REVIEW: The Hallmark Sequel "Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up" Is as Silly as the First One

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Emily and Jared are looking forward to celebrating the holidays together as a couple, and they prepare to work with their neighbors on Evergreen Lane to make this year's Christmas celebrations the best yet.  When a house on the block goes up for sale, the soon-to-be-neighbors are holiday royalty, but they are so competitive that they nearly ruin Christmas for everyone. Starring:   Lacey Chabert, Wes Brown, Stephen Tobolowsky, Ellen Travolta, Melissa Peterman, Seth Morris, and Jennifer Aspen Image:  Hallmark Media Haul Out the Holly:  Lit Up Has a Moral When the residents of Evergreen Lane learn that their new neighbors are the Jolly Johnsons--famous holiday reality stars--they are thrilled to welcome them to the block.  Everyone assumes the Johnsons will fit right in since they share their same affinity for elf culture. Emily, Jared, and the rest of the holiday crew quickly realize that the Johnsons aren't interested in joining in on the fun--they plan to take over. Image:  Tw

Hallmark's "Christmas Bedtime Stories" Is a Nice Story Despite These TWO Issues

Christmas Bedtime Stories Plot Summary

A single mother is left to raise her daughter after her husband goes MIA and is presumed dead, and she begins telling her daughter bedtime stories about her father.

Starring:  Erin Cahill, Charlie Weber, and Steve Lund

Christmas Bedtime Stories-Hallmark
Image:  Hallmark Media

Moving on After Loss

Christmas Bedtime Stories is a tear-jerker.  

Colby Aames was the love of Danielle's life.  The two met on the military base when Danielle hopped on stage to tell corny jokes while Colby fixed the electrical issue preventing the tree from lighting during the annual ceremony.  The two hit it off and were married the following Christmas.  Besides a wedding, the couple created more memories during the Christmas season, like adding a dog to the family and later, having a baby.

Colby's plane went down three years prior while on a mission, and his body was the only one not recovered.  All intelligence indicated he was swept out to sea with no hope of survival. 


Colby and Danielle's daughter, Audrey, was only five when she lost her father.  The older she gets, the harder it is for her to remember him.  Colby had recorded his voice on Audrey's stuffed bear, but even it has stopped working.  To keep his memory alive, Audrey asks her mother to tell her stories about her dad, which Danielle easily recalls since she's penned many of her memories in a journal.

Meanwhile, Pierce, a friend of Colby's who has been dating Danielle, pops the question.  She accepts, but guilt prevents her from shouting the news from the rooftops.  In fact, Danielle is so swallowed by old memories of Colby that she struggles to live in the present.  Pierce senses her emotional withdrawal but tries to be patient.

Danielle's struggle to move forward and Audrey's longing for her father wrench at the heartstrings, especially if you're a viewer who has experienced similar loss.  You can relate to the emotional battle going on inside both characters.


Hallmark Keeps You Guessing

Hallmark movies are typically SO EASY to figure out because you know they are committed to giving their audience a happy ending.  Still, Christmas Bedtime Stories isn't as straightforward, which keeps viewers guessing--a nice change.  Will Danielle let go of Colby's memory and live happily-ever-after with Pierce, whom Audrey will embrace as a father?  Or, will Colby be resurrected?  You're just not quite sure which direction Hallmark will go as the story unfolds.

Two Issues that Detract from the Quality of the Story

In the past, Hallmark movies about the "Miracles of Christmas" relied heavily on elements of faith.  True miracles aren't spontaneous--they are a result of Divine Intervention.  Christmas Bedtime Stories departs from faith entirely--another indication of the "woke" direction the network is taking.

Throughout the movie, a series of coincidences occur.  Every time Danielle tells her daughter a new story about Colby, the memory comes back to life.  Examples include talking about her wedding and then running into the flower girl whom she hasn't seen in years; a snowstorm happening just as it did the day Audrey was born; and the dog finding the bell Christmas ornament right after Danielle shared how Colby had given it to her.  In Hallmark of times past, these coincidences would have been termed "Godwinks."

The coincidences are so uncanny that Danielle is totally shaken by them.  She shares her jitters with Pierce, her sister, and her best friend.  All of them assume Danielle is just feeling guilty for moving on with Pierce, as if she's betraying Colby.


Danielle doesn't agree.  She begins to wonder if Colby is still alive and that the coincidences are messages from "the universe."  The idea of the universe being a living being that communicates with her is a very New Age concept and an insult to the many people of faith who expect Hallmark to attribute these coincidences to God, as Hallmark has done many times throughout the years.  

The second blight on the movie is the ludicrous ending.  (SPOILER ALERT:  If you haven't watched the movie yet, stop here).

Danielle and Pierce realize they are better at being friends and end their engagement, which makes sense given their lack of relational enthusiasm.  Once they are officially done, the viewer knows Colby is coming back.

Right before Danielle takes Audrey to the father-daughter dance, Danielle hears on the news that the marines have just rescued prisoners in Yemen.  Speaking of the father-daughter dance though, it is completely dumb that Danielle insists on taking Audrey to this.  Audrey has been called "weird" for bringing her mother, and she's told Danielle she doesn't want to go.  Who would make their kid go anyway?  


Guess who shows up at the father-daughter dance?  Yes, Colby.  While viewers are overjoyed for Danielle and Audrey to be reunited with him, the way Hallmark makes it happen is unbelievable and cheesy.  The reunion should have been as poignant as the rest of the movie, but the script writers do a hasty, crap job to bring everything to a tidy conclusion.  We deserve better.

Colby has been a hostage in Yemen for three years.  When the marines descended to free the prisoners, he didn't realize it was American forces.  He slipped off to the American embassy and made it home from there.  

Okay, Danielle JUST HEARD that the marines had bombed the Yemen compound.  Yet, in mere nano seconds, Colby managed to escape to the embassy and fly clear across the world to make it in time for the dance.  To boot, he wasn't emaciated, bruised, scarred, and sporting long hair and a beard.  He was clean-cut and healthy-looking, as if he hadn't been a prisoner of war for three years.  COME ON!  

My Christmas Tree Rating

The blatant disregard for faith and the implausible and flimsy ending are two strikes against Christmas Bedtime Stories, but the acting is great, the chemistry is apparent, and the story is still dramatic and well-told (at least until the end).  I'm giving it four out of five Christmas trees.


Comments

  1. Worst Hallmark movie

    ReplyDelete
  2. great movie.........and not to far off from reality for many people. emotions, and feelings. the ending was rushed that was my only issue.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Worst Hallmark movie ever! I didn't see any chemistry, Colby's commanding officer - 3 minutes earlier when asked, didn't know he was coming home? Just BAD - I expect so much more from Hallmark!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree with the writer of this article! Hallmark has gone, woke and gotten away from God and the ending was very cheesy and unrealistic! Your points are very valid! I’ve been enjoying great American family channel and up channel where they are not afraid to mention faith or God! Thank you for your views, and so eloquently putting them into words!

    ReplyDelete

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