The Mistletoe Inn (2017)

This is the 5th Christmas movie starring Alicia Witt. A Very Merry Mix-Up 2013- 10, Christmas at Cartwrights 2014-8, I'm Not Ready for Christmas 2015-9, A Perfect Christmas Bucket List 2016-8. This is my second favorite mainly due to David Alplay who is the costar. This is his 3rd Christmas movie in a row Ice Sculpture Christmas with Rachel Boston- 2015, Sleigh bells Ring 2016 and this one is his best. He is a bit of a Gregory Peck, but this movie showed he is better at humor. There is a bit of a surprise ending which I suspected from the beginning but my wife was truly surprised and that added to her delight for the movie. Thanks to the queen for giving us another great Christmas movie. The lady that played Sam also did very well. I enjoyed the characters all being writers.This is a fun movie. Don't let the rather low 5 and 6 top reviews stop you. Enjoy.

I love Alicia Witt. This was not a good vehicle for her. She sort of seems to be veering towards a Doris Day type kooky lead girl. I don't like it. I wanted A Very Merry Mix-Up. That was top shelf. There are a few moments where she scored high praise...dressed up for dinner A+ and running in her tight yoga pants. Thank goodness Lucie Guest was in this movie. I hate this trend of Christmas/Not Christmas Movies. This is another plot crow-barred into a Christmas setting...Not fooling me...NO Christmas MAGIC

Personally, I find Hallmark's movies just the right start to bringing in the Christmas Season. Sometimes they have an edge, but mostly they are good stories well told and acted. Schsmaltzey, a little too sweet, perhaps, but that's what makes them endearing and what I think gives the actors some latitude in their characterizations. While some have characterized Alicia Witt's acting in this movie as a step above her earlier roles, I find it fitting for the role. As I do her earlier work. This isn't Shakespeare, it's a series of feel good movies that stand or fall on the actor's ability to create relatable characters. I think she and her fellow Hallmark studio actors, deliver on those points almost every time. It's what keeps me coming back anyway. What is driving me crazy this year though is the set design/special effects. This movie is an unfortunate example of a trend where things like snow is nothing more than blobs of suds, when it snows, the sun is always out and shining brightly, it's as if Hallmark just gave up trying. The actors are doing their part to make these stories real. The production department could at least back them up with realistic props and effects. Bad effects can kill a story just as easily as bad acting.

This holiday movie was a treat on many levels. The script and concept were original, and more mature than many Hallmark movies. Not just a boy meets girl, girl meets boy concept. There is serious matter in the plot. Rejection on several levels..in marriage, courtship,professional competition, and self-doubt. It isn't such a mystery that the famous writer's identity will not surprise any intelligent viewer..but the road to that discovery is paved with a great deal better acting and better dialogue than the usual holiday movie. This viewer's biggest compliment to the film is that Alicia Witt finally shows her authentic acting skills..and does not rely on her quirky facial mannerisms of former films. She had gotten a reputation for peculiar mouth twists, huge deer-in- headlight eyes, and other facial movements that took away from her real acting skills. In this film, she was either advised to do away with those gestures, or she has matured into a more confident, serious actress. I have read that she is also a math genius (like Danica McKellar), and this intelligence showed through in her acting here. She did not need all her facial gimmicks..She relied on serious dialogue, serious emotions, and appropriate gestures. The result was a movie that explored mature and relevant issues..self-doubt, fear of change, fear of rejection on many levels, and trust in the honesty of ones friends, even after what felt like betrayals. this movie is a real winner!