A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas (2019 Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Cast: Rachael Leigh Cook and Benjamin Ayres
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Synopsis (via Hallmark)
Hotel manager Willow returns to her stunning Virginia hometown to help her sister plan a Christmas wedding at the inn her family once owned. She must work with the current owner and single dad, David, who wants to let go of the past.
Thoughts
It’s not Christmas at the Vineyard, or She’s All That, Rachel Leigh Cook plays a hotel manager in NYC named Willow. Her sister, Juni, is getting married around the holidays. (The worst time to get married.) Back home for the holidays, Willow learns that her sister’s wedding venue canceled on her and promises to find a spectacular new location.
While looking at an old photo of her and her sister, Willow thinks of getting married at an Inn her family used to own. The inn is owned by a widower and single father named David. He is looking to sell the Inn that he bought with his late wife and is going to be a partner at his law firm!
David finds Willow looking around the barn on the Inn property, and she makes a pitch, offers to do all the work, and will pay for everything. He turns her down, despite being the best man at the wedding. (This dude is truly heartless.) Later, while walking around town, Willow makes the same pitch, and he goes for it.
Juni and Austin (who is super cute and short.) come to the inn for a site visit. Willow walks around with a red notebook and red jacket while holding up her hands, “envisioning” things. She writes down everything the couple wants, including lots of Christmas trees. (Their wedding is two days before Christmas, which is just selfish!!!)
Willow’s promise of not involving David and doing everything herself doesn’t really work out. She makes David go Christmas tree shopping, leave work meetings to help shop for decorations, a one-horse open sleigh ride, and watch Christmas lights turn on.
The sisters talk about what Willow is going to do after the wedding, and she has to go back to New York. Willow says that she will be fine and is going to manage her own hotel soon. The trouble is that if she did that, then she wouldn’t be David’s new wife and his daughter’s new mother! (Even though Rachael Leigh Cook and Benjamin Ayres have zero chemistry.)
Willows mom talks her into considering buying the Inn. She proposes to show her company to buy the Inn for her to run it. Juni tells her sister to take out alone and buy it herself unless she wants the Inn because of David.
Getting the wedding ready montage happens. It includes an instrumental version of “Deck the Halls.”
It is finally Juni’s wedding day. The sisters eat cookies and milk instead of getting ready. Willow leaves her sister to go convince David to keep the Inn and be with her. It doesn’t go well.
The wedding happens, and I gotta say, Willow, did a perfect job. I was a little touched that Juni’s sister and mom walked her down the aisle. I honestly thought the contractor was going to do it. Yay for not conforming to gender/wedding norms. (Juni doesn’t need a MAN to walk her down the aisle.)
After the wedding, David finds the proposal that Willow wrote to save the Inn. David tells her that he appreciates her effort to buy the Inn/get it sold. He doesn’t want to sell the Inn anymore, because she showed him how special it could be. They kiss, I’m not sure why. I guess she is staying and helping run the inn? Man, this one was super boring and slow.
Side Note
Minority Report: The potential Inn buyer. The Wedding officiant.
Benjamin Ayres is so goofy and Canadian.
Also, Blue Ridge Mountains had NOTHING to do with this movie, except ruining the initial wedding venue.
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Overall rating
🎄 (1 Christmas Tree)
🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 (5 glasses of wine required)
*Photo Credit: © 2019 Crown Media United States, LLC
