Five Star Christmas

Bethany Joy Lenz is my favorite female Hallmark lead, hands-down. If the summary said it was her leading a team of Christmas pugs against a team of alien invaders, I'd be in. And that's before I knew how well she could sing!

Five Star Christmas is not only the best movie of the 2020 holiday season, I think it's the best I've ever seen.

'Hilarious' is not a word I associate with Hallmark, but this movie was laugh-out-loud funny. And it sacrificed none of the romance or Christmas we expect along the way. Lenz' Lucy and co-star Victor Webster as Jake had a real snap of chemistry from their first run-in, and her extended family had an easy, loving vibe that never felt schmaltzy or forced. Two points for letting a little squabble in.

Honestly, Five Star Christmas felt like proof Hallmark noted all of our gripes and turned them into one warm, goofy movie. The plot was much fresher. The sets were lovely and well-decorated without being overdone. Family memories and traditions were represented without getting sappy. No smarmy little kids, crazed workaholics, overbearing mothers, exes from hell, or marches through 50 Christmas events.

I'll leave it for other reviewers to name exactly what they enjoyed most, because I don't want to spoil a single surprise, even the little ones.

As Grandma said, "People surprise you. You should follow your heart."

This was a great Christmas movie. I really enjoyed this one. The story is unique, which is a plus for a Hallmark movie. There is even a twist to the plot, which is revealed about 50 minutes into the film. It was a bit of a surprise for me. The script was well-written. During the first 30 minutes of the film, I found myself laughing out loud multiple times, which is something I rarely do during a Hallmark movie. The family pretending to be the guests, staff and the chef was quite good. Some very funny scenes here. For an 84-minute film, the writers did a pretty good job as well developing the sub-plots: Amber and her mother's cooking; the father and Beth's romance; and Annie and Will's future baby. Overall, the acting was very strong. Bethany Joy Lenz (playing Lucy) had a very good performance. She has always done well in Hallmark films; they are some of my favorites. Victor Webster (playing Jake), another Hallmark regular, had a pretty good performance too. The chemistry between the two was good, I thought. I was a bit surprised with the kiss at the fair scene between the two; they usually wait to the end of the film to do this. The Elvis Blue Christmas scene was very warm/cute as well. I have said this many times on here, Hallmark usually does a very good job casting the supporting roles in their films. The supporting cast in this one was brilliant. Jay Brazeau (playing Walter, the grandfather) and Paula Shaw (playing Margo, the grandmother) were my favorites. They had some fun scenes. For example, Margo's entrance at the beginning, along with her funny accent, was entertaining. I thought too that Robert Wisden (playing Ted, the father) and Laura Soltis (playing Beth) had solid performances; the scene, towards the end, where Ted confesses his interest in Beth, comes to mind. The scenery, props, and sets were well-polished and quite festive. The festive spirit of the film worked well. The tree decoration scene, the taffy making scene, the Christmas festival scenes, and the Christmas morning scene (at the end) all were fun and festive (with some good Christmas music). I even learned a bit about candy canes to boot. Overall, this is a fun, warm, and festive Christmas movie, a nice new edition to Hallmarks 2020 lineup. I highly recommend this one.

I found this Hallmark Christmas movie to have a fresh and fun theme. All Hallmark Christmas Love Stories are predictable and have the same outcome, but that's the exact reason that we tried and true fans watch them year after year. As always, Bethany Joy Lenz does not disappoint with her realistic acting. It would have been nice if we were allowed to hear more of her beautiful singing voice. The location and set was warm and beautiful. I thought the supporting cast was well fitted for the story. Chemistry between the leads was there, but would have been better if the story line had given them more time together for romance to build.

This is what happens when you get actors who have tons of chemistry together. I don't mean just the leads. I mean the ENTIRE CAST. Who is mostly made up of veteran actors. IF only Hallmark would do this with every movie! I am going to praise Bethany Joy as I always do with her movies. She's a godsend of of a actress. She never disappoints me! She could have chemistry with a door handle that's why I am quick to watch whatever she's in. Cast in Victor Webber and you can't go wrong with Five Star Christmas. The plot is new and not overdone. The conflict is fresh without the usual hang-up of another lover. Add in Christmas fun and you'll have a good time. Laughs all around! You won't be disappointed!

The supporting cast totally made this movie! They were so fun and entertaining.