toddsgraham Review of A Glenbrooke Christmas

A Glenbrooke Christmas (2020 TV Movie)

A bit of a letdown, I'm afraid...

[6/10 · 14 December 2020]

When I saw Autumn Reeser at the top of the bill for this movie, I was looking forward to seeing it, as her last two Hallmark Christmas movies were lovely (Christmas Under the Stars and A Bramble House Christmas). To be honest, I was a bit let down by this one. The story did have a warm and gentle flow, which I enjoyed. However, it lacked that 'something extra' like some of the better Hallmark movies this season, such as The Angel Tree (great chemistry between the leads), A Little Christmas Charm (a wonderful little mystery), Christmas Waltz (some beautiful dancing), and Five Star Christmas and The Christmas House (two very funny movies). As a result, I did not engage with the movie, it did not pull me. I had to stop myself from multitasking a couple of times, which is never a good sign. The story and script, in some ways, were quite ordinary. The dialogue between the leads felt routine like, and as a result, it was rather dull to watch at times. The acting was pretty good. Reeser (as Jessica Morgan) had a decent performance, but I felt like she lacked purpose. Arguably, this was what she was going for, as her character was trying 'to find herself', as it were. Antonio Cupo's performance (as Kyle Buchanan) was pretty good too. He had sort of a gentle and warm, yet firm, vibe to his performance. Unlike some of the other reviewers on here, I felt the chemistry between the two wasn't great. It wasn't terrible either, but maybe, it was a bit too subtle for my taste. The supporting cast had a solid performance. Latonya Williams's performance, I thought, was strong. The scenery, props, and sets were well-polished and festive (a Hallmark trademark). The ringing of the bells, however, was a bit of a letdown, I felt. They faded them out rather quickly, which seemed odd given all the buildup in the story. All in all, it is a decent Christmas movie, not one of their best nor one of their worse this 2020 season.