I really enjoyed this Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Original Christmas movie. It is one of my favorites thus far this season. A jeweler (played by Ashley Greene) and journalist (played by Brendan Penny) team up to find the owner of a charm bracelet left in a jacket donated to charity. The mystery here is a warm and delightful journey from a steam engine train station to a scenic view of the city skyline. During their search, we watch their relationship blossom thru some charming and engaging dialogue. Indeed, one of the strengths of the story/script is the dialogue and exchanges between Holly and Greg. There were some weak elements to the story; e.g., Greg's backstory, which is used as a reason for him bailing on the search with Holly, was rather weak. That said, the story is an engaging one; I found myself pulled in from the start The acting, overall, is superb. Greene (playing Holly, the jeweler) had a warm and graceful vibe to her performance. Penny too had an impressive performance as Greg, the journalist. What stands out is their dialogue and chemistry. It was brilliant, I thought, quite convincing. The supporting cast was strong as well. All around excellent acting. The scenery, props, and sets were striking and festive (a Hallmark trademark). I especially liked the getup and atmosphere at the train station. The movie too had a nice Christmas feel to it. All in all, this is a lovely Christmas movie, a nice new edition to 2020 season lineup. Fans of Hallmark will no doubt enjoy. I highly recommend it.
31 Reviews
A Fun Christmas Mystery
jagfannn7 December 2020
This is an interesting Christmas mystery story. We follow Ashley Greene and Brendan Penny on their journey to track down the owner of a detailed charm bracelet. Greene and Penny have have great chemistry together and they're fun to watch as their relationship grows stronger along the way. There are some interesting subplots and a strong supporting cast making it well worth watching
Worthwhile
Tinderbox12321 December 2020
This story reminds me of USS Christmas (also new in 2020) in that a couple are working together during the holidays to solve a mystery of sorts. Although I love the premise of these two movies I hope Hallmark doesn't produce too many like this or, while currently new and refreshing, the storyline repetition could become expected and possibly boring.
The acting was good and the scenery was beautiful. I only wish the leads had better chemistry.
The acting was good and the scenery was beautiful. I only wish the leads had better chemistry.
When the Journey is Worth the Trip
cbisbee-739951 February 2021
Enjoyable fluff of a Hallmark holiday romance movie. The journey around NYC searching for the owner of a misplaced charm bracelet during the Christmas season was worth the price of admission. The leads play off each other well and believably as we look for the answer. If you like these predictable stories to lighten the load at the end of the day, this presents one of the better movies to watch of this sort.
It was good, but not my favorite this season.
rg7991210 January 2021
I wanted to shave the actors face lol. I'm used to seeing him clean cut and he was too sloppy for my taste in this. That detracted from the story a little bit because it was distracting. He did a good job though, but it's not his best. I am not an Ashley Greene fan, but I liked her in this. She won me over some in this movie. I liked it more than I thought I would.
Cute movie
aussiegirl-6591514 July 2021
Great little mystery about the lost charm bracelet. The only gripe I had with it was Megan's (the vintage shop owner's) husband. Where did they pick this guy from. He looked like someone they pulled of the street to stand next to Megan. He looked very uncomfortable and the pair definitely didn't match. Weird I thought. Other than that, an enjoyable movie.
Enjoyed it!
ts-00007 December 2020
Nice story
Jackbv12311 December 2020
It seems like the last couple of years that the new formula Christmas story is the quest to return something, possibly a keepsake, one of the leads found by accident. This story follows that formula pretty closely. The attempt to frame a conflict near the end was very weak on both sides of the relationship. I think Greg's excuse wasn't laid out well enough emotionally, and Holly overreacted to the situation. I'd like to expand on that but then it really is a spoiler.
All theses movies start with friction between the leads and in this case it was fairly mild, but Holly resisted Greg's persistent charm firmly, until she didn't. After that Brendan Penny and Ashley Greene developed a quiet chemistry. Other actors filled their roles well.
All of these quest stories give the viewer a mystery, but unlike some crime mysteries, the viewer doesn't know enough to jump ahead to the solution. However, the viewer can watch while the characters sleuth out new leads. In this case, many of the leads were related in a technical way to fine jewelry in the form of charms for bracelets. The mystery has a nice sentimental resolution. The romance story follows the expected formula. There are no great highs or lows. There's almost no tension in the form of any threat hanging over the main characters. Any surprises are in the form of the technical clues I mentioned as Holly discovers she jumped to conclusions that weren't exactly correct. A viewer with an interest to learn about this subject will find a bit of education.
A couple of side notes. 1 - Once again this web site doesn't recognize who the real leads are in the movie, as of this writing several days after the premiere. 2- Another reviewer claims that one of Greene's facial features "ruins" the move. I think that's a bit cruel and I thought Greene was quite attractive, hopefully someone we'll see again on Hallmark. We all see people differently.
All theses movies start with friction between the leads and in this case it was fairly mild, but Holly resisted Greg's persistent charm firmly, until she didn't. After that Brendan Penny and Ashley Greene developed a quiet chemistry. Other actors filled their roles well.
All of these quest stories give the viewer a mystery, but unlike some crime mysteries, the viewer doesn't know enough to jump ahead to the solution. However, the viewer can watch while the characters sleuth out new leads. In this case, many of the leads were related in a technical way to fine jewelry in the form of charms for bracelets. The mystery has a nice sentimental resolution. The romance story follows the expected formula. There are no great highs or lows. There's almost no tension in the form of any threat hanging over the main characters. Any surprises are in the form of the technical clues I mentioned as Holly discovers she jumped to conclusions that weren't exactly correct. A viewer with an interest to learn about this subject will find a bit of education.
A couple of side notes. 1 - Once again this web site doesn't recognize who the real leads are in the movie, as of this writing several days after the premiere. 2- Another reviewer claims that one of Greene's facial features "ruins" the move. I think that's a bit cruel and I thought Greene was quite attractive, hopefully someone we'll see again on Hallmark. We all see people differently.
It is a bit charming too.
adamjohns-4257512 December 2021
Why would anyone be so resistant to being with Brendan, as she is at the beginning? I would jump at the chance to be with such an adorable guy.
It is somewhat hard to believe that his character is so anti Christmas because he is such a happy person.
He is also a natural actor and he looks so good that I could just eat him with a spoon.
There are many films of this ilk that I have turned off, but I don't think I could ever turn off one of Mr Penny's because he is just too likeable, regardless of the cast and other stuff going on around him in some of them, but actually this is one of the better films anyway.
I like the idea of the charm bracelet, the mystery of its owner and it's pursuit by a journalist and a kind lady. On the way they participate in fun activities and learn a little about Russian Christmas culture too.
The "Issue" that they have is silly. You know, the thing that causes upset about 15 minutes from the end of the film, before they both realise how wrong they were? That's not a spoiler, because it happens in every one of these films. I just don't see them getting so annoyed by it.
Other than that it's a very enjoyable story and it has a warm and fuzzy feel to it.
8ish/10.
It is somewhat hard to believe that his character is so anti Christmas because he is such a happy person.
He is also a natural actor and he looks so good that I could just eat him with a spoon.
There are many films of this ilk that I have turned off, but I don't think I could ever turn off one of Mr Penny's because he is just too likeable, regardless of the cast and other stuff going on around him in some of them, but actually this is one of the better films anyway.
I like the idea of the charm bracelet, the mystery of its owner and it's pursuit by a journalist and a kind lady. On the way they participate in fun activities and learn a little about Russian Christmas culture too.
The "Issue" that they have is silly. You know, the thing that causes upset about 15 minutes from the end of the film, before they both realise how wrong they were? That's not a spoiler, because it happens in every one of these films. I just don't see them getting so annoyed by it.
Other than that it's a very enjoyable story and it has a warm and fuzzy feel to it.
8ish/10.
Good Once You Get Past the Stalkerish Beginning
jazznu13 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This actually turned out to be a pretty good Hallmark movie. The leads (Ashley and Brendan) are engaging and likable, the supporting characters are used well, and the mystery aspect is a nice change of pace.
The biggest challenge in this movie, and the reason I'm not rating this a bit higher, is getting through the first half hour when he's basically stalking the poor girl. He's a reporter, which appears to be how the writer thinks it's okay for him to be this way, but that didn't make it better because he wasn't even initially researching a story. The innocent and completely unrelated to his job or her mystery first meeting is just two strangers bumping into each other and then him trying to flirt, but she clearly rebuffs his not quite as smooth as he thinks romantic advances. He later sees her in a jewelry store by chance as he's walking by and goes to talk to her, but before he announces himself, he eavesdrops on her convo and hears about the lost charm bracelet and then proceeds to insert himself into her search for information, and she firmly discourages it and tells him she's good on her own. After she's rebuffed his romantic advances and his professional interest, he still thinks, this is a good situation and I'm going to keep being this kind of intrusive, announces to his editor this is his new story and proceeds to track her down, and I do mean track her down, she hasn't given any information about herself to him. The stalker vibe came to an end quickly, and Ashley even said to him something along the lines of "why are you stalking me?" in the scene where everything gets hashed out maybe 20-25 minutes into the movie, which was more upfront than I gave credit for a Hallmark movie being about the way this was coming off. They start working together after that to figure out the mystery (who owns the charm) and all is well.
They have good chemistry, but it's not the kind that jumps out at you, but they do have good banter throughout. So if you can make it past that poorly conceived extended meet cute (that was truly, not remotely cute), then this becomes a very likable and watchable Hallmark movie.
You'd think Hallmark would have a ton of Christmas mystery movies, but this is really the first year where there's multiple movies that have mysteries weaved into the storyline in a more significant way. It's a nice departure, keeps in line with the channel's actual title and focus (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries), and provides some much needed variety in the Christmas TV Movie slate.
The biggest challenge in this movie, and the reason I'm not rating this a bit higher, is getting through the first half hour when he's basically stalking the poor girl. He's a reporter, which appears to be how the writer thinks it's okay for him to be this way, but that didn't make it better because he wasn't even initially researching a story. The innocent and completely unrelated to his job or her mystery first meeting is just two strangers bumping into each other and then him trying to flirt, but she clearly rebuffs his not quite as smooth as he thinks romantic advances. He later sees her in a jewelry store by chance as he's walking by and goes to talk to her, but before he announces himself, he eavesdrops on her convo and hears about the lost charm bracelet and then proceeds to insert himself into her search for information, and she firmly discourages it and tells him she's good on her own. After she's rebuffed his romantic advances and his professional interest, he still thinks, this is a good situation and I'm going to keep being this kind of intrusive, announces to his editor this is his new story and proceeds to track her down, and I do mean track her down, she hasn't given any information about herself to him. The stalker vibe came to an end quickly, and Ashley even said to him something along the lines of "why are you stalking me?" in the scene where everything gets hashed out maybe 20-25 minutes into the movie, which was more upfront than I gave credit for a Hallmark movie being about the way this was coming off. They start working together after that to figure out the mystery (who owns the charm) and all is well.
They have good chemistry, but it's not the kind that jumps out at you, but they do have good banter throughout. So if you can make it past that poorly conceived extended meet cute (that was truly, not remotely cute), then this becomes a very likable and watchable Hallmark movie.
You'd think Hallmark would have a ton of Christmas mystery movies, but this is really the first year where there's multiple movies that have mysteries weaved into the storyline in a more significant way. It's a nice departure, keeps in line with the channel's actual title and focus (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries), and provides some much needed variety in the Christmas TV Movie slate.
It was the gender reveal for me.....
dahotnessk20 March 2021
Only watched it because I usually like the movies that the male lead stars in. He was a bit creepy in the beginning I must agree.
The part that just made NO SENSE was the gender reveal party. How are you carrying a baby and not know your having twins?! Was she not at the doctor appointments??
I notice a lot of this kind of foolish writing in a lot of the movies made in 2020 for some reason. If they couldn't get the usual writers due to the pandemic, they should've just shelved this one and waited til next year!
The part that just made NO SENSE was the gender reveal party. How are you carrying a baby and not know your having twins?! Was she not at the doctor appointments??
I notice a lot of this kind of foolish writing in a lot of the movies made in 2020 for some reason. If they couldn't get the usual writers due to the pandemic, they should've just shelved this one and waited til next year!
A journey of mystery
catholicmom-037597 December 2020
Somewhat Charming
atlasmb5 January 2021
In this Hallmark holiday romance, Holly (Ashley Greene) finds a charm bracelet in a coat at the used clothing store. She immediately understands that the owner might have sentimental ties to such a personal item, so she vows to find her. Greg (Brendan Penny) is a reporter who is not very Yule-positive, but he offers to help Holly in her quest, because he is interested in her. Holly declines, but he is an insistent guy who actually has skills in investigation.
When they eventually team up, the chemistry is believable. And the investigative trail is interesting enough to hold the story together.
When they eventually team up, the chemistry is believable. And the investigative trail is interesting enough to hold the story together.
Nice story
rhonnie-431391 August 2021
a charm bracelet. and little more
Kirpianuscus17 January 2022
I admit, I was real seduced. By story and by acting. And, sure, about the charm bracelet reminding old values, building a nice romance and proposing a fair end. A sweet film for chemistry between main actors, for humor, for Christmas and family spirit and for a great embroidery of small events, from 200 dolars tip to the proximity of birth and second hand clothes. And nice supporting characters.
A bracelet with plenty of charm
TheLittleSongbird4 December 2021
Both Ashley Greene and Brendan Penny have hit and miss filmographies, which is true with most Hallmark regulars when it comes to talking about Penny, but when they are given at least worthwhile material they've proven they can be good. It was proven with Greene with 'Christmas on My Mind' and when Penny has the right leading lady (it's been very mixed in this regard) the result can be lovely. Hallmark have varied massively when it comes to their Christmas films, but have been pleasantly surprised by some of those from 2020.
'A Little Christmas Charm'/'The Christmas Bracelet' on the whole is one of those films. One would not think so when watching the first 25-30 minutes, which did very nearly make me change the channel, but in my mind it is worth sticking with. As it does get a lot better in every aspect despite still not being perfect. This bracelet is a little rough around the edges, but it also has a lot of charm and worth hunting down if willing with stay with it.
Like has already been said, the film doesn't start off too good. It is a slow starter in pace, has awkward dialogue and Greg was not a character that was easy to connect with. Too much of a creep and his behaviour towards her veered on stalking.
Sadly am also going to have to agree with those that have strongly criticised the gender reveal, which is not just heavily unrealistic it feels out of place and distasteful. Would have liked more development to the romance.
Greene however is a very endearing charmer as the more consistently likeable character and it was easy to connect with her. Once Greg relaxes as a character and softens, Penny is subtly appealing and liked his easy going charisma, just really wish that he had that right at the very start. Their chemistry is natural and genuine and the characters are not stereotypical ciphers, too perfect and Greg in the first act was the one offender when it came to overdone character flaws. The supporting cast are solid.
Furthermore, the film pleases visually, lovely festive locations attractively and never drably or garishly shot. The music isn't as intrusive as it tends to be with Hallmark while the direction gets the job done well. The script doesn't get too cheesy or sentimental and does have a more natural flow when it becomes more settled. The story is not too heavy while taking itself seriously and is both warm-hearted and has a light touch when necessary.
In summary, good but not great. Don't let the underwhelming first act put you off. 7/10.
'A Little Christmas Charm'/'The Christmas Bracelet' on the whole is one of those films. One would not think so when watching the first 25-30 minutes, which did very nearly make me change the channel, but in my mind it is worth sticking with. As it does get a lot better in every aspect despite still not being perfect. This bracelet is a little rough around the edges, but it also has a lot of charm and worth hunting down if willing with stay with it.
Like has already been said, the film doesn't start off too good. It is a slow starter in pace, has awkward dialogue and Greg was not a character that was easy to connect with. Too much of a creep and his behaviour towards her veered on stalking.
Sadly am also going to have to agree with those that have strongly criticised the gender reveal, which is not just heavily unrealistic it feels out of place and distasteful. Would have liked more development to the romance.
Greene however is a very endearing charmer as the more consistently likeable character and it was easy to connect with her. Once Greg relaxes as a character and softens, Penny is subtly appealing and liked his easy going charisma, just really wish that he had that right at the very start. Their chemistry is natural and genuine and the characters are not stereotypical ciphers, too perfect and Greg in the first act was the one offender when it came to overdone character flaws. The supporting cast are solid.
Furthermore, the film pleases visually, lovely festive locations attractively and never drably or garishly shot. The music isn't as intrusive as it tends to be with Hallmark while the direction gets the job done well. The script doesn't get too cheesy or sentimental and does have a more natural flow when it becomes more settled. The story is not too heavy while taking itself seriously and is both warm-hearted and has a light touch when necessary.
In summary, good but not great. Don't let the underwhelming first act put you off. 7/10.
A Little Christmas Charm
JoBloTheMovieCritic17 December 2020
I love this movie
dianamarinelli13 December 2020
Gender reveal ruined the end
taryndoordye9 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Honestly a fine movie in terms of a hallmark movie but they ruined the end for me by doing a gender reveal where the pregnant mother didn't even know she was having twins. Are you kidding me??? How do you have that many doctors appts and not know that?? Woman pregnant with twins always know because it's higher risk and have more doctors appts. I couldn't even concentrate the rest of the movie thinking about how insanely unrealistic that is. Made the stupid reason to get mad at the love interest less insane, and that's sad, because it was a real dumb reason as usual. Omg sorry I wanted to have a backup story in case we either never found the owner or didn't find it before the 23rd. Sorry I want to keep my job...so dumb.
Quest to return a list charm bracelet is sweet, romantic and charming!
cgvsluis27 October 2021
This was a very sweet (or charming) Hallmark Christmas movie and one of the better ones that I have seen. The premise is our main character, Holly, finds a charm bracelet in a donated coat and sets out on a mission to return the charm bracelet before Christmas...because she thinks the owner will be very grateful and is what she would want someone to do. She quite literally bumps into a reporter, who upon their second meeting learns about her quest and thinks it might be a great Christmas Hero story for his publication,The New York Voice.
"When you loose a charm bracelet it doesn't feel like you just lost a bracelet, it feels like you lost a piece of your history."-Holly
Our pushy reporter, Gregg, has to do some fancy talking but eventually convinces Holly to let him help find the owner and do a piece for The Voice. Then together they set out on what becomes a wonderful Christmas adventure...the Russian ballet, to a Christmas village santa, to the Whitmore hotel, a steam train that runs every year for Christmas and to a charity's Christmas ball. Along the way you learn the value of some of the collectible charms and some Christmas traditions like the Russian Snegurochka, or snow maiden.
This worked in to a lovely romantic mystery. Our couple Greg and Holly are a slow burn romance which made for an incredibly enjoyable film.
Sweet romantic must see.
"When you loose a charm bracelet it doesn't feel like you just lost a bracelet, it feels like you lost a piece of your history."-Holly
Our pushy reporter, Gregg, has to do some fancy talking but eventually convinces Holly to let him help find the owner and do a piece for The Voice. Then together they set out on what becomes a wonderful Christmas adventure...the Russian ballet, to a Christmas village santa, to the Whitmore hotel, a steam train that runs every year for Christmas and to a charity's Christmas ball. Along the way you learn the value of some of the collectible charms and some Christmas traditions like the Russian Snegurochka, or snow maiden.
This worked in to a lovely romantic mystery. Our couple Greg and Holly are a slow burn romance which made for an incredibly enjoyable film.
Sweet romantic must see.
not one of my favorites from this season
taylornan8 December 2020
It's hard to believe...
englteach20 December 2020
I didn't mind the storyline, but I didn't think the leads had enough chemistry. Ashley Greene I loved in Twilight, but she just doesn't make me like her in this movie. And the lead male, who I usually like in most of his movies, was creepily stalking her and refusing to take "no" as an answer for the first half hour. It just didn't work for me.
My biggest issue is the "gender reveal" party. I understand people not wanting to know the gender of their baby, having a friend get the info, and then throwing a party. That's fine. But you mean to tell me that FIVE MONTHS into a pregnancy and the doctor had not told the mother that she was having TWINS?!? So the friend got to reveal gender AND number?? What was the point of that unrealistic side moment that made me just yell at the tv? I know this is a movie and it was a TINY part of the whole thing, but every time I see this movie now (my tv tends to stay on Hallmark, so I come into a lot of movies already in progress) that one moment just makes me angry.
My biggest issue is the "gender reveal" party. I understand people not wanting to know the gender of their baby, having a friend get the info, and then throwing a party. That's fine. But you mean to tell me that FIVE MONTHS into a pregnancy and the doctor had not told the mother that she was having TWINS?!? So the friend got to reveal gender AND number?? What was the point of that unrealistic side moment that made me just yell at the tv? I know this is a movie and it was a TINY part of the whole thing, but every time I see this movie now (my tv tends to stay on Hallmark, so I come into a lot of movies already in progress) that one moment just makes me angry.
Ashley Greene works well in hallmark movies
hypzrkunt21 December 2021
She carries this movie and I really like Brendan in his his others.
Her personality shines through and creates much of the chemistry. Brenfdan is no slouch as he carries the spark as well which is what isexpected in a hallmark movie. I was a little disappointed the script missed a few beats but all in all a watchable Xmas movie.
Her personality shines through and creates much of the chemistry. Brenfdan is no slouch as he carries the spark as well which is what isexpected in a hallmark movie. I was a little disappointed the script missed a few beats but all in all a watchable Xmas movie.
The nose ruins the movie
hezralewis10 December 2020
I couldn't concentrate on the film bc of Ashley's deformed nose... it takes the spotlight... She should have never tried to make her nose like Michael Jackson's... who ever slaughtered her nose nailed it!! All I could do is cringe every time I saw her jacked up nose... her nose was fine the way it was, accept the features God gave you...
Creep leading man
lialiyu16 December 2020
I could not get past the first 20min because the lead male was a straight up creep and stalker and I couldn't bear to watch 2 hours of them inevitably falling in love. Can we please scrap romantic storylines that start with a pushy male lead who condescends to the female lead, ignoring the multiple times she clearly tells him she's not interested in him, as if it's charming? This isn't the 1950's anymore, Hallmark, if a woman says she's not interested it's not because she's "playing hard to get"
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