Christmas at Maple Creek (2020 TV Movie) User Reviews

Sweet and fun when you overlook one issue

[pee_bee · 7/10 · 8 January 2023]

Let's get one thing out of the way right at the start. The lead actress is too young for the character she plays and it is obvious, even though a minor character does comment on her being "younger than I expected" at one point.

With that said, I found this really enjoyable. As mentioned, Jeni Ross is young and looks it but she's a charming presence and avoids the overly perky style that seems to often be expected of female characters in these films. She and Jake Epstein have an easy chemistry, but Olivier Renaud's male model character is a bit lazily drawn (although entertaining if you watch with a glass or two of wine).

No spoilers on the story although once you've seen one you've seen them all. Lastly I want to address one of the other criticisms in a few reviews about there not being a lot of Christmas in the film. That's true, it's more Christmas-adjacent than Christmas focused, but who cares? And who cares that the film is 'too sunny' for a Christmas setting? Not everywhere is snowing and cold at Christmas anyway, so there being bright sunshine in this film shouldn't make a difference.

Overall, this film is very light but enjoyable, and while the lead actress is young for this role she showed promise. Hopefully she will get future roles that suit her a bit better.

Oh wow this was bad!

[rosey-14 · 2/10 · 12 November 2021]

The start didn't was good as it was quite clearly summer, with the leaves on the trees still a glorious green. The acting was bad and the lead didn't seem old enough to pull off a successful writer role plus her voice was very young and overly saccharine. Unfortunately I had to leave this one part way in.

Terrible casting

[mccabe-shannon · 1/10 · 3 December 2021]

I turned this on late and couldn't get through much. It's just terrible. I love this genre, the tv Christmas movie over moly done and sappy yea yea. I rate them based on what they are (a 9/10 Hallmark movie is t as great of a movie that's 9/10 and nominated for an academy award.

Anyway. That being said I will rank these movies higher. But this one. The acting is horrendous. Like all of them. Just so so bad. And ok the chick is into this model dude but then ends up with the regular goofy guy she has the banter with. Let's start with the fact that she is 20 when filming this movie. Model guy is over 2x her age. The girls were supposed to go to HS together. Ummm sure. She is a successful novelist and has multiple books. Again 20. It's just laughable. She can't walk in some of the shoes she wears.

It's just. Bad. With so many options. Move on.

Stiff

[Bethany0890 · 1/10 · 3 December 2021]

The acting is as stiff as a high school play with the student forced to play characters that they hate. I've seen better from theead actress I expected more out of her but I assume the director had a thing for actors who sound like they're reading the script because EVERYONE sounded like that. Barely enjoyable even for a hallmark-esk film.

Tapping Into The Christmas Season With Smiles

[alephnullfidusachates · 8/10 · 6 December 2021]

This is one of those movies where it's easy to tap into the spirit of Christmas and romance. And sure, it starts off cute and sappy but it ends up pretty sweet.

The cast is wonderfully light hearted and the interactions between the main characters builds that inclination in your heart to see them fulfil their Christmas destinations.

So delightfully, pleasant, charming and entertaining.

Poor casting

[lll-05500 · 1/10 · 13 January 2022]

The female lead was a miss. She was fresh out of high school when she filmed this. Way too young to for the lead male and the part she played. I wonder who makes these decisions? I had to turn it off, not believable in the least.

Sparks do not fly

[TheLittleSongbird · 2/10 · 30 January 2023]

Christmas films can go either way, which has been my experience watching overtime the festive output of primarily Lifetime, UPTV and Hallmark amongst those other companies. They can either be well-meaning, charming, warm-hearted and don't feel too heavy. Or they can be too over-sentimental, cheesy, contrived and bland. There have been many films of theirs that have fallen in both camps and in the camp where there is a bit of both. And 'Christmas at Maple Creek' did have the sort of premise where the execution could have gone either way.

Have seen my fair share of above average and more Christmas films recently, but 'Christmas at Maple Creek' is not one of them. If anything it is the complete opposite, Lifetime aired some surprisingly decent Christmas films (and films in general actually) that year but there were some that were mediocre and below. And 'Christmas at Maple Creek' is one of the worst, with very little good about it. Even the sole redeeming quality has been done much better in other films of theirs that year.

That redeeming quality being the production values, which were quite nice and at least had some degree of professionalism despite it having been clearly filmed in Summer.

Jenni Ross however is very bland and too sugary sweet in her role and comes over as too young and immature for a character who is too implausibly young to have achieved what she has done. Jake Epstein is stiff and goes through the motions in a role that is every bit as bland and no spark let alone chemistry fly between them at any point in their very underdeveloped and poorly used romance. Also felt there was too much of a mismatch in personality, her being too immature for him, and in age. The supporting cast are on autopilot and none of the characters are developed enough or have any interesting or endearing traits.

Furthermore, the script goes way too far on the cheese and schmaltz and is constantly awkward sounding, as well as very artificial and not sounding like normal everyday conversation. The story is paper thin and pedestrian in pace, at times too uneventful, and what there is of the story is very predictable, very tired and lacking in charm, heart and energy. The ending can be seen from a mile away and is too neat with a rushed build up.

Concluding, very poor. 2/10.

Christmas as an afterthought

[HorribleDrBones · 1/10 · 5 December 2021]

I should have known the movie was bad when it had an alternate title and was made in 2020 but listed as new in 2021. The old "DVD sitting on a shelf" routine.

Strange movie. It's a Christmas movie but looked like it was filmed in May. Green grass everywhere. I even studied the sun and the shadows with my protractor held against the TV and determined the sun was in the sky at a 66 degree angle. Thus, x = Dewey decimal divided by the quotient of the magnitude of the mulva which in turn equals "science". Also the town had just three residents in it with the occasional presence of a delusional man who thought he was Father Christmas. Jake Epstein was the only male who lived in town and in turn, got stuck doing all the undesirable jobs like creating a new stove pot out of molten magma, spot welding a broken plastic tree ornament, and plunging the community outhouse with just a fistful of anger.

I found it odd that the main girl was supposedly a famous author who wrote about a real town in her generic romance novels and none of her fans visited this famous town. When the town couldn't afford to stay a town any longer, the government was going to foreclose on the town and sell it to the highest bidder, Mr. Billion. Excuse me, sir, how much would you pay for this tree? How about a park bench? For just 10 cents a day, you too can own a blade of grass in Maple Creek. Make sure to mow your blade of grass once a week.

The best character was Kayla. I'd rather see a movie based on her. Anyway, this movie will never be watched again by me.

Lame Christmas movie

[camilla_one · 2/10 · 20 November 2021]

She (the main character) had only a little bag with her and she brought two jackets a vest and two scarfs. And this is only 39min in. Why all these different outfits. And it's so predictable it's almost ridiculous of course she's gonna end up with the guy from the little town.

Upbeat rendition of common themes

[Jackbv123 · 8/10 · 3 December 2021]

There are strong echoes of the stories and formulas of many other Christmas movies. The conflict is textbook beau-sees-something-and-misinterprets. The solution to the underlying problem everyone is trying to deal with is overly simplistic. The novelist has returned to her favorite town to overcome her writer's block and meets a guy there. She finds out the town is in trouble and the two of them set out to have a gala to save it. Lots of formula and predictability.

Yet for so much of the movie I forgot about the formula. One thing is the setting of a recreation of the late 19th century which happens to be where her novels are set. That setting flavors a lot of what the characters do especially for the gala. It seems to me that both Diana and Carter are much more honest about their feelings with each other even before the climax.

Despite the threat hanging over them, the story is upbeat and the characters, Dianna especially, are so full of life. There's also an element of quirkiness.

Jeni Ross's Diana fits my dream girl very well, so I am prejudiced about this movie. She's shy and modest, quirky and positive. And she's only 22. Her chemistry with Jake Epstein is fantastic. I hope to see much more of this woman in future Christmas movies.

I found the dialogue fun, but I admit there was some nerdiness in it.

Not a good combination

[adamjohns-42575 · 3/10 · 20 November 2021]

The lead male is so obviously gay, I've seen him in another film and thought the same. The story should have been about him trying to meet and fall in love with Greg, who was lovely until a weird moment towards the end.

I definitely would have picked Greg over the other, but actually I don't think that it would have been fair on him as the lead female was annoying too.

They do deserve each other, but only because they're both insufferable

I only watched it all the way through because she was a writer like me, but there are definitely better versions of this story available.

3ish.

A Sweet Old-Fashioned Vibe

[rebekahrox · 8/10 · 15 December 2021]

I really liked this one for some reason. Maybe it was the perfectly lovely actress that played the lead. Maybe it was her character's sweetness and shyness. Maybe it was the old-fashioned atmosphere and the historical village setting. It almost had a YA vibe. I know for sure that Jake Epstein, who played the love interest is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, had a lot to do with it. So far, what ever he is in, I'll give it a try.

Diana is a very successful romance novelist who has a crush on the guy who is the male model for her book covers but she really does not want to make a move. I think it's mostly because she is shy and old fashioned. If you immerse yourself in historical romance, it makes sense that you would tend to take on the attitudes of that time. She is basically being bullied by her editor to date him, which really annoyed me. The male model is clearly wrong for her because though he's nice, he is not very smart, he's shallow, is more interested in physical activities rather than more thoughtful pursuits. All he's got is good looks and a good bod.

She decides to go to her hometown, which is a historical village like a very poverty-stricken man's Williamsburg Virginia. Maple Creek is struggling and will soon have to be shut down unless they can up the attendance and make more money. There she meets a history professor (check) who is doubling as the town black smith (check, check) and is tall and good looking in a down-to-earth way (check, check check) I think we have our winner. He does not approve of the way she approaches history in her novels although he respects that she is a good writer. He teases her and is nice to her and soon she has come out of her shell and they have become friends with a lot in common.

Of course, the male model shows up at the village, attracted more by the fact that she is not chasing him than by genuine affection and attraction to her, and the inevitable misunderstanding occurs with Carter. Seeing the two suitors together, she definitely knows which one is for her and all proceeds to the happy ending for the couple and the village.

Jeni Ross is a perfectly lovely young actress and her chemistry with Jake Epstein was great. The only criticism I have is that she says her lines way too fast. The Gilmore Girls was canceled! Slow Down!