Hallmark For All Seasons

“Christmas Town” originally aired on December 1 starring Candace Cameron Bure and Tim Rozon.  She is one of the Queens of Hallmark, and he is a new, and very worthy, addition to the Hallmark family.  This movie was set in a fictional small town between Boston and Springfield, MA, but was filmed in and around Vancouver, Canada.

In a nutshell

Nope.  I didn’t care for this movie much at all. The fact is, I tried watching this movie no less than four times before I finally made it past the first 15 minutes. And while it had some things I liked – and two acting moment from two actors in particular – the fact is that the “plot” of this movie could have been tied up in 10 minutes avoided the whole mess.

Plot (from Hallmark Channel website)

Lauren (Cameron Bure) leaves everything behind in Boston to embark on a new chapter in her life and career in another city. But an unforeseen detour to the charming town of Grandon Falls has her discover unexpected new chapters – of the heart and of family – helping her to embrace, once again, the magic of Christmas..

Actors

Let’s start with Candace Cameron Bure.  Some people love her, others don’t like her one bit.  I like her just fine and a couple of her movies are highly ranked on my spreadsheet.  However, the winner for me in “Christmas Town” was Tim Rozon, who played Lauren’s Grandon Falls love interest, Travis.  Travis was the local handyman and a foster dad to a young boy named Dylan.  I really hope Hallmark adds him to the list of call backs for future movies.  He was understated but emotionally available, and even had a few humorous beats throughout the movie.  I just really enjoyed his performance!

As for Six Degrees of Kris Polaha, Beth Broderick, who played Betty the bakery owner, is two steps away!  She starred in a 2010 TV movie called “Revenge of the Bridesmaids” which also featured an actor named Gary Grubbs.  Grubbs went on to co-star with Polaha in 2013’s “Devil’s Knot.”

Chemistry

I thought Cameron Bure and Rozon played very well against each other.  I also thought Rozon and Jessie Filkow, who played Rozon’s foster son Dylan, were fantastic together.  Chemistry was not the problem with this movie.

Tropes

It wouldn’t be a CCB movie if it wasn’t chock full of tropes.  Travis was a single parent, CCB wore a huge scarf throughout the movie, she got stranded in a small town, and there was a ton of CGI snow in this movie.  Additionally, Travis’s house had a lovely front porch with columns,  there was Christmas tree shopping and caroling.  Dylan put the finishing touches on a snowman he built, and the trio took a selfie.

But that’s not all!  They went ice skating (and it appeared they were actually skating in this one), Travis and Lauren slow danced at the Christmas festival and shared an almost kiss out on the street before Betty interrupted.  They slipped and fell on some ice, and had a minor snowball fight with Dylan.  And lastly, the town had a Christmas tree lighting.

Bingo Card Score for “Christmas Town”

Despite a strong showing on the tropes front, I only covered 9 spots on my bingo card.

Did I Hear/See That Right?

Y’all.  I had so. many. issues. with this movie.  SO MANY!

First, that poor cat!  Lauren comes to town with her cat in a small carrier and ends up finding a small attic space to “rent” for a few days while she’s stuck in Grandon Falls.  She let’s the cat out and what….?  Is it an outdoor cat that will do its business outside?  An indoor cat that requires kitty litter to be cleaned out regularly?  Any plans to get cat food?  Any plans to help your cat, Lauren, considering cats are NOT good with change and your cat will likely NOT be happy about being cooped up in a room he/she doesn’t know?

Secondly, Lauren shows up at Betty’s bakery and begins bussing a table, and suddenly she’s waiting on customers, handling money and passing out free cookies to kids?  Really?

Thirdly, Betty has a picture of Lauren’s dad holding the angel tree topper, and yet despite staring at that picture for YEARS, she doesn’t recognize the angel when she opens the mystery box from the repair shop?  And upon seeing it she doesn’t think to share the angel with Lauren, knowing that the man holding it in the picture is her dad?  Really?

Fourthly, I have friends that have fostered kids.  I have friends that have adopted kids.  And while I have not asked them for details on their process, I can GUARANTEE that if they applied to adopt a child when 1) they just left a job, 2) hadn’t started a new job, 3) had no permanent place to live and 4) had gone through a strict interview/home check by the proper adoption authorities, there is NO WAY that they would have been approved, much less been approved in a few days. REALLY?

One other quibble that is not a plot point but just an aggravation.  Did I really see them attempting to put lights on the Christmas tree AFTER they put on the ornaments?  REALLY?

Feelgoods

I only felt two emotional moments in this movie, and they both came near the end.   One was a sad moment at the dance, when Travis realizes that Lauren plans to adopt Dylan.  He is visibly upset, and the moment is played is betrayal – as much as he has romantic feelings for Lauren, the fact is that he still at this moment thinks she is leaving Grandon Falls for good.  And he realizes that she’s planning on taking Dylan with him.  To Travis, despite Dylan being his foster child, Travis felt as though he was more like a son.  That moment was sad and bittersweet as Travis walked away from Lauren.

For the second moment, at the beginning of the movie it is established that Lauren has a boyfriend Eric (I cannot find the actor’s name – if you know it, please comment below and share so I can give him credit!), who is a bit of a jerk and admits he doesn’t envision a future where they have kids together.  Lauren is devastated and leaves to start a new life with her new job a few towns away.  Eric regrets his actions and contacts Lauren to see about getting back together.  He eventually shows up in Grandon Falls in the hopes of reconciling.  With literally seven minutes to go in the movie, Lauren and Eric had one final “this is the end, isn’t it?” discussion at the gazebo.  Eric explains to Lauren that even though he loves her, he knows that their lives are going in different directions.  In a moment of honesty, Eric says, “You’re right.  As much as I love you – and I do, I really do – ultimately our lives are taking us in different directions.”  And it was the way he said, “I do – I really do,” that got me.  So vulnerable, so honest, and so bittersweet. The Eric of the beginning of the movie was all bravado and “whatever” attitude, but this Eric was brokenhearted and sad that the relationship was ending, even as he understood why it had to be so.  Just a very sweet heartbeat in an otherwise awful movie.

Re-watchability

I cannot imagine a need to watch “Christmas Town” again.  What’s crazy is that Wesley Bishop wrote the screenplay. He has a couple strong emotional Hallmark movies in his background, such as “The Christmas Note” and “The Christmas Secret.”  So how he missed the mark so deeply on this one I’ll never know.  And while I definitely liked some parts of this movie, the faults were enough to probably sway me away from it.

The Ranking

“Christmas Town” is near the bottom for the entire year, which is really saying something considering the fact that I tend to like Candace Cameron Bure movies on the whole.

1. Two Turtle Doves (air date: Nov 1) – 742 pts – weighted score: 123.7 (86.8%)
2. Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses (air date: Oct 26) – 719 pts – weighted score: 121.0 (84.9%)
3. Love to the Rescue RE-RANKED (air date: March 23) – 708 pts – weighted score: 120.6 (84.6%)
4. Winter Love Story (air date: January 19) – 685 pts – weighted score: 115.8 (81.2%)
5. Mystery 101 (air date: January 27 (HMM)) – 454 pts – weighted score: 94.2 (80.5%)
6. Love on the Menu (air date: February 23) – 642 pts – weighted score: 113.8 (79.9%)
7. Holiday Hearts (air date: Nov 23) – 663 pts – weighted score: 113.0 (79.3%)
8. Bottled With Love (air date: April 13) – 649 pts – weighted score: 112.2 (78.7%)
9. Love Takes Flight (air date: April 27) – 670 pts – weighted score: 111.0 (77.9%)
10. Love, Romance & Chocolate (air date: February 16) – 627 pts – weighted score: 110.2 (77.3%)
11. The Last Bridesmaid (air date: June 22) – 643 pts – weighted score: 109.2 (76.6%)
12. Love, Fall and Order (air date: Oct 12) – 636 pts – weighted score: 109.0 (76.5%)
13. Paris, Wine & Romance (air date: May 4) – 638 pts – weighted score: 108.3 (76.0%)
14. My Boyfriend’s Back: Wedding March 5 (air date: June 8) – 635 pts – weighted score: 108.0 (75.8%)
15. Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (air date: Nov 29) – 627 pts – weighted score: 107.0 (75.1%)
16. Over the Moon in Love (air date: Oct 5) – 613 pts – weighted score: 106.3 (74.6%)
17. Flip That Romance (air date: March 16) – 597 pts – weighted score: 105.8 (74.2%)
18. Check Inn to Christmas (air date: Nov 26) – 619 pts – weighted score: 105.7 (74.1%)
19. My One and Only (air date: Aug 31) – 597 pts – weighted score: 105.6 (74.1%)
20. Mystery 101: Playing Dead (air date: June 23 (HMM)) – 425 pts – weighted score: 86.5 (73.9%)
21. A Summer Romance (air date: Aug 17) – 577 pts – weighted score: 103.7 (72.7%)
22. The Christmas Club (air date: Nov 27) – 588 pts – weighted score: 103.5 (72.6%)
23. True Love Blooms (air date: April 6) – 598 pts – weighted score: 103.1 (72.3%)
24. Forever in My Heart (air date: Sept 14) – 560 pts – weighted score: 102.4 (71.8%)
25. The Mistletoe Secret (air date: Nov 11) – 585 pts – weighted score: 102.2 (71.7%)
26. Christmas Under the Stars (air date: Nov 16) – 576 pts – weighted score: 101.8 (71.4%)
27. The Story of Us (air date: February 9) – 605 pts – weighted score: 101.3 (71.1%)
28. Holiday for Heroes (air date: Nov 8) – 566 pts – weighted score: 99.8 (70.0%)
29. A Brush with Love (air date: March 30) – 563 pts – weighted score: 97.7 (68.6%)
30. Christmas at Graceland: Home for the Holidays – 558 pts – weighted score: 97.7 (68.6%)
31. A Godwink Christmas: Meant for Love (air date: Nov 17) – 548 pts – weighted score: 96.9 (68.0%)
32. Ruby Herring: Silent Witness (air date: January 20 (HMM)) – 357 pts – weighted score: 79.5 (67.9%)
33. Love, Unleashed (air date: July 6, 2019) – 559 pts – weighted score: 96.2 (67.5%)
34. Sense Sensibility & Snowmen (air date: Nov 30) – 560 pts – weighted score: 96.1 (67.4%)
35. Love Under the Rainbow (air date: March 9) – 581 pts – weighted score: 96.0 (67.4%)
36. One Winter Proposal (air date: January 12) – 535 pts – weighted score: 95.8 (67.2%)
37. Just Add Romance (air date: March 2) – 548 pts – weighted score: 95.6 (67.1%)
38. Christmas Scavenger Hunt (air date: Nov 3) – 561 pts – weighted score: 95.4 (66.9%)
39. From Friend to Fiance (air date: May 25) – 555 pts – weighted score: 94.8% (66.5%)
40. Picture a Perfect Christmas (air date: Nov 10) – 529 pts – weighted score: 94.6 (66.4%)
41. A Christmas Duet (air date: Nov 25) – 540 pts – weighted score: 94.1 (66.0%)
42. Write Before Christmas (air date: Nov 17) – 529 pts – weighted score: 94.1 (66.0%)
43. Christmas Camp (air date: July 11) – 530 pts – weighted score: 93.9 (65.9%)
44. Our Christmas Love Song (air date: Nov 24) – 537 pts – weighted score: 93.4 (65.5%)
45. Love and Sunshine (air date: Aug 3) – 504 pts – weighted score: 91.7 (64.3%)
46. Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For (air date: March 10 (HMM) – 354 pts – weighted score: 74.1 (63.3%)
47. A Christmas Miracle (air date: Nov 14) – 494 pts – weighted score: 90.1 (63.2%)
48. Christmas at the Plaza (air date: Nov 28) – 517 pts – weighted score: 90.0 (63.1%)
49. Sister of the Bride (air date: June 29) – 516 pts – weighted score: 89.8 (63.0%)
50. Valentine in the Vineyard (air date: February 2) – 503 pts – weighted score: 89.5 (62.8%)
51. Love, Take Two (air date: June 15) – 507 pts – weighted score: 87.8 (61.6%)
52. All Summer Long (air date: Aug 24) – 512 pts – weighted score: 87.7 (61.5%)
53. Snowcoming (air date: January 26) – 485 pts – weighted score: 87.3 (61.2%)
54. Christmas in Rome (air date: Nov 30) – 494 pts – weighted score: 86.8 (60.9%)
55. The Winter Castle (air date: January 5) – 475 pts – weighted score: 85.9 (60.2%)
56. Merry & Bright (air date: Nov 2) – 483 pts – weighted score: 84.4 (59.2%)
57. Christmas Town (air date: Dec 7) – 508 pts – weighted score: 83.8 (58.8%)
58. Cherished Memories: A Gift to Remember 2 (air date: Nov 24) – 465 pts – weighted score: 83.4 (58.5%)
59. Nostalgic Christmas (air date: Oct 31) – 446 pts – weighted score: 79.2 (55.6%)
60. A Merry Christmas Match (air date: Oct 25) – 455 pts – weighted score: 78.3 (54.9%)
61. Sailing Into Love (air date: May 18) – 455 pts – weighted score: 78.0 (54.7%)
62. Rome in Love (air date: July 27) – 436 pts – weighted score: 76.7 (53.8%)
63. A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas (air date: Nov 7) – 398 pts – weighted score: 72.3 (50.7%)
64. A Taste of Summer (air date: Aug 10) – 403 pts – weighted score: 70.9 (49.7%)
65. A Winter Princess (air date: January 18) – 380 pts – weighted score: 70.5 (49.5%)
66. A Feeling of Home (air date: May 11) – 386 pts – weighted score: 69.7% (48.9%)
67. Love in the Sun (air date: June 1) – 361 pts – weighted score: 62.5 (43.8%)

To see where this movie lands in my overall rankings of Hallmark movies, visit my Hallmark Movie Rankings page!

What did you think of “Christmas Town”?  Comment below and let me know!

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