A Fabled Holiday

A magic book passed on from the blessed to those needing healing leads those needing to a hidden town. Are the residents fairies? There is a sense of wonder as we meet 5 people with something missing in their lives. There is some freshness in how their stories progress. Mildred seems to be a strange addition to the town since she resembles the grinch more than a helpful fairy. Even so, there are no great highs or lows or surprises.

Ryan Paevey and Brooke D'Orsay have chemistry as their characters rekindle their childhood relationship. D'Orsay's Talia seems the most perceptive of the fact that something about Wunderbrooke is unique and perhaps stirring up memories of childhood stories. I think D'Orsay is well cast for this part.

The friction between Diane and Keith doesn't develop as much as it jumps to a conclusion.

The fairy tale atmosphere and unfolding mysteries kept my interest, but I can't say this movie stood out and certainly not a tear jerker.

I love stories about writing books or anything adjacent to books. The movie IS a book story, Talia is a writer writing a book, and Talia owns a book shop, so this is a triple yes for me! I love how innocent and imagination Talia is, how Anderson supports her, and the abundance of Christmas festivities in the magical village.

Summary: Talia's father introduces childhood friends Talia and Anderson to the story of Wunderbrook, a Magical Christmas Village where those that have lost their way in the world can find joy and peace. 30 years later, both Talia and Anderson end up staying at the Gingerbread Inn for Christmas where they participate in Wunder Week Christmas festivities and rediscover their joy and true self. The movie is told in chapters like a storybook with book graphics, text, and a narrator.

"Once these special visitors arrive in this place, they experience a Holiday like no other and are reminded of who they really are and the true joy and peace that is the meaning of Christmas." -A Wunderbrook Christmas Story book.

MeetCute: Talia and Anderson are childhood friends and read the book of Wunderbrook together.

Anderson gifts Talia a notebook that says, "Don't Stop Dreaming" while Talia gifts Anderson a copy of the book, A Wunderbrook Christmas Story

As adults, Talia is negatively muttering to herself her doubts about her unpublished manuscript when Anderson enters. Talia spots him and they realize they know each other from their childhood! Talia tells him she is still trying to write fiction and Anderson tells her that he is taking a break from his job as a doctor.

Christmas Festivities: Christmas Tree Lighting Snow Falling Hot Chocolate Tasting Story Hour of an Original Holiday Story Talia & Anderson Dress Up as Santa & Elves Making Christmas Stockings Charles decorates Mildred's Magical Tavern with Christmas Decorations Christmas Market Christmas Bell Procession Night of Wunder Party.

While not everything about this movie Wow'd me to a high rating, it was so creative I have to reward it. The Chapter format with fairly tale pages to begin and end each 12 minute segment (commercials, don't you know) was very cool, and the entire idea for the story simply broke the mold. Not often do we get an enchanted town. :-)

The town comes from a fairy tale book all the guests of the town owned and loved as children, and the premise is that those who have broken places in their lives come to the town to heal. It's really a very nice idea and they pulled it off. The relationships and the mystery might have been sold harder, but I can enjoy what they did, and we'll watch it again.

Not my favorite type of movie, The writers weakened the storyline by following the Hallmark standards of time limits and editing to fit the 1 1/2 hour limitations. I want a well developed plot line and characters to fit. This movie. Should have been a normal two hour one. Chopped in the edit room for Hallmark, Low on my list of Ryan Paevey movies, but grateful when I realized there would be at least a year before he was chosen for another one. Realize that the "battle" with GAC for "religious" purity has seemingly given new actors huge openings to join the Hallmark Universe....and that the 3-4 favorites are still doing their regular 3 or more films a year. But, this should not be allowed to start making movies of lesser quality, with writers and actors of presumably lesser cost.

Give this jumble of a movie a higher rating because it could have been better if allowed to be.

I've been so looking forward to this movie since two of my favorite actors are in it, the adorable Brooke D'Orsay and the Oh so handsome Ryan Paevey with his sexy voice! They did not disappoint. Everyone did a great job acting in this which is a big plus for this or any movie.

This movie deviates quite a bit from the normal Hallmark fare, yes there is Romance 3 romances to be exact but there is a supernatural/fairytale bent to the story, unlike anything they've done before. I liked that this movie had the other couple and Charles who also had issues to overcome instead of the movie solely focusing on Talia and Anderson. It added substance instead of taking away from the main characters.

This movie reminded me a lot of the ABC TV show Once Upon a Time. Nothing is as it seems at least it's not for our 2 couples and the older gentleman who just lost his wife. I really enjoyed the fairy tale feeling of this movie. From the narrator to the hand-drawn looking book pages and chapter introductions, this movie took its name to heart. Which I found endearing.

The town of Wunderbrook, specifically its inhabitants, are so fascinating and raise so many questions - questions far beyond ones I've ever asked about a Hallmark movie. In fact, too many questions are raised about the origins and rules of Wunderbrook to be answered in one Hallmark movie, it also seems a bit rushed especially at the end, this would have been better if it was either a 3 hour movie or a movie with a sequel. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping there is a follow-up next year that explores more of the wonders and mysteries of Wunderbrook and also an update on Talia & Anderson and Charles!

They did wrap the movie up pretty well and most of the questions are answered by the end. You really need to pay attention to what everyone does and says especially the first 15 minutes or so to figure out why things are the way they are. I truly enjoyed it but like I said I think it would have been more enjoyable in two parts, also I think they needed to add more Christmas decorations and more Christmas fun activities it did start to feel a little slow with too much dialogue and not enough activity! In essence, it felt a bit rushed to try and get everyone's story explained and wound up in a tidy bow within 2 hours.

Despite some shortcomings, I did find it a great way to spend 2 hours, I really liked the movie and I do recommend it.