Trivia At St Nick's | 2024 Christmas Movies

Trivia At St Nick’s is one of those movie titles that could be really good or be absolutely terrible. Honestly, I think the name of the lead characters’ trivia team would have been a better title…but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Celeste (Tammin Sursok) is an astronomy professor who loves competing in the local bar’s Christmas trivia contest every year. Unfortunately, her team, The Quizmas Elves, have yet to win the big trophy. When her Jeopardy!-winning colleague has to drop out of the contest for a speaking engagement in Asia, Celeste is forced to accept Max (Brant Daugherty), the college’s football coach, onto the team to make the required number of members. As the team participates in team building activities that help them build their Christmas trivia knowledge, Celeste finds herself appreciating Max more than she thought possible.

Yes, I think The Quizmas Elves would have been a much cuter title than Trivia At St Nick’s. (St Nick being the name of the bar where the trivia contest is held.) Title aside, I did find this movie enjoyable. It focused more on learning new facts and building camaraderie amongst the team members than making Celeste and Max take romantic walks among the snowy trees or something. The movie also allowed whole trivia questions to be read so we, the audience, could participate at little as well. Usually movies with trivia fade out over half of a question to start another one so we don’t get to try to guess the answers ourselves. It was a nice change of pace.

I think my only critique is that they made Celeste a little too “Type A.” She almost becomes unlikeable by only letting certain teammates answer certain questions - for example, history buff Gary (Willie C. Carpenter) is only allowed to answer the history questions and get shushed when he tries to answer something outside of his expertise . I’m not sure why her team would stick around year after year. I know my friends and family would drop out of something that is supposed to be fun if I was super controlling. But, of course, that gets resolved by the end of the movie. I guess there needed to be some sort of conflict.

Rating: Merry Quizmas!

Five Gold Rings | 2024 Christmas Movies

Woah, Hallmark Mystery has actually given us a mystery movie! Sadly, Five Gold Rings isn’t the type of movie that we, the viewers, can solve along with the characters. But it is a mystery!

As a child, Audrey (Holland Roden) would watch her grandmother return lost items to people during the Christmas season. After her grandmother passed, Audrey was tasked with finding the owners of five gold rings to return the valuable items. Her grandmother insisted that Audrey get help from Finn O’Sullivan (Nolan Gerard Funk), the first person that had a lost item returned. The pair fall in love as they find the owners of the rings.

Five Gold Rings started off as a decent movie. I thought we would get some really good sleuthing. Instead, we keep getting sidetracked with Audrey's failing art career and a grumpy rival shop owner and making Finn’s mother feel better about her art. There was so much going on that wasn’t trying to find the owners of the rings. Obviously, they find all of the owners but it all seemed a lot easier than it should have been. I get why writers think we need useless side plots to keep us entertained but sometimes we don’t really need that. We just need a good story.

Rating: The fifth ring was the lamest story of all.

Holiday Mismatch | 2024 Christmas Movies

Hallmark has reunited Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick from the 1990s sitcom, Sabrina The Teenage Witch. They aren’t witches in Holiday Mismatch but they bicker almost as much.

Barbara (Broderick) has recently retired. She decides to volunteer to work on the town’s Holiday Committee to help plan festive events. There she meets Kath (Rhea), a long-standing member of the committee who isn’t quite as organized as Barbara. Meanwhile, each of them sets their adult child up on a date. When they realized that their kids are dating each other, the women decide to try to break the new couple up.

I love when Rhea and Broderick work together. They have such great comedic timing and they play off of each other so well that sometimes it’s difficult to believe aren’t rivals. Honestly, Holiday Mismatch should have been entirely about them. The romantic subplot was boring and unoriginal. If Hallmark really wanted to leave a romantic plot in, they should have made the kids dislike each other as much as their mothers did. It would have definitely been more interesting. As it is, get rid of the kids and leave the moms to form an unbreakable friendship. It doesn’t have to be all about romance, you know.

Rating: The kids ruin the fun, as usual.

Our Holiday Story | 2024 Christmas Movies

I don’t watch a lot of commercials for these Christmas movies. I really try to go in unspoiled. However, I ended up accidentally watching some of the commercials for Our Holiday Story because I was so confused. Is this really just someone telling a story? Yep. It is.

Chris (Gavin Langelo) is meeting his girlfriend, Joanna’s (Sydney Scotia), parents for the first time. When Joanna misses the train, Chris is forced to spend time alone with Nell (Nikki Deloach) and Dave (Warren Christie). He, of course, asks them how they met. Boy, do they have a story for him!

When this movie started, I didn’t think it was going to be good. Thankfully, I was wrong. Our Holiday Story is actually pretty adorable. There is a lot more to their story than just “We met on a train.” The small twists and near misses kept the story interesting. Not to mention the chemistry between Deloach and Christie. I almost wish they starred in every Christmas movie.

The only down side to the movie is Chris and Joanna’s story. It would have been better if there were a few more twists and turns to mirror Nell and Dave’s story. Instead, their story is a little more boring. But I’m glad it’s there as a reason to tell Nell and Dave’s. It would have been weird if this was just them telling their daughter about their past.

Rating: Yes, Dave! A summer festival (and movie) would be a lovely idea!

Tails of Christmas | 2024 Christmas Movies

Of all of the Christmas movies I have watched, the ones featuring dogs are the absolute worst. I’m not sure that Great American Family’s Tails Of Christmas will be any better.

Caleb (Eric Guilmette) is an Army veteran whose leg was injured in an accident. He meets animal shelter owner Amber (Ash Tsai) when she brings her dog to visit the soldiers in physical therapy. A year later, Caleb volunteers at Amber’s shelter to help her get more animals adopted.

Well, this movie follows the trend. It is terrible The script, the acting, the sets…the only thing that isn’t awful are the dogs. And, to be honest, there aren’t that many dogs in the movie.

I don’t understand why the acting is so bad here. I liked Tsai in last year’s Journey To Christmas. You would think she would be able to carry this movie. Sadly, it just doesn’t work. I really hoped for better.

Rating: Stay. Over there. Not here. Far over there.

A Carol For Two | 2024 Christmas Movies

Hallmark is sending us back to New York with A Carol For Two starring Jordan Litz and Ginna Claire Mason. Both of them have been involved in Wicked The Musical on Broadway. Litz is currently playing Fiyero and Mason previously played Glinda. They don’t have a lot of film credits - this is Litz’s first movie while Mason has starred in two earlier Hallmark Christmas movies (2022’s A Holiday Spectacular and 2023 A Heidelberg Holiday). I do know there is singing in this one so, with two Broadway stars, it should be good!

Violette (Mason) has moved to New York City to be in a Broadway play. Unfortunately, when she shows up for the audition, she finds that the play has been cancelled due to lack of funding. She turns to her aunt’s best friend, Hazel (Charlotte d’Amboise), who gives her a job as a singing waitress. Hazel gives the task of training Violette to Alex (Litz). She also tells them that they need to sing a duet at the restaurant’s Christmas show.

On top of this singing waitress who can’t get a job on Broadway plot, there’s a sub-plot about Violette dating Alex’s cousin, Brad (Gino Anania). But Brad is a terrible person so he gets Alex to tell him what to do and say. It’s basically Cyrano de Bergerac but less interesting. Brad sucks as a person and Alex should just tell him to get lost. He does nothing for the plot and it would have been a better movie without him.

Thankfully, Litz and Mason are pretty good here. There is a lot of singing, which they are both wonderful singers. To be honest, any of my problems with A Carol For Two lies with the writing. Violette doesn’t tell her father that the Broadway job fell through. She straight up lies to him through most of the movie. But there was no reason for her to lie to him. He supported her in everything she did. There was no pressure for her to be a big Broadway star. He let her follow her dreams. She said she didn’t tell him the truth because she didn’t want to let him down. I could understand that for a little while but once she started singing successfully at the restaurant, she could have come clean. Having a job in New York City where you are doing the thing you love, even if it’s part time or a side hustle, is success.

If you can pretend Brad doesn’t exist, which is very difficult to do since his storyline takes over for awhile, this movie is pretty watchable. Maybe just mute him every time he comes on screen.

Rating: More musical Christmas movies please!

My Sweet Austrian Holiday | 2024 Christmas Movies

I don’t think I understand how Hallmark chooses which movies are going on the main channel and which are going on the Mystery channel, which was rebranded from Movies & Mysteries. My Sweet Austrian Holiday is on the Mystery channel but there are no mysteries to be found.

Charlotte (Brittany Bristow) runs her family’s chocolate shop in Vienna. Unfortunately, the shop is in danger of closing because a real estate developer wants to buy the location. Little does Charlotte know that her new friend and love interest, Henry (Will Kemp), recently took over that same real estate company. Will Charlotte have to shut down her shop and return to the United States?

Ugh, this was such a terrible movie. Charlotte is a newbie chocolatier. Yet she never makes a single bad chocolate. Everyone raves about every piece that she makes. There are multiple times that she tries out a new recipe and not once does that recipe fail. I hate it.

On top of that, there is nothing interesting between Charlotte and Henry. She only complains and he doesn’t have anything to add at all. I think they may be the most boring couple I have ever seen. Well, until the end when the both magically know how to do a super choreographed waltz. Yeah, this movie is ridiculous. It isn’t worth your time.

Rating: 2020’s Christmas In Vienna is better

The 5-Year Christmas Party | 2024 Christmas Movies

My daughter and I are pretty big fans of Jordan Fisher. We’ve followed him since his Disney Channel days. When I heard that he was starring in a Hallmark Christmas movie this year, I was a little worried but hopeful that it would be good. Hallmark better not let me down.

Alice (Katie Findlay) and Max (Fisher) attended the same college in the theater program. While they end up going their separate ways after graduation, they somehow keep coming together every Christmas. As their relationship blossoms, the pair needs to decide whether they will prioritize their romance or focus on their professional dreams.

While The 5-Year Christmas Party started off rather slow, it picked up the pace a little when Alice and Max finally realized that they liked each other. Thankfully, the sheer charisma of Fisher and the adorable awkwardness of Findlay make the movie well worth watching. I’m honestly not sure it would have worked with anyone else as the leads.

As much as I want to tell you all about the wonderfulness of this movie, you really should just watch it. It’s difficult to articulate how cute they are together. This may just be my favorite movie for the season.

Rating: The only down side is that Fisher doesn’t sing…

Christmas Wreaths & Ribbons | 2024 Christmas Movies

Great American Family loves messing with their schedule. They’ll announce it in late August to early September then, when October rolls around, play the movies in any order but the one they announced. I hate it. That is why this review for Christmas Wreaths & Ribbons is so much later than it’s release date. I didn’t know they freaking released it.

Rebecca (Kristin Wollett) owns a business that makes wreaths. Of course, the Christmas season is her busiest time of year. So when she dislocated her elbow after slipping on ice, she was worried about her ability to complete her orders. Thankfully, her neighbor, Jason (Casey Elliott), offered to help in his free time. Will Jason be able to learn her wreath-building technique and save her business?

With a title like Christmas Wreaths & Ribbons, I didn’t expect this movie to be good. And I was correct. Every single character is absolutely obnoxious. Rebecca insists that everything, including sweeping the floor, be done exactly the way she does it. Jason doesn’t want anyone to be upset so he doesn’t really do anything. He just kinda goes with the flow. Even all of the member’s of Jason’s family suck. His mom won’t even think about using any other recipes than hers at the family bakery. His father wants the bakery to have tons of orders but not pay anyone overtime. His sister would love to use her peppermint pie recipe but won’t stand up for herself when her mom refuses. And his brother…cousin…I have no idea what his relation really is…he is the worst. He is so selfish that he gets mad when Jason helps Rebecca. There really wasn’t a bright light anywhere.

On top of that, nothing interesting happens in the movie. Both of the main characters own businesses and the only conflict that happens is Rebecca’s elbow. Well, that and the scene where she overhears the obnoxious brother/cousin talking bad about her and Jason mostly agreeing. But that is the usual conflict that would be solved if they just had a conversation. You need more than that to keep a movie interesting. There’s another movie coming up by this same writer. I hope it’s not this bad.

Rating: This should have been 30 minutes long.

The Christmas Charade | 2024 Christmas Movies

As usual with Hallmark movies, I have no idea what the title The Christmas Charade means. The channel has tried to cram commercials for it down my throat as I watch other movies but I immediately skip them. Is that going to bite me in the butt?

Josh (Corey Sevier) is an undercover FBI agent working on a string of recent heists. When he learns that the next target is a necklace called The Heart of Christmas, he immediately goes into action to prepare for the Christmas Eve charity ball that will feature the necklace. A female FBI agent was supposed to play his girlfriend but there was a mix-up and Whitney (Rachel Skarsten), a risk-averse elementary school librarian, is forced to team up with him instead.

I’ll admit that I am not the biggest fan of Corey Sevier. I find a lot of his roles to be cheesy or annoying. In this case, his character is already aloof and emotionally unavailable so there isn’t really much to screw up. On the other hand, Rachel Skarsten is pretty good at playing the weird nerdy girl. I would have liked to have seen a little more of rebellion against her parents that started in the beginning but that is on the writer not the actor. (While writing this review, I found out that the writer of the movie is married to Sevier, who also directed it. Things make a lot more sense now.)

The Christmas Charade is fine. The big heist is a little boring. Though I did not see the twist with the identity of the thief. I just wish there was a little more oopmh to the main characters. It definitely would have made it more interesting.

Rating: Maybe don’t jump off the roof.