When I read the title of this movie, I was really excited, because I thought it was going to be a Murder She Wrote type of Christmas movie. I love mysteries! I knew Hallmark wouldn’t do a murder mystery Christmas movie, but I thought maybe there could be another mystery that needed to be solved. We’ve seen a lost charm bracelet and lost ring, so why not something else? Sadly, this wasn’t meant to be.
Instead, this movie is about Kayleigh, a columnist for a New York paper. She writes a column called Your Best Self, which is a self-help column.
Tripp is brought onto the paper to clean house and cut costs. He cuts Kayleigh’s column without even reading it! Jerk! Kayleigh’s readership revolts and the owner of the paper insists Tripp rehire Kayleigh or he will be out of a job.
When Kayleigh won’t return Tripp’s phone calls, Tripp decides the best way to convince her to come back to the paper is to visit her in Pineberry, where Kayleigh is visiting her sister. Will Tripp be able to convince Kayleigh to return? Or will Dan, Kayleigh’s previous flame, rekindle their romance and send Tripp home jobless?
You’ll have to watch the movie to see how this ends, but I’ll tell you what I thought of it.
First, I loved Kayleigh! She is a strong, funny, sassy, no-nonsense woman. For example, when she sees Tripp in Pineberry, she asks him if there’s a Grinch convention in town 😂
Then, when he says he isn’t leaving Pineberry without her, she tells him to go see a realtor, because he’s going to be here a long time. You go girl! But my favorite line is probably when she cooks dinner and tells everyone her cooking comes with a warning label, eat at your own risk. 😂 Better than the line itself was Tripp and Dan’s reactions to trying her food. OMG! What won’t a man do for love?
Speaking of men looking for love. Let’s talk a little about Dan and Tripp. I’m glad they brought Dan into this movie. Without him, the movie would have fallen flat. I actually liked Dan more than Tripp, but I’m not a huge Dylan Neal fan. Dylan always comes off as a jerk to me. I’m usually more into Mr. Nice Guy, Sir Knight, or Ze Bad Boy, but not Lé Jerk. Unless said Jerk becomes Mr. Nice Guy, but Dylan just never seems to do that for me.
Anyhow, this movie kept my attention while I was desperately looking for missing packages (UPS and USPS will be the death of me this year). How many times can UPS lose the same package?! Squirrel! Back to the movie…it managed to keep my attention even while I was desperately trying to work on other things and I kept finding myself laughing.
So, if you’re looking for a good romcom to pass the night, give this one a try! I think you’ll find something to enjoy about it. Don’t forget to leave a comment and let me know what you think! Happy movie watching y’all!
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I appreciate your review compared to other critics who couldn’t get past Hallmark’s predictable storyline and drippy nature. That’s a given. We already know this about Hallmark movies. No need to bore me with the snobby opining.
A review should encourage viewers to stay or go. As you stated, this movie had heart and was refreshingly successful as a Hallmark rom-com, thanks to both lead actors. As we know, this is not always the case. So when a Hallmark movie scores, I want to know!!
While I agree Tripp seemed too old for Kayleigh, I think both actors delivered their lines with excellent comedic timing. The actor who played Tripp is 51 and the actress, is 45. That’s actually a realistic age difference.
I’m not sure why they lacked chemistry at first but towards the end, I began to see them as a couple. I think Tripp was cast as a stern, arrogant yet classically handsome, business man against Kaleigh, the cutesy, down to earth, girl next door. Tripp softened towards the end, making the two seem more compatible.
To my surprise, there were a number of funny lines. My sense was that both actors were enjoying their parts and that’s what came across in this movie. They seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves, making the characters appear more believable.
After watching continuous Hallmark movies since November, (so much so it’s become ambient TV for me), this movie was surprisingly enjoyable. It held my attention and had me laughing while delivering the corny Christmas setting I admittedly fall for.
Thanks! It was a busy season of watching Hallmark movies 🙂 I’m a little surprised they’re so close in age! You’re right, that’s definitely realistic. I’m glad you enjoyed this movie!