Merritt Patterson, Steve Lund, Brittney Wilson, Victor Zinck Jr., Carey Feehan, P. Lynn Johnson, Laurie Paton
The family legend was that anyone who spends the night in the Christmas Cottage will fall in love forever. Lacey Quinn (Merritt Patterson) doesn’t believe in the magic of the holidays, nor does she believe in true love forever, but she agrees to fulfill her job of Maid of Honor for her best friend Ava (Brittney Wilson) who is getting married and will spend her honeymoon at the lodge as is their family’s custom. But when the bride to be’s brother Ean (Steve Lund) arrives to help her with the decoration, outside a blizzard roars, and inside the beautiful holiday setting cause romance to bloom.(
The Christmas Cottage was another Hallmark Channel premier that did not resonate with me. I’m not sure if the movie was as week as it appeared, or if the real problem was that I wasn’t feeling well, and was about to get sick which put a damper on my attention span or what, but I just didn’t catch on to it. The story just didn’t end up going anywhere for me. I found myself rather bored throughout, and it never really picked up. I didn’t really get the connection, and though the cabin setting was pretty and all that, there was just no chemistry. The movie just dragged on until it was over, and I thought, How am I going to review this? Maybe I will have time at the end of the season to give this another chance, but for now, I really don’t have much to say. It just bored me. This one just didn’t cut it for me.
Kate Boland, Neil Whitely, Penny Eizenga, Shenae Grimes-Beech, Steve Lund, Miranda Millar, Jane Moffat, Hannah Spear
Riley Vance (Kate Borland) is hired as the personal assistant for William Young (Neil Whitely) who just recently inherited the corporation from his father who recently passed. His first big decision is to close a small town toy factory that their company owns as it is currently losing money. But Riley convinces him to visit the plant first before making a decision. The problem is that William just doesn’t like the holidays and a small town Merry Christmas is driving him nuts. Plus Riley has a very big secret that is bound to get found out sooner or later.
This is not the greatest of Hallmark Christmas movies, but it’s a typical cute little Rom-Com. The problem is that there is such a demand for new Christmas stories, and just so many stories to tell. They’ve all been used up. Perhaps this is why this one was put on so early in the season. But the little town is charming, and the Christmas decorations and atmosphere are stunning. Trouble is that the chemistry between the leads is not so great. It’s hard to believe that they really belong together. But it was a pleasant holiday tale, and the townsfolk are pretty nicely done. The mayor is a bit of a character who understands that saving the toy factory is critical to the survival of the town. The others are also very well played. It’s light and charming, and it’s new, so I don’t see why not to enjoy it. But if time is limited, check out one of the others.
Torrey DeVitto, Steve Lund, Linda Thorson, Kalinka Petrie, Harmon Walsh
Jennie Stanton (Torrey DeVitto) is a party planner working for Petra (Linda Thorson) the premier event planning company around. When Petra announces she is planning to retire after this Christmas, Jennie is sure she has the job in the bag, but she’s shocked when Petra’s nephew Nick (Steve Lund) shows up working as seasonal help but is going to take over when Petra retires. The community depends on premier toy manufacturer Tyrell’s Toys to provide the best Christmas party anywhere every year, but the new owner is concerned about the bottom line and cancels the party leaving it up to Jennie and Nick to put aside their problems and throw the greatest party ever.
This Hallmark Channel Premier 2014 Christmas movie is a step above a few of the other ones. It’s a standard romantic Christmas adventure with all the trimmings. THe performers are fresh and new, and they are able to handle the roles very well. There is nothing particularly special about this movie, it’s pretty standard fare, but that’s not a bad think in Christmas films on TV. We’re looking for simple stories, holiday settings, and light and easy storytelling, and this is exactly what this is. I rate this one right down the middle because just as there is nothing particularly great about this story, there’s nothing bad either. Catch it if it’s on.
