Trivia at St. Nick's

Given the fact that I don't keep up with Christmas movies at all, then of course I was by no means familiar with this 2024 Hallmark movie from director Marlo Hunter. But I had the opportunity to sit down and watch it here in 2024, as part of my December month of Christmas movie marathon.

I have to be honest, though, and say that with it being a Hallmark movie, I was expecting to be in for the usual standard and generic sap that Hallmark Christmas movies tend to ooze with. But of course, as I was not familiar with the movie, then writers Christine Garver and Stephanie Jackson had every opportunity to impress, bedazzle and entertain me with their script.

The only face on the screen that I was familiar with was actor Willie C. Carpenter. I will say, however, that the acting performances in the movie were fair.

Sure, this was a watchable movie, but it just wasn't a movie that was capable of being outstanding in a vast ocean of similar movies. It was just simply too formulaic, generic and, well honestly, bland. But I am sure that there is a die-hard fan group out there that gobble up these sappy and generic Christmas movies by the dozens and enjoy every moment of it. If you enjoy sappy Christmas movies, by all means, give director

I have to admit that I found that the movie just didn't have that particular Christmas spirit or feeling to it, and as such it just failed to be an outstanding viewing experience.

"Trivia at St. Nick's" is by no means a Christmas classic. Nor is it a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. Marlo Hunter's 2024 movie a chance.

My rating of "Trivia at St. Nick's" lands on a four out of ten stars.

When students go home for Christmas break at a university in Vermont, those sad souls left behind (or just live there), participate in a 45-year tradition of Christmas trivia at Nick's Bar. Celeste (Tammin Sursok) is obsessed with winning the trivia tournament, but is thrown when her ringer bails and she's stuck with Max, a football coach (Brant Daugherty) as their sixth and required member of the trivia team.

Trivia is fun, but this movie was absurd and not in a funny, laugh at yourself way. There are some funny one-liners, but it's certainly not enough to carry the contrived story line that somehow tries to be funny and sincere, but fails at both.

One liners -I'm a football coach, not a wheel magician!" When he can't change a tire.

-"If you'd like, I'd be happy to share my syllabus..." Professor, keep your pants on. Really a dick joke?

-After asking a nun to be on the trivia team, the nun replies, "I will pray for you. Hard." Wow, the nun thinks you're silly.

-"Belay! You gotta Belay!" Best rock-climbing advice ever.

Goofy notes -A whole week of trivia nights is a bit much, even for die hard trivia buffs.

-This movie was filmed on location in Connecticut. Why was it placed in Vermont?

-Shouting your trivia answers in a crowded bar is a great way to lose to other people who can hear you.

-Everyone drinks different colorful holiday beverages - no one has any ice.

-The Stan trophy had to be worth at least $7, but no more.

-And who was Stan in the photo? They show him like an inside joke. Help us out.

-When they eat cookies, the sound department didn't add the ever-present crunch, like every other Hallmark movie. This is the right decision.

Measuring Christmas Magic: None, except the super meta final trivia category - Hallmark Christmas movies! Nice work there.

Cast Kudos: Brian McCarthy who plays Nick the Quiz Master. Nick dons a different holiday outfit each night, which helps show the different events, and is a nice running joke. Give Nick a movie.

Alternative Titles: The Greatest Trivia Tournament Ever; Trivia for the Lonely; Just go home for the Christmas holiday.

Aired on Hallmark on Nov 8, watched Nov. 9.

Brant Daugherty and Tammin Sursok, who play Celeste and Max, have wonderful chemistry together. They initially meet and don't hit it off...the astronomy teacher vs the football coach until Celeste's trivia team, The Quizmas Elves, is desperate for a sixth and with his sports knowledge and team building expertise, Max is the perfect fit.

Celeste has the need to study and get everything right while Max is more go with the flow, enjoy the process...but both want to win in the end. They especially want to beat the young whippersnappers "we came to sleigh". The competition is for bragging rights and the beloved "Stan" trophy. After some initial struggles, Max kind of takes over with some team building exercises that end up giving them the competitive edge in trivia, in addition to being fun. The whole process has Celeste reevaluating her process and well...Max

I loved the Christmas activities....and the "It's a Wonderful Life" references. This was fun, funny and had some decent writing. The first kiss needed a little work...but the rest was a Christmas romantic's dream. I highly recommend.

This Hallmark holiday film offers little in the way of surprising developments or surprising dialogue. Still, it follows some traditional Hallmark story lines.

Celeste (Tammin Sursok) looks forward to the annual Christmas trivia tournament at a local bar. She really wants her team to win, so when their ringer---a two-time Jeopardy champ---has other plans, she is despondent. The new offensive coordinator of the university's football team is added to the roster solely to meet the requirement of six players. Celeste harbors resentment toward the football team, because she feels it receives undue attention, whereas her department (Astronomy) and academics, in general, is underappreciated.

New team member Max (Brant Daugherty) turns out to be a nice guy, so he gradually grows on Celeste. As the tournament progresses, they share various experiences and she realizes he is more than a dumb jock.

Comedic chemistry between the two leads is adequate, but any romantic chemistry feels mostly manufactured. Two cleverness points for naming the female lead Celeste, which means "heavenly".

The story and performances are average. The sound engineering is terrible, with fluctuating volumes of speech and soundtrack making it impossible to set a comfortable listening level without having to constantly adjust up and down. It was initially so annoying that we came close to stop watching. From blaring music to hushed whispers, some of the dialogue is even missed. Unlike some Hallmark rom-coms, this will not be one we will watch again. The unique hook in this movie are the actual trivia contests. Viewers can play along and perhaps learn from some actual Christmas trivia questions and answers.