Following Yonder Star

This movie starts out with some of the usual stuff. Abby is an actress famous for being the perfect TV mom, but she has a run-in with a store clerk whose unreasonable refusals result in Abby losing her temper. This goes viral and gets blown out of proportion so she flees Hollywood to Vermont for Christmas. She just wants to keep her head down. She ends up at an Inn where the innkeeper is a widower with a little girl. He happens to also be a director of a kids nativity play. So Abby helps. You can figure out how the middle of the movie plays out more or less. Like so many movies with a cute kid, Brook D'Orsay has about as much chemistry with Isla Verot's Lucy as with John Brotherton's Tom, the innkeeper. The interplay between D'Orsay and Verot is almost worth the price of admission alone, but the romance is nice too.

You might be able to guess, at least in general terms, what cause the conflict. That leads to some discussion about life choices and trust and then a very cute climax during the nativity play that isn't exactly expected. Things are wrapped up after that while watching the conjunction of the planets to create a sort of Christmas star.

A few comments about star watching that have no bearing on the enjoyment of the movie if you can ignore the fallacies of such. Foremost, no planets or stars ever move across the sky that fast. Also, it's hard to see planets or stars with so much background light in the viewing area. There are several other issues, but I will leave it at that.

;'

Following Yonder Star is a wonderful movie. I'm a very big fan of Hallmark movies and this one in particular shines brightly. The story of a well-known actress who sees just how easily things can be misconstrued in the press and particularly social media, she heads to Vermont and meets a wonderful Inn keeper and his daughter. The cast is absolutely fantastic. Brooke D'Orsay in particular is outstanding. She's a fan favorite and for good reason. John Brotherton is wonderful as the Inn keeper and he too is a natural. Both of the leads come across with good chemistry and feel natural. The storyline is fantastic. The setting is beautiful. This is a really good one. I hope that Hallmark makes more like Following Yonder Star and that they cast Brooke D'Orsay and John Brotherton in more movies, because they're great! Hope you'll enjoy this one as much as we did!

This is an interesting film and very well acted. It involves an actress coping with getting vilified by social media during the Christmas season - a unique premise. For the first time, we enjoyed Brooke D'Orsay's acting. We usually find her movies to be mediocre and her acting sort of robotic, probably because the scripts are so routine. But, here, she is given a good story and the opportunity to act with nice subtlety and expression. At times, she says nothing, but it is her face and movements that convey her feelings and emotions. Very nicely done. And John Brotherton is excellent - just as good as he was with Kimberley Sustad in "Lights! Camera! Christmas!".

His character is sort of a Nervous Nellie and it is endearing how he has feelings for D'Orsay's character.

Brotherton is a very multi-faceted actor - you can check him out in two episodes of the "911" series that aired earlier this year - in a performance that is stunningly evil.

But, here, he demonstrates just how diverse he is because this character is caring and sweet natured.

D'Orsay and Brotherton work well together and they make this movie fine and watchable holiday entertainment.

Finally Hallmark nailed it! This movie was so enjoyable to watch. I loved BD & JB as the leads, they were cute together and I also enjoyed the ensemble cast as well. The Inn was festive and joyful. I absolutely loved they incorporated God into the script, after all, Jesus is the reason for the season. Brooke is always beautiful to watch, her acting chops are fantastic and her male counterpart is adorable. As a whole, i thoroughly enjoyed the movie and before I knew it, two hours flew by. I never rolled my eyes or drifted off once. The little girl who played the daughter was cute as a button. I would definitely watch this movie again. Thank you Hallmark, you hit the mark on this one! Congratulations to the entire cast and crew for a job well done.

Following Yonder Star is a beautiful story of love and faith. Brook D'Orsay and Jon Brotherton had wonderful on screen chemistry and I really enjoyed them as a couple! Their characters were funny, likeable, and seeking something better in life. Watching their journey was the focus of the movie.

The young actress who played the daughter of Jon's character did a great job without being over sugary. (Some of the children in Hallmark movies are a little too perfect.) I loved the interaction between her and Abby, and also with her dad. All of the kids in the movie were very good.

FYS made me feel good and I will watch it again!