Following Yonder Star | 2024 Christmas Movies

Surprisingly, with Following Yonder Star, I have caught up on all of the currently aired Hallmark/Lifetime/Great American Family Christmas movies. I don’t think I’ve ever caught up to the airing schedule before. I’m blaming the fact that Hallmark has released a bunch of movies on their Hallmark+ app that I decided not to get this year. But don’t worry, I still have Netflix and Hulu and all of the other streaming apps to keep me going!

Abby Marshall (Brooke D’Orsay) used to play the perfect wife and mother on TV. Now her life is falling apart thanks to a scandal. So she attempts to spend the holidays at a luxury resort in Vermont…but she accidentally booked the suite for next year. Thankfully, there is a room at a local bed and breakfast owned by Tom (John Brotherton). Abby spends her vacation helping Tom direct the church Christmas pageant, allowing her to find what is truly important to her.

For the first time in a long time, Hallmark has released a movie that references God a lot. Usually they stick to movies that make vague references to religion or they stay away from religion altogether. While it made a little bit of sense with the nativity Christmas pageant, it still felt odd in the context of the movie. Abby didn’t seem particularly religious through most of the movie then suddenly God has a plan. It was weird.

Beyond that, Following Yonder Star is fine. There’s nothing spectacular about it but it’s not awful either. It fits perfectly in that in-between space Hallmark loves.

Rating: People really are that delusional about celebrities

A Not So Royal Christmas | 2023 Christmas Movies

I…don’t really have an introduction for this one. Onto the review for A Not So Royal Christmas!

Charlotte (Brooke D’Orsay) currently works for a royal gossip website. In an attempt to get herself a raise, she plans to get an interview with the reclusive Count. To ward her off, the royal family convinces one of their groundskeepers, Adam (Will Kemp), pretend to be the Count.

There were things I liked about this movie and things I hated about it. Kemp was charming and delightful. Meanwhile, D’Orsay has this tendency to play annoying characters and this one isn’t any different. I liked the idea of a gossip tabloid chasing the royal but A Christmas Prince did it better. And why is everyone mad at the other person lying to them when they also lied?

This isn’t the worst movie I’ve watched. It’s not even the worst Brooke D’Orsay movie I’ve watched. But I guess if you like royal movies, you might like it.

Rating: So anyone can be Count?

A Fabled Holiday | 2022 Christmas Movies

I don’t think I have liked a single movie starring Brooke D'Orsay. Ryan Paevey movies aren’t much better. At least A Fabled Holiday has a Lindsey Stirling cameo. That gives me something to look forward to.

Talia (Brooke D’Orsay) grew up wanting to be an author. She turned out to own a bookstore instead. Her childhood friend, Anderson (Ryan Paevey), became a doctor. As adults, the two have become disillusioned with life. During this Christmas season, they end up at the same inn in the town of Wunderbrook. A familiar town from their childhood with magical properties to heal the woes of anyone staying there.

Surprisingly, I found myself actually enjoying A Fabled Holiday. Sure, it follows the same Christmas tropes but it actually leans into those tropes. I’m not sure how much I can talk about this without giving too much of the plot away. I do want to say that I loved how the townspeople fit into the story. It was a perfect twist on the classic Christmas movie.

While I don’t think everyone would enjoy this one, I think it’s worth giving it a watch. If you’ve ever read a book and wondered what it would be like to live inside that world, A Fabled Holiday is for you. It might be enough to make believers out of all of us.

A Dickens of a Holiday! | 2021 Christmas Movies

Interesting. Apparently, A Dickens of a Holiday! used to be called The Christmas Stand-In. I’m not sure which is the better title.

When her Scrooge comes down with laryngitis, Cassie (Brooke D’Orsay) turns to her former classmate, Jake (Kristoffer Polaha), to take over the role. With Jake’s movie-star status, the play is bound to be a success!

The only real thing I can about about A Dickens of a Holiday! is that it is so bland. In the beginning, they try to make Jake look like a stuck up diva but that lasts about a half hour into the movie. Then they decided he was more of an everyman shoved into an action actor role. Either one of those tropes would have been fine. They just needed to pick one. It would have been fine if he was an egotistical maniac that Cassie had to talk down at every moment to remind him that the play is not about HIM. Or it would have been fine if he was a shy introvert who only pretends to be the big action man when a camera is rolling. He can’t be both.

Sadly, I have to file this movie into the Boring pile. There isn’t anything particularly interesting about it. The big conflict comes when Jake has to attend a Christmas party in order to win the movie role he wants. But the party is on Christmas Eve, the same night as the play. It’s confusing because he supposedly got the chance at the role because his assistant sent a video of him rehearsing to be Scrooge. If the movie director liked his rehearsal footage so much, why would he insist that he back out on the play at the last minute? It makes no sense. It also makes for a terrible conflict.

Like the other boring movies, flip this on while you’re doing chores. You can easily pop in and out of the plot without losing track of the plot. Maybe that will make it slightly more interesting.

A Godwink Christmas: Second Chance, First Love | 2020 Christmas Movies

While Hallmark tends to be on the Christian side of religion, we don’t usually see movies that directly reference God. Even during Christmas. This movie has figured out a way to do it without making it sound religious. Oh, and supposedly this is based on a true story.

Pat (Sam Page) is a single father moving home to Boise from Hawaii. While running errands his first day in town, he runs into his first love, Margie (Brooke D’Orsay). A series of coincidences (or Godwinks) keep bringing them back together.

Yes, in this movie, Pat’s mother, Lois (Michele Scarabelli), calls coincidences ‘Godwinks.’ Meaning that God is trying to nudge you in a certain direction. However, instead of just a “fancy meeting you here” type of coincidence, the writers made it so Margie is constantly losing jewelry and Pat always finds it. The first time, sure. After that, Margie needs to invest in some rubber stoppers for the backs of her earrings and she really should have the charm bracelet resized so it fits her. It’s not as cute as everyone else in the movie thinks it is.

Beyond that, SCFL is fine. I believe this is the second movie in a series of Godwink movies but I don’t think I saw the first. Since this is supposed to be based on a true story, there isn’t any real conflict. Pat has a problem finding a job but at no point does it seem dire. It sounds like he needs a job for the sole reason of making his sons, John (Rhys Slack) and PJ (Knox Hamilton), feel normal in Boise. (Which is a terrible reason for getting a job. Especially if it’s a job you aren’t going to like.) At one point Margie thinks that she might be losing her job but there’s no real reason for her to think she’s getting fired. She comes to the conclusion after people around her start making assumptions.

If you are into the “God has a plan for us” mindset, you’ll probably enjoy all of the A Godwink Christmas movies. It’s not my cup of tea so I would recommend skipping it if you’d rather stay out of the religious arena.