A Merry Christmas Wish (2022 TV Movie) User Reviews

Overall pleasant but with some typical unbelievability (and a timeline problem)

[jjbdavis-88338 · 7/10 · 8 December 2022]

Overall a good movie to watch, but go in knowing that the plot and surroundings are typical Hallmark-like. No mystery as to what the final outcome will be (including so long, old boyfriend!). Positives include the well known stars, other excellent cast members, and the pleasant winter setting (in reality, northward in Ontario) and Christmas decor.

However, there is one major flaw in the timeline of the story, which could easily have been avoided by the writer. Namely (and this is all known early on in the movie, so not a spoiler), Jill Wagner inherits a farm in "upstate New York" from a great uncle with whom she had a close summertime relationship until age 10, in 2003. There is no specific mention to my recollection as to why no contact after that or anything about her immediate family. Now it's 20 years later, i.e., age 30-ish. Well, as attractive as the stars are, they aren't 30 years old anymore! The script could have described the close relationship until 2003 at age 17 or 18, after which a youth would more likely lose contact; then 20 years later would more closely match the actors' real ages.

The other always unbelievable timing in Hallmark and now Great American movies is the sudden need to plan, organize and put on a major event in something like a week, which would in reality takes weeks or months. But they can always do it!

Loved it, but weirdness to storyline.

[chattdesign · 7/10 · 23 November 2022]

Loved the movie. Very well acted, not cheesy at all. So there's at least that, since some are absolutely unbearable, if you know what I mean. However, there are gaps in the story.

A) She's supposed to be close the great-uncle, yet hasn't visited (a mere 3 hour drive) in 20 years?

B) She's supposed to be 30 (10 + it's been 20 years)? Jill Wagner is gorgeous, but she's no 30 year old. Idk, they could have just said she hasn't been back since high school/college age and it would have been fine. There's also no way anyone would recognize her after 20 YEARS.

C) I don't understand all the fond reminiscing w/o her ever going back until Randall died.

Annnnd that's about it.

Winter Wonderland

[megan_chatterton · 7/10 · 30 November 2022]

A refreshing take on the city girl moves to the country theme so prevalent in holiday movies. The heroine is a decent human being who genuinely cares more about her family than the money she could get. Only thing that doesn't make sense is the title.

Janey is an advertising agent in New York when she learns a great uncle she stayed with as a kid has died. She returns home and reconnects with past friends while deciding what to do with her uncle's farm. In the process she has to choose whether to continue a town tradition.

A very humble movie that doesn't get caught up in itself. Also, best holiday kitchen and bedroom decorations for the win!

A Christmas movie checklist

[Jackbv123 · 6/10 · 14 November 2022]

This is an upbeat family friendly Christmas movie. The story, if you even call it that, is a checklist of Christmas movie tropes. There are no great highs or lows or surprises, but given all of this, it is fairly well done. It's just not that exciting, if like me, you watch every Christmas movie out there from late October through the end of the year.

Jill Wagner, as Janie, and Cameron Mathison, as Dylan, are accomplished veterans of many Christmas movies and rom/coms. They have chemistry but it doesn't stand out that much. There is a cute niece and a childhood BFF girlfriend for Janie. Janie has an existing boyfriend from the city who is one of the least flawed rivals I can remember, but on the other hand he is the usual "steady and reliable" which I guess is a bad thing. He does pay a little too much attention to business at Janie's expense, but I've seen much worse.

I found it interesting that the 43 year old Wagner's character had a conversation about wanting children going forward. This leads to a discussion I've had with my wife about how so many of Hallmarks stars are growing past the age where they appeal as romantic leads. Hallmark has dealt with this by bringing on board many promising younger stars. But this movie is not Hallmark. This is their new competitor, GAC Family. GAC stole some of Hallmarks better known veterans and that's just it, they are veterans. Merritt Patterson is the one of the few and probably most prominent younger female star with any length to her rom/com resume. Articles I have read imply she may still be more of a free agent. I have not been impressed with any of the other younger stars so far on GAC.

Almost all movies push a lesson or issue. A common one has to do with small town values and this movie has plenty of that. Big city and progress bad. Small town and time to enjoy life good. I think this movie presses that point a little too much.

A pleasant Christmas movie.

[zutterjp48 · 7/10 · 31 December 2023]

A Christmas movie with the classical theme of the unplanned return to the home town in the Christmas period. Janie Collins who works and live in Manhattan has to come back to Wodland Falls because of the death of her great uncle Randall and surprise she becomes owner of the farm of Randall: a great surprise for her. Then another surprise in a letter Randall asked her to rganize the Winter Wonderland in the barn of the estate.

Janie meets Dylan, the brother of her best friend Nicole, little by little she knows other people and prepares the Winter Wonderland with the help of Dylan, at the same time Jane has some memories (the song that she was dancing with Randall). Dylan is full of humour and very careful with Janie. Janie has also moments of doubts about her stay in Woodland Falls.

I enjoyed the performances of Jill Wagner, Cameron Matheson Morgan David Jones and Jeanna Jarvis.

Far too same old/same old

[VetteRanger · 4/10 · 14 November 2022]

We REALLY like Jill Wagner and especially Cameron Matheson, and they tried their best, but they got stuck with the same story that's been done MYRIAD times in the years of Hallmark or GAF Christmas movies. Maybe this is a standard plot that gets assigned to a group of writers two or three times a year. Occasionally a twist gets added to it to liven up the cliches, but that didn't happen here.

Big city success goes to small town. Drab boyfriend without much understanding of her needs. Gets involved with the small town event and the charming, sexy small town guy. Leaves her busy career for the small town life. Dumps her Brooks Brothers boyfriend for the farm hand.

Not a surprise, and the entire plot was telegraphed in literally, the first scene of the movie.

Not only that, but I found the writers' timeline of the history of the characters utterly unbelievable, and I don't think the writers know one thing about how a farm runs or the production of honey. LOL

I was most amused with a gift at the end that contained one-third of a SMALL jar of honey? Is that all the prop room could come up with? LOL

I found many scenes and lines that had me involuntarily rolling my eyes. Sad.

Only the two actors trying their best with this tired material saved it from being a complete waste of time, and saved at least a couple of stars on my rating.

Cookie cutter of cookie cutters

[MickyG333 · 6/10 · 29 January 2024]

6.4 stars.

Sure, this has Jill Wagner. Even she can't resurrect a dead story. This is a standard Christmas movie across the board. The only problem with this standard movie is that it has absolutely nothing exciting or interesting, or original about it whatsoever. Take all the usual ingredients of a standard Hallmark, and it's simply that - standard. But the standards of this standard film are below average. The dialogue is mundane, and everything is cookie-cutter. This is why I called it the cookie cutter of cookie cutters, because it's literally nothing. Even the title is perfectly vanilla. This film is like a low end two-door Nissan sedan fresh off the assembly, no bells or whistles. Nobody brags about owning a Nissan sedan.

Janie's Got a Farm

[Lejink · 3/10 · 2 December 2023]

Project Christmas movie-watch continues but it seems I'm knee deep in Hallmark land already. Turning out these soporific seasonal romance movies seems akin to the film makers rearranging the slushy words in greeting cards to say the same thing in a different way.

In this one, we're introduced to New York-based advertising executive Jill Wagner's Janie character who seems to have it all. She's successful in her job, has a mirror-image boyfriend in wealth management and is getting ready to go with him to L. A. for Christmas.

Then, just her luck, she learns her rich, great uncle Randall has died and left her his farm at Brigadoon, sorry, that should read Woodland Falls, an idyllic little town three hours drive away from the city hustle and bustle, where she spent a happy childhood. So she makes the journey there to tie up the estate where she reconnects with her old childhood girlfriend, who now has a cute daughter and wouldn't you know it, hunky brother who apparently comes with the farm. We learn that her bequest comes with one condition, she has to continue the tradition of putting on the town's annual Christmas fair. Of course she's going to need help to do that and just where do you suppose she'll get a chunky hunk of help to do just that...?

It all ends up with our heroine having to choose between the city and the country, as well as the old slick, suited and booted beau or her new rugged, check-shirted boyfriend. No surprises for guessing which way she ends up going both times.

Listen, there's lots of Christmas Muzak playing in the background, there are plenty of Christmas decorations everywhere and everybody in Woodland Falls is just so gosh-darned nice as they make rosemary-flavoured honey and eat Friendship cookies, with Janie making their lives better yet with some free marketing advice she dispenses to all and sundry.

It's a typical seasonal TV movie, blandly predictable, supposedly heart-warming and undemanding if you like this sort of thing but in truth I think I'll look for something a little more substantial next time I peruse the schedules.

Embarrasing at Best!

[robby77777 · 1/10 · 16 November 2022]

I love Jill Wagner and was so looking forward to this movie. Tuned in and was shocked about just about everything. She looks run down, just mailed in her lines, and everything about this movie was just terrible. I was hoping for a Hallmark Movies level of quality, but this was worse than awful. I was so disappointed in how bad this movie was: The plot, the acting, the scenery, the sets, the storyline, and just about everything. If this is the best that GAC can do, I really think Jill should go back to Hallmark! This movie was so poorly written and acted, I really don't know where GAC goes from here.

First Christmas movie to get a 10 out of me this year.

[DeeLoLats · 10/10 · 6 December 2022]

Wow! I forgot how much I love Cameron Matheson! He is the perfect leading man for a romance movie. Those eyes, that smile, he's just perfect! Age is not hurting him at all either. I recall watching and enjoying his movies years ago.

I don't know where I've been to not have seen him in so long but I'm glad I caught him in this movie. I had never heard of Jill Wagner before now but she was also very good and convincing.

These romance movies get rushed because there is less than two hours to convince us that the love is real in the ned and this movie did it for me.

A few movies this year also had me grinning from ear to ear by the last scene, which almost always incudes a deep passionate kiss and this movie doesn't disappoint. It went a little further and made me actually envision the couple's future together and that's the biggest reason they got the 10 rating.

The farmhouse used in this movie was beautiful and so well decorated. It made me want to move back to the country.

Great movie and love story. Hope to see both these actors again soon.

Does the casting director think we're blind?!

[sambolebon · 1/10 · 11 December 2023]

Does the casting director think we're blind?! This role was intended for a 30 year old but was being played by a 40 something, and the love interest into his 50s. All kind of wrong. Compounded by the childhood friend actually being 30 and therefore making her co-stars look older! All could have been avoided if they just didn't mention or changed the timelines talked about in the beginning.

Yes, I am expecting a predictable love story at Christmas, but some suspension of disbelief is required for enjoyment! Purrrrleeeaaase!

I don't care how old the characters are but some realistic casting is surely easy and no-one wants a young girl and a guy old enough to be her dad.

Not too bad

[lisafordeay · 4/10 · 1 December 2023]

A Merry Christmas Wish is a 2022 festive made for tv rom com starring Jill Warner and Cameron Mathison. A young woman travels back to her old hometown where she meets a blast from her past. Now she must choose whether or not she will stay in her old hometown or leave to her new home place again?.

Overall it wasn't a bad film. The chemistry between the two leads was decent,the story has been done to death before as we seen films like these where a woman meets a blast from her past,falls for him and then she regrets leaving him and goes back to him again the end. If you are a fan of Hallmark films then check it out.

Jill Wagner .... But....

[agambre · 9/10 · 14 November 2022]

Personally, if it's Jill Wagner it's a 10!!! But not this one. Something is off about this movie. There is big time mismatched between leads. Not enough chemistry unlike the awesome connections between Jill and Nick Bateman in A Christmas Miracle For Daisy. Chemistry between leads makes movies interesting and fun to watch. Nicole (Deanna Jarvis) and little Gracie (Taya Messier) did their part extremely well and noticeable. Let me just say, I have watched Cameron's movies in the past, sorry but not a fan🤗 I really hope that GAC will create another Jill and Nick Batsman's movie soon. We can only hope 😊

Christmas on the Farm

[ab-84038 · 9/10 · 13 November 2022]

I really lke Jill Wagner and Cameron Mathison and they are the reason to watch this movie. I really wish that the script would have been something super wonderful and compelling. They deserved better. The script was your basic big city girl goes home to the farm and falls in love with small town life from her past and with the boy next door that she left behind. The best thing about the movie is the 2 leads, they have a very sweet chemistry together, and they have an easiness in working with each other that will make you believe in them and their story. The supporting cast is very good and I do recommend this movie, it's a sweet story about love.

Return to the place where we were happy

[glori1491 · 10/10 · 28 December 2023]

This film is about Janie, a girl who lives in NY, who returns to her hometown just 3 hours from NY due to the death of her great uncle who raised her in her childhood, he leaves her the inheritance of the farm (where they lived together, to which she has not returned for 20 years), and asks her to hold the Christmas festival, which she does with the help of the farm worker who is her best friend's brother. Childhood, meeting these people again reminds her of what was important to her and what made her happy.

This film is about remembering roots, childhood, where one was happy, about remembering what makes us happy in this busy modern world, we forget the places where we were happy, about having jobs that we don't like. What saddened me the most was that she stopped seeing her uncle for 20 years because she lived in such a busy life and that he always remembered her and was proud of her. One of the best movies I saw about Christmas this year 2023 on streaming services.

I Really Enjoyed!

[Luvhallmark · 8/10 · 20 November 2022]

I really liked this movie and even though I could see exactly how it would end, I enjoyed the road getting there. The two main leads are definitely both seasoned actors and I thought their chemistry sparkled. The plot "save the farm" is a bit overdone but it is a Christmas flick after all.... I do not have an Instagram account so I don't follow the actors in their private lives but I instantly knew JW either just had a baby or was pregnant during filming, turns out she had her first child in 2020 and I think she was pregnant in this movie, congratulations! I'm glad CM & JW among others switched networks, I look forward to seeing them!