmark movie which actually wrapped up the story for all characters and we weren't left hanging and wondering how things would work out. Nicely done.

As a Norwegian I'm feeling a little offended. Norwegians would not have acted this way towards Henrik. So many things about Norwegian traditions are wrong, and they couldn't even get Norwegian actors, even though they filmed in Norway. If they hadn't gotten so much wrong about Norwegian culture and had used some Norwegian actors I really do think I would have liked the film. But the mistakes are just too glearing to me, it took all my focus. (Also; geography always bothers me when American films take on Europe. Why would they walk around Bergen with alpine skis when the nearest slope is a couple of hours away.)

Have you heard about the Norwegian farmer who loved his wife so much, he almost told her?

I am loving Hallmark doing some more immersive storylines within other cultures. This film adds a clever meeting and trip into the storyline which was very enjoyable. As a fellow Dutchwoman, I loved seeing both David Elsendoorn and Peter Vollebregt playing the father and son Henrik and Johan Strom. I thought they and the rest of the cast did a remarkably believable job with the Norwegian accents and pronunciations.

I loved seeing the very real city of Bergen, seeing and hearing about Norwegian Christmas customs like St. Lucia celebrations, the food, the knitting, the singing around the tree...and traditional costume. I also appreciated the conversation about the American use of the word love and the sharing of the two duvets...which I already knew about and agree with whole heartedly.

I liked the tie in to a personal journey and not making the story too complex. I thought Rhiannon Fish was great as JJ and she had wonderful chemistry with David Elsendoorn. The sibling interaction and teasing was just the right note between Henrik and Nora. It was really fun to see a wedding as well as Christmas since there are lots of traditions around weddings around the world...including the dresses.

I really loved this one, it had humor, cultural sharing and family. I recommend this to anyone who wants a heartfelt holiday film this season. This is definitely competing for the best Hallmark Holiday film of 2023...I think it just might edge out the Heidelberg Holiday, which is also very good. Cheers, Hallmark. I really thought you were done for, but movies like these are breathing new life into your network. Well done.