Hallmark For All Seasons

“Christmas in Tahoe,” starring Laura Osnes and Kyle Selig (with the added bonuses of Train’s Pat Monahan and comedian George Lopez), premiered during Thanksgiving weekend on November 28, for 2021’s Countdown to Christmas on Hallmark Channel.

Even though Lake Tahoe in California is lovely, the film was made in the Vancouver area, including Abbotsford and Whistler. Eagle-eyed viewers will recognize that Ryan’s family house is the same house for Jamie’s family in An Unexpected Christmas.  And that’s not the only thing these movies share (more on that in a bit!)

This movie’s teleplay had three hands involved, esteemed Hallmark writer Nina Weinman, as well as Zach Lewis and Stephanie Jackson,  Regular Hallmark fans know Weinman from movies such as this year’s A Mrs. Miracle Christmas as well as 2019’s The Last Bridesmaid. Robert Lieberman directed.

This movie poster is not bad.  It showcased Pat Monahan but still has Christmas feels by showing the two lead actors in the wreath.  I feel like it could have been a bit more colorful though.

Music: Two Train songs were featured in the movie.  First up was Mittens and then they sang Shake Up Christmas (affiliate links).  Two GREAT holiday songs by that band!

In a nutshell

This one will end up middle of the pack, but it was okay.  I’ve seen better, I’ve seen worse.  Will I remember it in 3-4 years?  Not sure I will, but I’ll give it a watch next year.

The Plot of “Christmas in Tahoe”

To save her family hotel’s Christmas show, talent booker Claire must ask for help from her ex-boyfriend Ryan, the lead guitarist of a now-famous band that fired her as their manager years ago. 

Actors & Chemistry

I think Laura Osnes is great in these movies.  I loved her in One Royal Holiday last year, and I liked her in this movie. I also liked Pat Monahan in this movie.  For a non-actor musician, he was very entertaining to watch and had good comedic timing.  There are other non-actor musicians on Hallmark who could learn a lot from him.

Kyle Selig, who played Ryan, was a nice addition to the Hallmark stable of actors.  The Broadway actor built a character that was fun, engaging and likeable. Additionally, I loved that the same actors (Paul McGillion and Lynda Boyd) who played Jamie’s parents in An Unexpected Christmas played Ryan’s parents in this movie.

And what was George Lopez doing in this movie?  He only had a couple scenes, and was the one to come in with the pearl of wisdom near the end, but for the most part his appearance was pure stunt casting in a movie that already had stunt casting.

Another thing I didn’t get in this movie was romantic chemistry between the leads. I’m not one to normally care about age differences between actors, unless it is particular egregious (such as a woman playing another woman’s mother even though they are only 10 years apart in age). In this case, Selig is 7 years younger than Osnes in real life, and unfortunately, on screen it showed.  He seemed way too young to have been her boyfriend when they were younger. To me they played more like siblings than exes.

Tropes

There’s going to be a Christmas Eve gala.  There’s a new job on the line for Claire if the Christmas concert goes well. And empty coffee cup or two.  Lots of big scarves worn at the Christmas market.

Girls took a selfie with Ryan. This time it was the ex-boyfriend that returned to the small town for the holidays (although does Tahoe count as a small town?). The exes don’t get along.  There was some tree decorating. Later on, we saw some cookie decorating.

Did I Hear/See That Right?

Stop dance to Christmas carols.  Especially “Silent Night” or “O Holy Night.”

If this big Christmas Gala was supposed to be for charity, I highly doubt all those performers would have backed out just because the headliner had to back out.  That’s a bad look for ANY act to back out last minute on a CHARITY event.

This movie may have been set in Lake Tahoe, but you’d never know it.  We saw very little scenery and there was nothing specific to Tahoe in the movie.  Not sure why they decided to call it “Christmas in Tahoe.”

Feelgoods

I didn’t take any notes on what made me feel good about the movie, but I did love when Pat Monahan finally got to sing, and I loved Ryan’s mom’s reaction when the acapella group gave her a shoutout from the stage.

Re-watchability of “Christmas in Tahoe”

It’s hard to say if I’d watch this one again.  I was reasonably entertained watching it, so I expect I may be willing to watch it again next year. Not sure I’d seek it out, though.

The Ranking

“Christmas in Tahoe” scored pretty well, coming just short of Top 20 for the year.

1. An Unexpected Christmas (air date: Nov 26) – 736 pts – weighted score: 123 (86.3%)
2. The Santa Stakeout (air date: Oct 24) – 730 pts – weighted score: 122.3 (85.8%)
3. A Christmas Family Tree (air date: Nov 14) – 730 pts – weighted score: 121.9 (85.5%)
4. You, Me and The Christmas Trees (air date: Oct 22) – 716 pts – weighted score: 121.3 (85.1%)
5. Crashing Through The Snow (air date: July 10) – 705 pts – weighted score: 118.1 (82.8%)
6. The Nine Kittens of Christmas (air date: Nov 25) – 690 pts – weighted score: 116.5 (81.8%)
7. One December Night (air date: Nov 13) – 695 pts – weighted score: 116.3 (81.6%)
8. A Mrs. Miracle Christmas (air date: Nov 6) – 688 pts – weighted score: 116.2 (81.5%)
9. Boyfriends of Christmas Past (air date: Oct 23) – 673 pts – weighted score: 116.1 (81.5%)
10. Next Stop, Christmas (air date: Nov 6) – 682 pts – weighted score: 114.7 (80.5%)
11. It Was Always You (air date: Feb 27) – 668 pts – weighted score: 114.2 (80.1%)
12. The Christmas Promise (air date: Oct 30) – 675 pts – weighted score: 114.1 (80.0%)
13. Gingerbread Miracle (air date: Nov 5) – 671 pts – weighted score: 114.0 (80.0%)
14. Christmas In My Heart (air date: Oct 23) – 675 pts – weighted score: 113.9 (79.9%)
15. A Kiss Before Christmas (air date: Nov 21) – 671 pts – weighted score: 111.9 (78.5%)
16. Open at Christmas (air date: Nov 12) – 658 pts – weighted score: 111.6 (78.3%)
17. You Had Me At Aloha (air date: June 5) – 675 pts – weighted score: 111.4 (78.1%)
18. A Christmas Together With You (air date: Nov 20) – 645 pts – weighed score: 110.9 (77.8%)
19. Five More Minutes (air date: Nov 21) – 645 pts – weighted score: 110.8 (77.7%)
20. Sweet Carolina (air date: May 15) – 648 pts – weighted score: 110.1 (77.2%)
21. A Very Merry Bridesmaid (air date: Dec 4) – 644 pts – weighted score: 109.5 (76.8%)
22. Taking a Shot at Love (air date: Jan 2) – 641 pts – weighted score: 108.9 (76.4%)
23. Christmas in Tahoe (air date: Nov 28) – 653 pts – weighted score: 108.7 (76.3%)
24. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (air date: Mar 27) – 636 pts – weighted score: 108.5 (76.1%)
25. Christmas at Castle Hart (air date: Nov 27) – 639 pts – weighted score: 108.0 (75.8%)
26. Right in Front of Me (air date: Apr 18) – 637 pts – weighted score: 108.0 (75.8%)
27. As Luck Would Have It (air date: Apr 10) – 638 pts – weighted score: 107.7 (75.5%)
28. Her Pen Pal (air date: June 19) – 636 pts – weighted score: 107.1 (75.1%)
29. The Baker’s Son (air date: June 13) – 637 pts – weighted score: 106.3 (74.6%)
30. South Beach Love (air date: Oct 9) – 615 pts – weighted score: 105.8 (74.2%)
31. Love Strikes Twice (air date: Oct 2) – 608 pts – weighted score: 105.2 (73.8%)
32. A Holiday in Harlem (air date: Nov 7) – 628 pts – weighted score: 105.1 (73.7%)
33. Christmas Sail (air date: Oct 31) – 606 pts – weighted score: 105.1 (73.7%)
34. Christmas in Harmony (air date: Oct 29) – 605 pts – weighted score: 104.8 (73.5%)
35. A Christmas Treasure (air date: Nov 7) – 625 pts – weighted score: 104.6 (73.4%)
36. A Winter Getaway (air date: Jan 23) – 620 pts – weighted score: 104.4 (73.3%)
37. Coyote Creek Christmas (air date: Oct 30) – 614 pts – weighted score: 104.3 (73.2%)
38. Love, For Real (air date: July 31) – 607 pts – weighted score: 103.6 (72.7%)
39. Christmas CEO (air date: Nov 26) – 596 pts – weighted score: 103.5 (72.6%)
40. Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone (air date: Oct 1) – 595 pts – weighted score: 103.0 (72.2%)
41. Mix Up in the Mediterranean (air date: Feb 20) – 590 pts – weighted score: 102.5 (71.9%)
42. Advice to Love By (air date: Oct 16) – 599 pts – weighted score: 102.2 (71.7)
43. Two For The Win (air date: Jan 16) – 603 pts – weighted score: 101.8 (71.4%)
44. Taking the Reins (air date: Sept 28) – 574 pts – weighted score: 101.2 (71.0%)
45. Raise a Glass to Love (air date: Sept 18) – 590 pts – weighted score: 100.7 (70.7%)
46. Nantucket Noel (air date: Nov 18) – 585 pts – weighted score: 100.3 (70.4%)
47. Chasing Waterfalls (air date: Mar 20) – 570 pts – weighted score: 100.3 (70.4%)
48. Roadhouse Romance (air date: Sept 11) – 571 pts – weighted score: 100.2 (70.3%)
49. Sweet Pecan Summer (air date: ) – 576 pts – weighted score: 97.3 (68.3%)
50. Sand Dollar Cove (air date: June 26) – 557 pts – weighted score: 96.8 (67.9%)
51. Hearts Down Under (air date: Apr 24) – 547 pts – weighted score: 95.2 (66.8%)
52. Fit for a Prince (air date: Mar 6) – 546 pts – weighted score: 94.6 (66.4%)
53. A New Year’s Resolution (air date: Jan 9) – 516 pts – weighted score: 90.5 (63.5%)
54. Finding Love in Mountain View (air date: ) – 504 pts – weighted score: 89.5 (62.8%)
55. A Little Daytime Drama (air date: Aug 21) – 511 pts – weighted score: 87.7 (61.5%)
56. Baby, It’s Cold Inside (air date: May 8) – 495 pts – weighted score: 85.6 (60.0%)
57. Playing Cupid (air date: Feb 13) – 466 pts – weighted score: 82.6 (58.0%)
58. Beverly Hills Wedding (air date: Feb 6) – 431 pts – weighted score: 80.6 (56.5%)
59. Journey of my Heart (air date: ) – 450 pts – weighted score: 76.0 (53.3%)
60. Snowkissed (air date: Jan 31) – 402 pts – weighted score: 76.0 (53.3%)

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 in Tahoe”?  Comment below and let me know!