Holly & Ivy

Have been on a roll watching Christmas films every now and again for a while. Especially the output of Hallmark and Lifetime. It has been an interesting experience, but also a very uneven one and at times frustratingly so. 'Holly and Ivy' did sound good on paper and while some of the synopsis sounded familiar, especially early on, it sounded as if the film was trying to not be too conventional. Plus with that many liked it, there was no chance of missing it.

2020's 'Holly and Jolly' didn't disappoint. As far as all the Christmas films seen as part of my Christmas films go, it is among the best and namely because it was one of the few recently seen ones that had emotional impact and didn't try to stick too much to conventions. 'Holly and Ivy' is not a masterpiece and it won't be one of my favourites any time soon, but it comes to talking about the 2020 Hallmark Christmas films this is among the best.

It is a bit of a slow starter, with the film taking a bit of time to get going story and script wise.

Do agree that Marisol Nichols never quite disappeared into her role and comes over as overly-restrained, even for a restrained character.

On the other hand, much is great. 'Holly and Ivy' looks attractive, especially the scenery, and the music has a pleasant and nostalgic quality that doesn't become overdone, over-emphasised or too syrupy. The direction was sympathetic but still gave the film momentum when necessary.

The dialogue is heartfelt, thoughtful and flows well without being self-indulgent or too flowery. The story is charming and moving, but instead of going down the cheesy and sugary sweet route that a lot of Christmas films in recent years do it takes a grittier and more serious turn. Without being overly-serious that it becomes dreary, without it getting preachy and without the shift being jarring. The charm and pathos, as well as heartfelt warmth, were still there even in these stretches while neither go into overload. The ending did move me a lot, easily the most heart-wrenching ending of all the 2020 Hallmark Christmas films and actually the only one to move me.

So refreshing too in 'Holly and Ivy' to have characters that felt like real people and ones that one gets behind in their trials and tribulations. Something not commonly found in recent years Christmas films. Personally thought Jannelle Parrish was fine and had charm and energy. Jeremy Jordan doesn't overplay or underplay, while Piper Rubio is adorable. As is Betty. The characters have a very natural and sincere chemistry, especially in the final third.

Concluding, well done. 7/10.

Ultimately, there is one measure for rating Christmas movies that outweighs the others. Will I watch it again? Oh, yes.

If you watched the previews, you know what could have been the surprise a little before half way, but even so, it wouldn't have been totally unexpected. Nina's cancer is back and she has no other family for her kids. Melody grew up in foster care and she will let those kids go there only over her dead body. But she has a challenge. No permanent job, and a house that needs an overhaul because she bought it to fix it. And she has little time to get it up to code for CPS inspection.

The premise is unusual, but is perfect for the Christmas season. It's super sappy, but also super irresistible. For starters, there's two adorable little girls, an equally cute puppy and a sad sad story that needs hope.

The movie is about family and community and dreams and reality. And books.

It's interesting because Jeremy Jordan must like to act opposite super-heroines. In another TV world, last I looked, he was Supergirl's best friend. Melody makes Kara Danvers look selfish. Jordan and Janel Parrish have wonderful chemistry. Marisol Nichols is very reserved as Nina, but that's her part. The actors playing the two girls do a great job. Neither of them falls into the trap of child actors in a Christmas movie of overplaying her part. And they bring an energy to the movie which Parrish amplifies.

Are there flaws in the movie. I'm sure there are. I already said it was predictable, although I wasn't sure about one major thing until almost the end. This movie isn't strictly a romance movie because the bigger story is Melody, Nina and the kids, but that's a plus.

PS: 2020 isn't over yet, and I'm sitting here watching at least the last half of it for the 4TH time and tears are still flowing. I think that says that I love this movie.

Awesomesauce! There were definitely some things that are not realistic, but it's a movie about libraries & a bookmobile - so we'll just ignore those things.

Make sure you have tissues, I knew what was coming as soon as the mother passed out the first tim.

Bonus points for Broadway actor Jeremy Jordan.

Cute if you can suspend belief!

Slightly different and very close to my heart as a story. Beautifully told and all the actors are wonderful. Left me in tears (of happiness). Well worth a watch - a delight.

My wife and I enjoyed this Hallmark movie after our weekly steak dinner and wine. Unlike most this one is filmed in Utah and not in Canada. Not that there is anything wrong with Canada.

Set in Wisconsin, it starts leading up to Christmas. A 26-yr-old single woman moves to town with a degree in Library Sciences, a newly purchased "fixer upper" house, but no job yet. Pretty quickly she meets a young man who runs a local construction business. They hit it off pretty quickly.

But the bigger story is her next door neighbor, a single woman with two daughters and a terminal illness. With no other family will the young lady, new in town, step up and volunteer to care for the two girls?

A really good story about friendship, family, and following your dreams. At home on DVD from our public library. One of the better Hallmark movies we have seen.