Heading back over to Hallmark, we’re taking a look at To Have And To Holiday. A movie that feels like it wants to be religious but isn’t. I almost had to double check the channel on this one.
After her temporary job in a New York fashion house ends, Celeste (Madeleine Arthur) heads home for the holidays…and maybe longer. At the last minute, she decides to bring her new boyfriend, Jason (Robert Bazzocchi), with her. As the family chats over dinner, Celeste learns that the town chapel will be closing. Sadly, she admits that she always wanted to get married there. So Jason proposes to her. Unhappy with the new engagement, Celeste’s father, Pastor Mark (Eric Close), puts the couple through Marriage Bootcamp to try to break them up.
I know that we are supposed to hate Pastor Mark. He is supposed to be the bad guy. My problem is that he’s not just trying to break up his daughter’s relationship. He’s being a complete dick the whole time. Even his wife, Judith (Kate Drummond), who is also the MAYOR, calls him out on it. But it doesn’t get through his thick skull until almost the end of the movie. He literally throws little tantrums over things that he should be thankful for. He’s supposed to be a pastor. What the hell is he teaching the town during his sermons? Because it’s obviously not to be a good person.
As much as I want to pan this movie for the terrible plot, it’s actually a good enough movie. Bazzocchi is charming, Arthur is mostly adorable, and even the side characters have a bit of depth to them. I’m not sure this will make the top 10 list but there is a big possibility it will.
Rating: Just don’t beat the mailman at darts
