Le livre de Noël

The movie was well done with a good story and good acting. Yes it's sappy. The premise is ridiculous. Some of the circumstances are too. But that's true to some extent of most of the Christmas Rom/Coms. The premise may be crazy, but it's also unusual. In some ways it is a twist on the dying dinosaur-business premise. Some of the usual consequences of this premise develop but the story is still fresh. Much of the charm of this movie is Alexandra Breckenridge who plays the dynamic and extraordinary Claire. Claire starts out with a business disaster and looks for a break (she really flees her real life), but she quickly dives into the small town situation and makes an impact. Meanwhile, Jamie Spilchuk does a great job as Andrew who presents a counterpoint to Claire's enthusiasm. They start out as not so much antagonistic but more a case of coexisting with each other. They play off one another perfectly with both romantic tension and humor. A few reviewers referred to this as a Hallmark movie. I'm pretty sure it's not. MarVista (according to Wikipedia) is more closely associated with Lifetime, which is where I saw this movie. Hallmark is not yet to the point of being politically correct as far as LGBT themes and they may never be. While the movie is definitely a sappy romance, it definitely has the Lifetime flavor to it in several ways, not just the one.

Jamie Spilchuk and Alexandra Breckenridge and of course Jane Alexander saved this strange movie which at times was cringy. Are there still working blacksmith shops? "It's really hot in here", "Let me wash that soot off your arms", "My, there seems to be soot on your bare chest in spite of you wearing a dress shirt and jacket". :) Definitely some sort of undercurrent LGBTQ agenda re: gay minister/priest who seemed to be conjoined to his husband. Apparently the two could not be in a scene without the other. The scene where they were dancing exuberantly was definitely awesome and cringy at the same time. Weird. Having said all that, the acting was great. Good job to the three main actors. Very predictable storyline. An unsustainable family bookstore? Wow.

Better than average holiday romance. Sure, chances that a venture capitalist would leave a six-figure job to cuddle with a somewhat grumpy blacksmith in Vermont are slim, but it's a holiday romance....and it was charming. On the other hand, I am appalled by the number of reviewers who feel the need to complain about a very minor character who happens to be gay, has a same-sex spouse and a child. Oh good grief! "Judge not lest ye be judged." All of you who complained about this ARE being judged, and it's not at all flattering. If you think it makes you more "Christian" to pretend that gay people don't exist, you need to read your Bible again. Many of us are thrilled that these production companies are finally being more inclusive and diverse, portraying people of color, LGBTQ characters and persons with disabilities...although usually in minor roles. It's a positive step.