The Christmas Chalet

First of all you can't have Erica Durance in a rom com and not fall in love with her as either as a love interest in the movie or a movie watcher. She is talented and adorable in everything. Everyone played a great roll in this one. Loved it but with all great romance movies, you wish the movie was much longer.

I loved Robin Dunne in two earlier Christmas movies and I've loved Erica Durance for a while, so I was excited to find this movie. Unfortunately it did not get off to a good start. Not only did it move slowly, but it was highly derivative of other TV movies, not just in the general story, but in details.

I didn't think the acting was great nor did I think the chemistry was exceptional. Neither was the dialogue. Nevertheless, none of those were terrible and it was a story with possibilities.

Other than a minor unexpected twist toward the end, the story didn't have many highlights and there was only a brief token conflict.

This movie is more about relationships and life than story. There are several conversations that explore the disruption of divorce, teenage angst, and using trials to make a person stronger.

Of course in an UPtv movie, the general outcome is totally predictable.

Kicking off the story with a similar premise to that other festive gem - 'Christmas Getaway' (2017) - a double-booked chalet provides the setting for an unexpected meeting between a solitary author/curmudgeon/Grinch-type and a divorced magazine photographer (with her mother and daughter in tow) - anticipated squabble ensues.

The initial dispute over the double-booking results in both households sharing the same chalet over the festive season with the 'bah humbug' author going upstairs to the 'Grinch's Lair' under the timber roof as would be expected - and that's AFTER he took down all the decorations in the chalet which remind him of the dreaded season NOT to be jolly!

Yet despite the rules that were laid down after the dispute was settled he soon succumbs to the charms of the three women he's forced to co-habit with over the festive season. Particularly as Grandma & Grand-daughter are fans of his published works; which they refer to here and there.

What begins as a business-like/friendly arrangement spontaneously combusts into romance between Jack and Grace.

We've seen this story many times, but this one is a cut above the rest as the truth of the author's curmudgeonly pathologies and solitary nature are rooted, deeply, in family dysfunction (thus his memories of Christmas are not particularly heart-warming); and this provides the film with a double-edged sword that cuts through any festive schmaltz that might be lurking near the fripperies of the season, like fallen pine needles, figuratively speaking, behind the nowhere-to-be-seen Norway Spruce (see below). The unexpected romantic development blows the cobwebs off of Jack's heart.

Robin Dunne is excellent playing the part of the fully-rounded aforementioned famous-author/Christmas-Grinch and the rest of the cast match his sterling performance.

Perhaps the biggest sign that we're not quite seeing what we've seen many times before is the item used to create a delightful 'Christmas Tree' - charming and ingenious.

I believe this one deserves and an 8 out of 10.

A typical Canadian movie, quality of filming was poor. Started off real slow but turned out to be an ok movie. Love seeing Port Perry in the winter time.

I really enjoyed the match up of Erica Durance and Robin Dunne. Erica made 2 Christmas movies in 2019 and I enjoyed this one the most. It has the family vibe, perfect small town winter setting and the romantic worked. The mother-daughter relationships were also fun to watch.