Holiday Hearts

6/10 - light and fun Hallmark flick helped me get into the Christmas season

For some reason I find Ashley Williams constant toothy smile annoying!! Her lower teeth are part of her expression every time she speaks! It makes everything appear SO insincere! I just can't view her as real with that overwhelming toothy show constantly on display! Next complaint: Doesn't anyone reside in a home that isn't mansion-sized!?! Every single hallmark Christmas movie takes place in a millionaires property! Couldn't anyone live in a normal-sized home?!? Next: Why does everyone wear high-heeled shoes in supposed wintry weather!? Do they all need to dress like the Drumplethinskin family!?

On the one hand, this movie is like a check-off list of Christmas tropes. Snowmen. Cookie decorating.. Decorating the tree. Present shopping. A pending job that will take one of the leads very far away. Old flames where one left abruptly. A (different) loved one stranded far away. Even someone fell off a ladder. And so on. (At least it didn't have the we're-going-to-lose-the-family-business.)

On the other hand there are two aspects of the premise that combined are unusual. One, not quite so much by itself - a nervous event planner with her big opportunity, even if it is her parents inn. The unusual one (at least I don't remember many) is the leads being thrown together to take care of an unrelated little girl for several days and then doing Christmas traditions with her. What a great way to bring the leads together in close quarters.

When I saw Ashley Williams and Paul Campbell listed for this movie, I knew I wanted to see it. (Even though I usually watch all of Hallmark's premieres on either channel.) I love Williams' joy de vivre. She lights things up on the screen. Campbell is always solid. Of course they connect and the story gives them plenty of time to explore their relationship. And as usual with a child central to the story, the three also have chemistry together. Payton Lepinski is delightful.

Dialogue is lively but a little less than remarkable. Most of the movie looks like it is on sets, so it doesn't have the breathtaking scenery that some Hallmark movies do. There is one beautiful indoor scene. The soundtrack has decent Christmas music, some of which is generated within the story, but no performances.

There weren't any huge conflicts, unless you count Ben's pending job, or Peyton's stress over the party. There is a small touching event near the end, but it is totally predictable so it lacked a little kick in that regard.

Nobody should watch Hallmark films with massively high expectations, their Christmas output particularly. If a Hallmark fan or wanting to see as many Christmas films as possible, expectations would understandably be higher. They are very formulaic with most of them being more of the same narratively and structurally, apart from sporadic attempts at changes of pace. There are a fair share of them though that are surprisingly above average and even good amidst the many average and less ones.

2019 was a very hit and miss and somewhat unimpressive year for Hallmark and their Christmas output. 'Holiday Hearts' to me, and many others it seems, managed to be one of the best from that year and actually among their best Christmas films in general. It's not a masterpiece by any stretch, then again is that expected from Hallmark, or flawless. But 'Holiday Hearts' does show that Hallmark do have a good film in them if given a chance and not taken too seriously.

Like other Hallmark Christmas films, 'Holiday Hearts' is a bit of a slow starter. Some of the dialogue in the early parts did make me cringe and the story didn't grab me straight away when it was very slight. Anybody expecting innovation are best looking elsewhere, as when it comes to the story it is one of those stories that you've seen in some shape or form in other Hallmark films.

While other Hallmark films fared worse, the music is on the intrusive side.

However, for me there was a lot to like about 'Holiday Hearts'. Ashley Williams is very photogenic and has a lot of charm to her, she is a lot better here than she was in 'Northern Lights of Christmas'. She doesn't overdo any mannerisms and she doesn't hold back. She has a suitably sympathetic but never on the wrong side of dull leading man in Paul Campbell. Both the characters were for me easy to connect to and grew in development, with any rushed or senseless motivations. Their chemistry comes over as genuine as well. Lisa Durupt is good fun in her role.

It pleases visually too, especially the appropriately festive locations that are not drably shot or too drab in colour scheme. Once 'Holiday Hearts' gets going and things get better, the dialogue is tighter and less stilted than a lot of Hallmark Christmas films and the cheese and sentiment isn't as much. The story is very predictable admittedly, but it still engaged me and was charming and heart-warming while not taking itself too seriously. It is not as slight as most Hallmark Christmas films too, again though once it gets going. The characters may be well worn cliches, but they came over to me as likeable enough and any negative character traits didn't come over as over the top like can be the case in Hallmark Christmas films. Actually cared for these characters, not the case with a lot of recently seen Christmas films.

Overall, worth seeing if not a must. 7/10

Many motives to love it. For story, party, romance and two ex school mates together, under the looks of a girl and her Miranda. A book about Humphrey and the first Christmas party of a inn after 25 years of precious tradition. A earm film. Yes, a Halmark one. But a very, very, very nice one.