Hallmark For All Seasons

“Christmas by Starlight” aired on November 26, 2020 on the Hallmark Channel and starred Kimberly Sustad and Paul Campbell.  The story idea was Sustad’s and she approached Campbell a couple of years ago about turning it into a movie.  He got to work and wrote the screenplay.  Gary Yates was tasked with directing the film, which was filmed in Winnipeg (filling in for Chicago this time around) and wrapped filming just a month prior to airing on our TVs!

In a nutshell

I enjoyed this one very much.  I especially oved that the comedy wasn’t over the top at all (such as the overt playfulness of One Royal Holiday or The Christmas House), but just natural and part of the story and part of the characters’ natural selves.

Plot of “Christmas by Starlight”

When her family’s beloved eatery, The Starlight Café, is slated for demolition, Annie vows to put a stop to it before Christmas.

Actors

I love Sustad and Campbell.  I love Sustad and Campbell together.  I love Sustad and Campbell together in a movie their are vested (and invested) in.  I also really enjoyed Darren Martens, who played William’s right hand man, Lyle.  This is his fourth Hallmark movie, having started with the network in 2016’s “Journey Back to Christmas.”

Chemistry

There are a few couples in the Hallmark universe that go perfectly together.  Wagner and Polaha. Chabert and Elliott. DeLoach and Rady.  And Sustad and Campbell.  Perfect fits.

Tropes

Annie had a snow globe from her childhood, as well as a cute dog.  The family-owned diner was under threat of teardown by big time developer.  We saw some empty coffee cups.  And we have a fundraising gala to plan with less than a week to plan it!

Annie’s parents built a gingerbread house (two stories tall!).  We also had some Christmas tree shopping.  We got to see some ugly Christmas sweaters at Ted’s Christmas party (and I love how Ted saw her sweater, which made him and his wife go change into one as well).  When they left the party we had some lovely CGI snow.

Annie and William went ice skating (and it was fun seeing the actors actually skate).  Later on we saw them decorate a Christmas tree.

Bingo Card Score for “Christmas by Starlight”

I only covered 8 spots on my bingo card. Oh well. Feel free to download my free bingo cards and play along!

Did I Hear/See That Right?

In the scene where William makes Annie a grilled cheese sandwich, the ONLY thing I could focus on was the vast amount of vegetables laying on the shelves behind them.  A couple things went through my mind.  1) Restaurants would get fined for leaving fresh food out in the open all night and 2) it’s a BREAKFAST diner that focuses on waffles.  What do they need all those veggies for?  They can only make so many omelets in a day.

They danced.  To “O Holy Night.”  That’s just as bad as dancing to “Silent Night.”  THAT’S NOT A SONG TO DANCE TO.

Feelgoods

The focus on Annie’s adoption was a pleasant surprise. And I loved how the script allowed that storyline to bloom throughout the movie as Annie continued to share her story with William as they got to know each other better.  The subject of adoption never became hackneyed or overwrought, which can sometimes happen when Hallmark tries to hit more serious topics.

As I said earlier, I loved the comedy in this one.  Paul Campbell is hilarious on his social media accounts, and I knew that would come through in the screenplay.  Add in the chemistry that Sustad and Campbell have together, and I really enjoyed the funny bits.

I also really enjoyed the singer in the diner.  Her name is Maria Aragon and she hails from Winnipeg where the movie was filmed.  She toured with Lady Gaga a few years ago and is a great singer in her own right.

The scene between Annie and her dad (played by the excellent Bruce Dawson) after she found out that William was still planning to demolish the diner was very sweet and so well done.  I loved that scene.

Re-watchability

For Campbell and Sustad alone I’ll watch this one again.

The Ranking

“Christmas by Starlight” cracked the Top 10 for the year!  I now have 15 of the 2020 Christmas movies in my Top 20 for the year, and that’s saying something about the quality of movies we’ve gotten this year.

1. One Royal Holiday (air date: Oct 31) – 722 pts – weighted score: 121.8 (85.5%)
2. On the 12th Date of Christmas (air date: Nov 1) – 707 pts – weighted score: 119.2 (83.6%)
3. The Christmas House (air date: Nov 22) – 710 pts – weighted score: 118.6 (83.2%)
4. Sweet Autumn (air date: Oct 17) – 693 pts – weighted score: 118.5 (83.1%)
5. Good Morning, Christmas! (air date: Nov 25) – 698 pts – weighted score: 118.2 (82.9%)
6. A Timeless Christmas (air date: Nov 14) – 700 pts – weighted score: 117.7 (82.6%)
7. Deliver by Christmas (air date: Oct 25) – 697 pts – weighted score: 117.4 (82.4%)
8. Christmas With the Darlings (air date: Nov 8) – 691 pts – weighted score: 117.2 (82.2%)
9. Christmas Waltz (air date: Nov 29) – 694 pts – weighted score: 116.1 (81.5%)
10. Christmas by Starlight (air date: Nov 26) – 689 pts – weighted score: 115.9 (81.3%)
11. Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater (air date: Nov 7) – 681 pts – weighted score: 115.8 (81.2%)
12. The Christmas Bow (air date: Nov 8) – 676 pts – weighted score: 113.2 (79.4%)
13. Cranberry Christmas (air date: Oct 31) – 650 pts – weighted score: 112.1 (78.6%)
14. The Angel Tree (air date: Nov 21) – 670 pts – weighted score: 110.9 (77.8%)
15. Matching Hearts (air date: Feb 8) – 640 pts – weighted score: 109.0 (76.5%)
16. Winter in Vail (air date: Jan 4) – 623 pts – weighted score: 108.8 (76.4%)
17. Wedding Every Weekend (air date: Aug 15) – 639 pts – weighted score: 108.3 (76.0%)
18. Love in Store (air date: Feb 22) – 637 pts – weighted score: 108.2 (75.9%)
19. Christmas in Vienna (air date: Nov 14) – 636 pts – weighted score: 107.0 (75.1%)
20. A Nashville Christmas Carol (air date: Nov 21) – 634 pts – weighted score: 107.0 (75.1%)
21. Love on Harbor Island (air date: Aug 8) – 634 pts – weighted score: 106.9 (75.0%)
22. Holly & Ivy (air date: Oct 31) – 615 pts – weighted score: 106.8 (74.9%)
23. The Secret Ingredient (air date: Feb 15) – 617 pts – weighted score: 105.2 (73.8%)
24. The Christmas Doctor (air date: Nov 15) – 605 pts (weighted score: 104.8 (73.5%)
25. Country at Heart (air date: Oct 3) – 611 pts – weighted score: 104.1 (73.1%)
26. You’re Bacon Me Crazy (air date: Apr 4) – 591 pts – weighted score: 104.0 (72.9%)
27. My Best Friend’s Bouquet (air date: Oct 10) – 599 pts – weighted score: 103.4 (72.5%)
28. The Christmas Ring (air date: Nov 7) – 609 pts – weighted score: 103.3 (72.5%)
29. Fashionably Yours (air date: Apr 11) – 594 pts – weighted score: 102.6 (72.0%)
30. Follow Your Heart (air date: Oct 4) – 585 pts – weighted score: 101.6 (71.3%)
31. A Godwink Christmas: Second Chance, First Love (air date: Nov 22) – 587 pts – weighted score: 100.9 (70.8%)
32. Christmas Tree Lane (air date: Oct 24) – 574 pts – weighted score: 100.3 (70.4%)
33. A Valentine’s Match (air date: Feb 1) – 562 pts – weighted score: 99.8 (70.0%)
34. Love On Iceland (air date: Jan 18) – 563 pts – weighted score: 99.4 (69.7%)
35. Hearts of Winter (air date: Jan 25) – 561 pts – weighted score: 98.2 (68.9%)
36. Heart of the Holidays (air date: Nov 23) – 570 pts – weighted score: 97.9 (68.7%)
37. Jingle Bell Bride (air date: Oct 24) – 558 pts – weighted score: 97.9 (68.7%)
38. Just My Type (air date: Mar 28) – 565 pts – weighted score: 95.4 (66.9%)
39. Meet Me At Christmas (air date: Nov 15) 532 pts – weighted score: 91.1 (63.9%)
40. Bad Date Chronicles (air date: Feb 28) – 520 pts – weighted score: 91.0 (63.9%)
41. Love in Winterland (air date: Jan 11) – 508 pts – weighted score: 90.7 (63.6%)
42. Nature of Love (air date: Apr 18) – 520 pts – weighted score: 90.3 (63.3%)
43. If I Only Had Christmas (air date: Nov 29) – 535 pts – weighted score: 90.0 (63.2%)
44. USS Christmas (air date: Nov 28) – 521 pts – weighted score: 87.5 (61.4%)
45. Chateau Christmas (air date: Oct 25) – 502 pts – weighted score: 87.3 (61.3%)
46. Amazing Winter Romance (air date: Jan 20) – 487 pts – weighted score: 85.6 (60.1%)
47. Love Under the Olive Tree (air date: June 20) – 473 pts – weighted score: 85.0 (59.6%)
48. In the Key of Love (air date: Mar 14) – 470 pts – weighted score: 82.5 (57.9%)
49. Love in the Forecast (air date: Jun 13) – 440 pts – weighted score: 72.5 (50.8%)
50. Midway to Love (air date: June 26) – 410 pts – weighted score: 69.0 (48.4%)
51. Falling at Look Lodge (air date: Sept 26) – 350 pts – weighted score: 64.0 (44.9%)
52. Romance in the Air (air date: Aug 1) – 367 pts – weighted score: 63.2 (44.3%)
53. Follow Me to Daisy Hills (air date: Sept 19) – 337 pts – weighted score: 62.8 (44.1%)
54. How to Train Your Husband (air date: May 16) – 350 pts – weighted score: 62.5 (43.9%)

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

In any event, what did you think of “Christmas by Starlight”?  Comment below and let me know!