Christmas at Plumhill Manor

There are lovely views of Crow's Hall in Suffolk in late Spring - cow parsley, ox-eye daisies and so on, which mysteriously morphs into winter. But so corny! And how could a supposed expert in architecture mistake a gothic arch for a Norman one? Some of it was filmed at Shrublands Park in Suffolk, bits in Ipswich and in a pub I couldn't identify. Clearly the writers know little about British planning regulations, taxes or architecture. A six-storey hotel on a moated 16th century plot? I think not! Property taxes mounting up? No. A castle lurking unsuspected behind a door? You're joking! Sadly I shan't be recommending it... a group of us watched it and managed to last to the end, but it was tough going.

The story seemed disjointed or perhaps what I mean is that it didn't seem to flow real well. Margot's NY life just didn't mix with her English manor life. Maria Menounos seemed to coast through her role as Margot above the fray so to speak. I could easily see this woman being the Lady of the Manor. Or I'm sure she could be a team motivator in high value real estate. What I couldn't see was Menounos fitting in down here with us mortals. Oh she tried and made some brief efforts but still seemed to be above it.

Nor did I see a lot of chemistry with Kyle Pryor.

The very first sequence in the story left me with a bad taste. I started wondering if this movie was going to push the opposite of almost any similar Christmas story - in this case, ditch the historical and replace it with empty glitz.

It takes a while to find out what the catch is in her inheritance. Meanwhile Margot is following clues left to her by Victoria. Are the clues the catch, or do they negate the catch?

This is not a bad movie by any stretch, but I didn't really enjoy it.

Margot Stone is a successful architect. When her Great Aunt - Lady Victoria - passes away, Margot is informed she is the sole beneficiary. The codicils stipulate she can either retain or sell the property (Plumhill Manor), but that she must stay seven nights on the property before making up her mind.

Believing it to be a joke at first, Margot's mother convinces her otherwise, and Margot accepts the offer. So, she heads off to England to stay at the manor. She meets Jackie, who is to be her liaison for the week, and I thought Caroline Colomei was just fabulous as Jackie.

She also meets the handsome Alfie, the groundkeeper's son, who off course - predictably - becomes the romance interest. Clues are left throughout the house for Margot to solve. She also learns her Aunt used to throw big Christmas parties at the manor for the townsfolk, and she decides to continue the tradition, since she will be at the Manor for Christmas.

Yeah-yeah, we can foresee the outcome a mile away, but this is a feel-good movie of note, and rather delightful, actually.

"Christmas at Plumhill Manor" repackages the typical Hallmark holiday formula-saving an inheritance, a hotel, or a farm-but this time it's set in an old English manor. The film maintains the usual cheerful holiday spirit, although the character Jackie was particularly annoying, and didn't quite resonate as a believable figure from England-perhaps more fitting for a remote Scottish village.

What really detracted from the film's authenticity was its disregard for local UK laws regarding historical properties. Most buildings from the 1700 to 1840 period are listed in the UK, meaning they cannot be modernized in ways that alter their historical character, such as changing windows or doors, or even repainting. The film overlooks these restrictions, which is a significant oversight given the plot revolves around preserving and potentially upgrading a manor.

Additionally, the film misrepresents UK property tax laws, UK has no property tax, just a stamp duty paid once upon the acquisition of a new property such as a VAT, there is inheritance tax exemptions for listed buildings or for non UK domiciled individuas, and the only debt possible would be by not paying the local council tax (used for garbage collection and maintenance of various local public spaces such as schools, libraries, parks, roads and more). But even this would cause the fury of the local council to summon you to court after missing two payments. Years of unpaid council tax is very unlikely.

This lack of attention to detail might not trouble everyone, but for those familiar with UK laws, it breaks the immersion.

Despite these inaccuracies, if you can look past the legal and geographical liberties, the movie does offer the quintessential cozy Christmas charm expected from a seasonal film.

I couldn't get over the filming of the outdoor scenes with roses, hollyhocks and lupins in flower just before Christmas and all the trees in full leaf. It was obviously filmed in the summer.

The snowdrop wasn't a snowdrop and even if it was they are the first sign of spring and do not flower around Christmas.

The main characters had absolutely no chemistry and the plot was so obviously written with an American view of the U. K. If you're looking for a film where you can disengage from reality then I guess it may interest you but I have seen many better and more believable Christmas films. The house was beautiful though.