The Mistletoe Secret (2019 Hallmark)
Cast: Kellie Pickler, Tyler Hynes, Christopher Russell, & Patrick Duffy
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Synopsis (via Hallmark)
Thinking no one is reading, a blogger who calls herself LBH writes about her most personal feelings, especially her overwhelming loneliness. Alex Bartlett reads her posts while nursing his own broken heart and trust issues; he finds himself falling for this sensitive, vulnerable woman whose feelings mirror his own. Following a trail of clues LBH has inadvertently revealed, he discovers that she lives in the small town of Midway, Utah. He finds a woman named Aria, a waitress at the Mistletoe Diner, who encourages Alex in his search.
Alex finally finds his LBH, a woman who is as beautiful and kind as he imagined she would be. How can he tell her that he knows her secret? What’s holding him back? Could it be his feelings for Aria?
Thoughts
Kellie Pickler was arguably in the worst (but most popular) movie last year. (Christmas at Graceland.) I’m interested to see if she fair better here with an excellent supporting cast.
Kellie Picker works at the Mistletoe Diner (Not open 24 hours) with her father, Patrick Duff, and she is a control freak. She rounds up the Christmas counsel for an emergency meeting. The town of Midway is in trouble. They are not getting the tourism they once received because of a fancy new ski lodge moving nearby. Kellie Pickler’s solution is a TV Christmas travel host named Sterling Masters. Midway, Utah, is one of three towns that are being considered as a feature on the show’s website. The other city’s in contention are Tokyo, Japan, and Austin, Texas?!?!
Sterling Masters is just a pretty face, and rugged Alex is his ghostwriter/college BFF. They make a great team, but Sterling made him sign an NDA contract. Sterling sends Alex to Midway to check it out for the contest.
Kellie Pickler sings Christmas music while decorating the diner to impress Sterling Masters. As she sings, “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Alex stops into the diner and startles her, almost sending her toppling off a ladder. He sees she is decorating and jumps right in, overloading the electrical circuits. Over pie, Alex gets to the bottom of the questions we’ve all be asking ourselves. WHY DOES KELLIE PICKLER HAVE A SOUTHER ACCENT IF SHE LIVES IN UTAH?!
“You can take the girl out of South Carolina, but you can’t take the South Carolina out of the girl.” Kellie Pickler Drawls. Okay, then!
Alex overhears Kellie Pickler talking to her friend about Alex Masters and how she loves him. It isn’t just his pretty face, but his WRITING that she loves. What she doesn’t like is Alex butting into the conversation and telling her that he isn’t that great. After Kellie Picker storms off, Patrick Duff dressed as Santa gives him advice on how to win her heart and talk more about Midway being special at Christmas. Then Patrick Duffy tells his daughter that Alex is a “Midway Man,” and she should reconsider writing him off.
Kellie Pickler and Alex got to the Christmas Tree lighting, roast marshmallows, and they pick out Christmas trees. While riding in a one-horse open sleigh, Alex asks Kellie Pickler to help him decorate the tree he got for his hotel room. (HIS HOTEL ROOM!)
At a party, Alex drinks a Mistletoe Martini, and I’ve never wanted a Martini more. (While drinking martini’s the bedazzle ugly Christmas sweaters.) Kellie Picker sees a Sterling Masters blog post (that Alex wrote), and he is “in town” seeing the sites. Instead of coming clean or averting the conversation, Alex straight-up lies and says he doesn’t even know what Sterling Maters looks like. Well, he is about to find out because of Sterling Masters is coming to town for a book signing. (A Book that Alex wrote.)
Sterling Masters comes to the diner, and Kellie Picker fangirls out on him. He invites her to help out with the book signing. Once they are alone, Alex tells Sterling Masters that he wants to do this own thing, but Sterling doesn’t hear it. Realizing that he can’t fake his way around town, Sterling Masters bribes Alex to help him make appearances in exchange, talking to his publisher about a book detail.
Patrick Duffy tells the story of a knight who got mistletoe from a dangerous location for a maiden to prove his love for her. Alex is inspired and bids on mistletoe ornament at a party, which isn’t exactly the same thing. Alex loses the ornament to Sterling Masters, like everything in his life.
Kellie Pickler thinks that Sterling Masters is her “Midway Man,” and they go on a romantic dinner. When Kellie Pickler catches Sterling Masters in a lie, he spills the beans on the whole rouse. He even tells her about the agreement he made with Alex. It sounds terrible because it is. Kellie Pickler leaves to find Alex. When she does, she tells him that she can’t trust him and tries her best to muster up tears in her eyes. (Yikes! This acting.)
Sterling and Alex make-up, and hug. Sterling is going to give Alex writing credit and help him win Kellie Pickler back. Alex tells Kellie Pickler that he loves smalltown life and being with her. He writes his feelings in a blog post and leaves her the mistletoe ornament.
Kellie Pickler is set straight by Patrick Duffy, and she recruits the Christmas Counsel to help keep him in town.
“Awww, I RUINED it.” She says in the most country accent I’ve ever heard.
The Christmas Counsel pulls an elaborate scheme that I can’t bother you with the details. They give him a ride to the airport and along the way, take him to a Christmas light tunnel. It is his final stamp in his Midway Christmas Passport. Kellie Pickler is there and begs him to stay until Christmas. He agrees, and they kiss!
It turns out it wasn’t just Christmas at Graceland, it is Kellie Pickler. I love her singing, but her acting is dreadful.
Side Note
Minority Report: Repairman Craig. An assistant who is Asin with no lines, a couple who takes a photo of Kellie Pickler and Alex.
This movie made me want to hire a ghostwriter.
Is Tyler Haynes’s side talking mouth thing a character choice?
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Overall rating
🎄🎄 (2 Christmas Trees)
🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 (5 glasses of wine required)
*Photo Credit: © 2019 Crown Media United States, LLC
