I was happily surprised with this Hallmark movie. It turned out very well, and the acting was superb. This one is worth seeing!
49 Reviews
One of the Better Ones
kellyrned15 December 2018
Movie: Delightful! Some Reviewers:
angellsmith1 January 2020
Better than average holiday romance. Sure, chances that a venture capitalist would leave a six-figure job to cuddle with a somewhat grumpy blacksmith in Vermont are slim, but it's a holiday romance....and it was charming.
On the other hand, I am appalled by the number of reviewers who feel the need to complain about a very minor character who happens to be gay, has a same-sex spouse and a child. Oh good grief! "Judge not lest ye be judged." All of you who complained about this ARE being judged, and it's not at all flattering. If you think it makes you more "Christian" to pretend that gay people don't exist, you need to read your Bible again.
Many of us are thrilled that these production companies are finally being more inclusive and diverse, portraying people of color, LGBTQ characters and persons with disabilities...although usually in minor roles. It's a positive step.
On the other hand, I am appalled by the number of reviewers who feel the need to complain about a very minor character who happens to be gay, has a same-sex spouse and a child. Oh good grief! "Judge not lest ye be judged." All of you who complained about this ARE being judged, and it's not at all flattering. If you think it makes you more "Christian" to pretend that gay people don't exist, you need to read your Bible again.
Many of us are thrilled that these production companies are finally being more inclusive and diverse, portraying people of color, LGBTQ characters and persons with disabilities...although usually in minor roles. It's a positive step.
Give Alexandra Breckenridge more lead roles!
MIssM197 January 2019
How dare they have Andrew wash Claire's hands, that intimate moment between them ruined this "family" movie!!! All sarcasm aside, this was really cute! I'm so happy they added an LGTBIQ couple: I think it's a first for these kinds of movies.
My two favorite things about this was the development of Barb, the coffeshop owner from grinch to the most festive person ever!. And definitely the joy Claire brought to the town and to the movie. The actress did an amazing job. Regarding the chemistry between the actors, I didnt feel it at first, maybe towards the end.
I do think Alexandra Breckenridge brought life to this movie.
My two favorite things about this was the development of Barb, the coffeshop owner from grinch to the most festive person ever!. And definitely the joy Claire brought to the town and to the movie. The actress did an amazing job. Regarding the chemistry between the actors, I didnt feel it at first, maybe towards the end.
I do think Alexandra Breckenridge brought life to this movie.
it's actually good
SnoopyStyle31 December 2018
New York City venture capitalist Claire (Alexandra Breckenridge) has a bad day at the market. She decides to take a break at a place from her late mother's past. She's staying at Fortenbury Bookstore in a small town in Vermont. The guests get to manage the bookstore for short periods. She finds the town struggling after a recent flood and the Christmas celebrations cancelled. Mrs. Tumulty (Jane Alexander) runs the store and her handyman nephew Andrew (Jamie Spilchuk) is the owner. Andrew has lost the Christmas spirit like the rest of the town.
I didn't know anybody still does blacksmithing and other than antique car repairs. I guess some artists do it but they don't make reindeer bells which could be done by the millions in China. He needs to make something more artsy and special. I remember a news story about a bookstore in Scotland renting out the place for people to manage. I'm guessing the writer read the same news story or maybe it's become a more popular thing. On a separate note, it's nice to see Megan Follows dip her toe into directing and she does a good job.
I've always liked Alexandra Breckenridge. She's undeniably chipper and cute. She infuses the Christmas spirit into this movie. Jane Alexander and Jamie Spilchuck are both good in their roles. There are great emotional touches that really hit hard on the heartstrings. I love her story about her mother which gives special freshness to this old formula. Alicia is a classic although the role does need a better actress. Some of the side characters need better acting. The trick is Andrew and Claire. Andrew is a Scrooge but he also holds out as a good redemptive character. This is much better than most Lifetime movies. It still follows the standard formula but it does it with sincerity.
I didn't know anybody still does blacksmithing and other than antique car repairs. I guess some artists do it but they don't make reindeer bells which could be done by the millions in China. He needs to make something more artsy and special. I remember a news story about a bookstore in Scotland renting out the place for people to manage. I'm guessing the writer read the same news story or maybe it's become a more popular thing. On a separate note, it's nice to see Megan Follows dip her toe into directing and she does a good job.
I've always liked Alexandra Breckenridge. She's undeniably chipper and cute. She infuses the Christmas spirit into this movie. Jane Alexander and Jamie Spilchuck are both good in their roles. There are great emotional touches that really hit hard on the heartstrings. I love her story about her mother which gives special freshness to this old formula. Alicia is a classic although the role does need a better actress. Some of the side characters need better acting. The trick is Andrew and Claire. Andrew is a Scrooge but he also holds out as a good redemptive character. This is much better than most Lifetime movies. It still follows the standard formula but it does it with sincerity.
Alexandra Breckenridge is wonderful, but this made me miss Virgin River
MichaelByTheSea19 December 2022
I normally rely on the Hallmark Channel for most of my Christmas movie viewing, but I stumbled across this on Lifetime and watched it for one reason:
Alexandra Breckenridge
She is a truly captivating actress and a joy to watch on Virgin River. She's also great in this movie, as is the very talented Jane Alexander (her performance in the heartbreaking movie Testament was very powerful).
Although there are some nice moments, there are too many awful or ridiculous moments starting with the "Mistle-Toe" IPO. It's one thing to focus on Christmas themed traditions around the holiday, it's quite another to name your company after a plant associated with just one holiday month out of 12 when there's nothing Christmas related about the company. And I suppose somebody thought it would be clever to focus on the word "Toe" in the company name given that the business supposedly offers people online manicures and pedicures. But, again, there's nothing Christmassy about that.
Was anyone really surprised when the IPO went down in flames?
And in what alternate universe does a venture capitalist give up her life to run a bookstore unless the guy that came with the deal was truly special? Here, the guy was just perpetually glum, unpleasant and unreasonable (although it actually made sense for him to sell that place and get on with his life somewhere else).
Bookstores are quaint lovely places but let's face it, in the age of Amazon, and used books on eBay, it's virtually impossible to make a living owning and running a small bookstore in a small town unless there's a big space with other things for sale and a cafe. And this place seemed tiny.
I live in a town of 15,000 and the last bookstore here (there were once several) went out of business years ago. Running a small bookstore in a small town today would have to be a labor of love by somebody who doesn't have to worry about how to pay the bills.
This was enjoyable because of Alexandra Breckenridge and Jane Alexander, and there were more than a few nice moments between them. I also liked the surprising commitment to helping the Book Thief. There was also a nice uplifting theme of overcoming adversity. But if this hadn't starred Alexandra Breckenridge, it wouldn't have been worth watching.
Alexandra Breckenridge
She is a truly captivating actress and a joy to watch on Virgin River. She's also great in this movie, as is the very talented Jane Alexander (her performance in the heartbreaking movie Testament was very powerful).
Although there are some nice moments, there are too many awful or ridiculous moments starting with the "Mistle-Toe" IPO. It's one thing to focus on Christmas themed traditions around the holiday, it's quite another to name your company after a plant associated with just one holiday month out of 12 when there's nothing Christmas related about the company. And I suppose somebody thought it would be clever to focus on the word "Toe" in the company name given that the business supposedly offers people online manicures and pedicures. But, again, there's nothing Christmassy about that.
Was anyone really surprised when the IPO went down in flames?
And in what alternate universe does a venture capitalist give up her life to run a bookstore unless the guy that came with the deal was truly special? Here, the guy was just perpetually glum, unpleasant and unreasonable (although it actually made sense for him to sell that place and get on with his life somewhere else).
Bookstores are quaint lovely places but let's face it, in the age of Amazon, and used books on eBay, it's virtually impossible to make a living owning and running a small bookstore in a small town unless there's a big space with other things for sale and a cafe. And this place seemed tiny.
I live in a town of 15,000 and the last bookstore here (there were once several) went out of business years ago. Running a small bookstore in a small town today would have to be a labor of love by somebody who doesn't have to worry about how to pay the bills.
This was enjoyable because of Alexandra Breckenridge and Jane Alexander, and there were more than a few nice moments between them. I also liked the surprising commitment to helping the Book Thief. There was also a nice uplifting theme of overcoming adversity. But if this hadn't starred Alexandra Breckenridge, it wouldn't have been worth watching.
An outstanding little Xmas flick
rzarse-4632316 December 2018
Lifetime does Christmas better.
rightisright1 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Hallmark Christmas movies are sweet, but formulaic and predictable.
This little gem of a movie from Lifetime's holiday slate last year stars the delightful Alexandra Breckenridge from This Is Us.
The amazing Jane Alexander adds class, and Jamie Spilchuk is fine as the male lead.
Nice I like it
ylopez-2379417 December 2018
Cute movie
Lissa201818 December 2018
Gay priest?
lauraly-815826 December 2021
A gay priest who is married to a man with a baby? Hallmark get it together. Stop pushing the LGBTQ agenda. This is not believable and it makes your platform lose credibility and you will lose viewers by continually pushing this.
A good movie with amazing lead..
zahidbin-1925627 December 2018
It's a very good Christmas movie with amazing female lead, my God she's so beautiful with great acting skills. The story is average like all Christmas movie, but the performances of the cast was great. So yeah it's a good movie. Have free time give it a shot..
Rating is 8/10
Easy to watch
OddlesOfNoodles17 November 2020
Review!🎄📚
ts-000012 December 2022
A favorite to watch anytime it airs,the storyline is not something that's already been done.
It was this movie that made me search who Alexandra Breckenridge was,as her character was charming in this.
This movie was cast good,acting & locations was nice also.
It's movies like this & earlier ones that remind you of decent holiday movies,now it's more about quantity over quality.. Wish more would follow a better format,for how to make movies worthy.
Many had issues with the gay couple & it ruined the movie! How? Apparently only certain type of people"deserve"to celebrate the holidays,have kids or jobs.. Give me a break! Shouldn't all that matters,is who they are as a person & how they treat others.. Basically,important life issues.
Did a search for locations after seeing this,the bookstore at least outside wise looks fairly similar.
Would I recommend this? Yes! As mentioned above,have watched it several times.
It was this movie that made me search who Alexandra Breckenridge was,as her character was charming in this.
This movie was cast good,acting & locations was nice also.
It's movies like this & earlier ones that remind you of decent holiday movies,now it's more about quantity over quality.. Wish more would follow a better format,for how to make movies worthy.
Many had issues with the gay couple & it ruined the movie! How? Apparently only certain type of people"deserve"to celebrate the holidays,have kids or jobs.. Give me a break! Shouldn't all that matters,is who they are as a person & how they treat others.. Basically,important life issues.
Did a search for locations after seeing this,the bookstore at least outside wise looks fairly similar.
Would I recommend this? Yes! As mentioned above,have watched it several times.
It's a Wonderful Life in Canada!
mike4812829 December 2018
Nothing like "The Shop Around the Corner" with a similar title. No angels, either. Glastonbury, Vermont is actually a Vermont ghost town, but somewhere out there in Canada is this quaint little "fictional" town, probably near Bedford Falls, as well. It doesn't look like a movie set. The accents on the mostly-Canadian cast gives it away. No English spelling or tavern signs, so at least it doesn't look "imported". A young "30ish" NYC apartment dweller falls in love with the place and revives the town's Christmas spirit that has been washed away due to the lack of snow and a disastrous flood. She also falls in love with the young owner of an inherited failing bookstore. All Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas Movies are suspiciously similar with romantic endings, but this one is especially pleasant to watch, for some reason. Of course everything works out in the end. A 90 minute "formula" made-for-cable movie. The only "lump of coal" is the diverse and annoying gay couple which includes a gay minister and their adopted child. (Totally creepy and unnecessary to the story.) Except for my personal total dislike of Wintertime (Canadian or otherwise) I want to move there, don't you? No crime and clean streets. I'll take that friendly dog, too. You can keep the snow., eh?
Same story but at least there's Alexandra Breckenridge
phd_travel22 February 2019
Workaholic NYC business woman goes to a struggling Vermont town and tries to help business wise. The bookstore (again!) is struggling and the Christmas festival has been cancelled. She is met by resistance from the grumpy towns folk.
Alexandra Breckinridge, really stunning in AHS s1 makes a welcome Hallmark addition. Her hair here is lighter and doesn't suit her as well as the dark hair she had in AHS. Also when she pulls back her hair it makes her face look too full - better when it's down.
Alexandra Breckinridge, really stunning in AHS s1 makes a welcome Hallmark addition. Her hair here is lighter and doesn't suit her as well as the dark hair she had in AHS. Also when she pulls back her hair it makes her face look too full - better when it's down.
I'd watch this one again. A high compliment from me for a Hallmark-type Christmas Movie.
rebekahrox23 January 2019
Ably directed with flair and warmth by the famous for Anne of Green Gables Megan Follows, this Hallmarkesque entry is why I slog through dozens of hallmark dreck every Christmas: to get to ones like this. Even without the added gift of the award winning and still luminous Jane Alexander, this one would shine. Alexandra Breckenridge as Claire was lovely and gave a charming performance. She was so very likable. The only weak spot was the actor they cast as her love interest. He brought nothing special to the role whatsoever. Plus, to me, he was not attractive. The romance was not believable. Why would a probably 6 figure venture capitalist give up her life to run a bookstore unless the guy that came with the deal was truly special? Plus, his character was very whiney and unreasonable. I would have given this heartwarming tale a 9 or a 10 if the casting had been a bit better there. Icing on the cake was the church aspect with the (I'm guessing) Episcopal priest married to his same sex partner. Great to have a gay marriage so directly addressed.
Alexandra Breckenridge shines in this Lifetime production.
allmoviesfan10 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Alexandra Breckenridge is a delight in Christmas Around the Corner, playing a businesswoman in New York City who escapes to the small town of Glastenbery (not the place where the concerts are...) and the Fortenbury Bookstore that she has rented on Airbnb after a public floating of her company on the stock exchange goes bad.
In that picturesque town, Claire finds a distinct lack of Christmas spirit (which she sets about trying to change) following a flood, and a bookshop in need of lots of TLC. This brings her into contact with the store's owner Andrew (Jamie Spilchuk) and the inevitable happens.
Christmas Around the Corner definitely isn't groundbreaking, bit it is a pleasant production that is a little different to the usual smalltown Christmas movie and Alexandra Breckenridge is wonderful in every scene. She makes this movie better than what it might otherwise have been.
In that picturesque town, Claire finds a distinct lack of Christmas spirit (which she sets about trying to change) following a flood, and a bookshop in need of lots of TLC. This brings her into contact with the store's owner Andrew (Jamie Spilchuk) and the inevitable happens.
Christmas Around the Corner definitely isn't groundbreaking, bit it is a pleasant production that is a little different to the usual smalltown Christmas movie and Alexandra Breckenridge is wonderful in every scene. She makes this movie better than what it might otherwise have been.
Funny, sweet, enjoyable
Jackbv12331 December 2018
The movie was well done with a good story and good acting. Yes it's sappy. The premise is ridiculous. Some of the circumstances are too. But that's true to some extent of most of the Christmas Rom/Coms.
The premise may be crazy, but it's also unusual. In some ways it is a twist on the dying dinosaur-business premise. Some of the usual consequences of this premise develop but the story is still fresh.
Much of the charm of this movie is Alexandra Breckenridge who plays the dynamic and extraordinary Claire. Claire starts out with a business disaster and looks for a break (she really flees her real life), but she quickly dives into the small town situation and makes an impact. Meanwhile, Jamie Spilchuk does a great job as Andrew who presents a counterpoint to Claire's enthusiasm. They start out as not so much antagonistic but more a case of coexisting with each other. They play off one another perfectly with both romantic tension and humor.
A few reviewers referred to this as a Hallmark movie. I'm pretty sure it's not. MarVista (according to Wikipedia) is more closely associated with Lifetime, which is where I saw this movie. Hallmark is not yet to the point of being politically correct as far as LGBT themes and they may never be. While the movie is definitely a sappy romance, it definitely has the Lifetime flavor to it in several ways, not just the one.
The premise may be crazy, but it's also unusual. In some ways it is a twist on the dying dinosaur-business premise. Some of the usual consequences of this premise develop but the story is still fresh.
Much of the charm of this movie is Alexandra Breckenridge who plays the dynamic and extraordinary Claire. Claire starts out with a business disaster and looks for a break (she really flees her real life), but she quickly dives into the small town situation and makes an impact. Meanwhile, Jamie Spilchuk does a great job as Andrew who presents a counterpoint to Claire's enthusiasm. They start out as not so much antagonistic but more a case of coexisting with each other. They play off one another perfectly with both romantic tension and humor.
A few reviewers referred to this as a Hallmark movie. I'm pretty sure it's not. MarVista (according to Wikipedia) is more closely associated with Lifetime, which is where I saw this movie. Hallmark is not yet to the point of being politically correct as far as LGBT themes and they may never be. While the movie is definitely a sappy romance, it definitely has the Lifetime flavor to it in several ways, not just the one.
A Christmas story
georgearif125 December 2020
The Lie behind the movie
Hallmark-movies3 January 2019
Finally a really good Christmas story
cemroz-2263318 December 2018
Really Enjoyed This Sweet Movie
disneygammy29 December 2018
Great 2018 Christmas Movie
indiacarless-32-44186530 December 2018
I really like this one and wish Lifetime would release it on DVD or streaming video. I checked out the other films by writer Michael J. Murray. He has written a lot of my favorite films such as Duke, The Christmas Shepherd and other Christmas related movies.
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