Small Town Christmas (2018 TV Movie) User Reviews

The mountains of Wisconsin LOL

[juniperjo · 6/10 · 8 July 2021]

So. This movie was cute, and Polaha is genuinely charming, but I'm tired of Hallmark movies pretending they're set somewhere the director has obviously never been. They cut to a view of a full moon over a mountain range. Where do they imagine this was filmed? The Wisconsin Mountains? LOL. Wisconsin has hills and bluffs and lakes galore but, alas, no mountains.

Anyway, it's a standard fare Hallmark Christmas movie, with the usual cast of characters. Entertaining and mindless. Polaha is a bit more appealing than the usual male lead, imho.

Had something different. Good One.

[samwise_ · 7/10 · 13 February 2019]

I am a Hallmark consumer, and, despite the overall quality being too low and predictable lately, at least for me, I have to say this one had something different. Excellent leads, really great chemistry, well developed story and interesting twists. Go see for yourself, no spoilers. I like to think I understand something about movies and how they are done, and this one delivers some feelings. What can I say, I am an old fashioned young dude from the 90s and this reminded me of good ol comedies.

Title says it all

[Jackbv123 · 8/10 · 28 December 2018]

This movie is pretty much what you'd expect given the title and the TV network, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries (although it fits Hallmark Channel better). A small town is the epitome of life and tradition is everything. Yet, despite the predictability, it was done pretty well and the characters are appealing. Kristoffer Polaha kept reminding me of other Christmas movies he has been in . He and Ashley Newbrough had chemistry and add the little girl to make it even better.

Christmas Chemistry

[jimbarnard-22093 · 7/10 · 17 December 2020]

Good watch. Recommended. The leads have chemistry and the kid actor did a decent job too. Any criticism you may read about the setting or window dressing in this film is inconsequential in my view. It is all about the story and characters you are rooting for. On that basis, Small Town Christmas delivered!

YACM (Yet Another Christmas Movie)

[daguero-871-855043 · 7/10 · 3 December 2019]

OK... The good guy is mature, perfect and devoted as expected, the girl he loves has beautiful eyes as expected, the bad guy is not so bad (this was not expected), the children are beautiful and perfect - we could expect that -; the community is perfect as expected, and... love is expected and it appers when and where it was expected.

Forget Bergman and Wajda, and all that cinema geeks movies, and give yourself a pause. If you love Christmas movies - or if you hate surprises -, Small Town Christmas is for you. You will spend a good moment with it. It is not The Birds, Amadeus or 2001. But it is a honest product for the market it targets, hence the 7.

Enjoy !

A warm Christmas movie!

[soonasblog · 10/10 · 18 December 2018]

Beautiful story and lovely actors especially Kristoffer Polaha - he is as usual awesome and so natural!

A good setup to a good story

[Pete-Claus · 7/10 · 2 January 2020]

There are a number of Hallmark movies built around a "perfect for Christmas" small town, but this is one of the better ones. In part that's because the lead actors are decent and in part because of the interesting setup that brings the main characters together. Enjoyable, fun, and satisfying to watch.

Best of 2018! Kristoffer Polaha is TOPS! Must see!

[happybenes · 10/10 · 19 December 2018]

This is the best Hallmark Christmas movie I've seen this year, and maybe ever! (Which says a lot because I tend to watch these Christmas movies like it's my job!) Kristoffer Polaha is fantastic and charming and so natural. He and his leading lady have wonderful chemistry, and she's great and natural also.

I've never written a review for IMDb but felt so strongly about about this one, I just had to log on and tell others DON'T MISS THIS!

The storyline has plot devices that are typical to a Hallmark movie, yet they seem fresh here somehow. There are great supporting characters and all around solid acting. Very likable characters and development.

I've always enjoyed Kristoffer Polaha but this movie has raised him to the top of the Hallmark leading men, and put him in a league of his own (in my opinion).

I want a sequel!! (I really, really do!) And a trip to Springdale 😉 🎄

Pleasant Christmas in a small town

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 24 December 2019]

Just to make things clear, whenever a high rating or good review is written for any of the recent festive films from namely last year and this year it is not saying that it is on par in quality with other films and such given the same rating or just a little higher. Or on par with or better than films well regarded but weren't quite as good to me. Sorry if that doesn't make sense, and am aware that the wording is very clumsy. It is purely judging it as its own entity and whether it worked for me or not.

'Small Town Christmas' did work for me. My recent festive film quest, a much needed one, has been very hit and miss, but while none of the films fit my definition of classic there were a fair share of those that were better than expected with a lot of good things and a few bad things. That was the case with 'Small Town Christmas', which was a pleasant diversion for a couple of hours and something that shouldn't be expected too much from. One of the best films from this quest easily.

It does have things that don't quite work. One is two or more steps ahead of the story in what happens next the whole time, from the well set up beginning to the rather too pat end. Some of the dialogue could have had more nuance and not been as corny.

While all the supporting cast are competent and nobody is bland or annoying, nobody properly stands out as such.

On the other hand, 'Small Town Christmas' is lovingly filmed and has a location that doesn't look cheap. Have a thing for good soundtracks, and the soundtrack is suitably infectious and affectionate (which is exactly what one wants from a Christmas film soundtrack). The direction indicated a director engaged with the material and at ease with it.

The script has enough sweet and witty moments, not sounding too awkward or aimless, and while the story is formulaic it is also full of charm and warms the heart in a way that never felt manipulative or schmaltzy. The two leads have a very sweet and unforced chemistry together and both give good performances individually too. Kristoffer Polaha particularly.

All in all, not exceptional but very pleasant and worth seeing. 7/10

Cute enough.

[kz917-1 · 5/10 · 16 September 2019]

I love me some Kristoffer Polaha!

Cute enough concept. Too bad they didn't just talk to each other instead of ASSUMING! We all know what happens when you assume!

Small town

[krichter-24724 · 9/10 · 31 October 2019]

I liked this movie. I thought there was good chemistry between the two. I love Ashley. I think she is down to earth, good actress very natural with her acting. I hope she makes more movies. She's a bright new star and refreshing. I think, Polaha did a great job, very exuberant! Hope to see more movies like this.

Small Town Christmas

[JoBloTheMovieCritic · 6/10 · 20 July 2019]

6/10 - another average Hallmark flick, but is slightly less cliché than normal

Not a realistic small town

[djvang88 · 4/10 · 7 December 2019]

A town of 1,171 has its own radio station and morning show? The overhead shots are of a town much larger than that. And there are far too many businesses for a town that size. I doubt the writers ever visited a real town that small. Come visit my home town of 800.

Hallmark pass

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 21 July 2019]

Successful novelist Nell Phillips (Ashley Newbrough)'s first book, Small Town Christmas, is set in a place modeled after Springdale, Wisconsin, the hometown of her former boyfriend and New York co-worker Emmett Turner (Kristoffer Polaha). She is shocked when her publicist sets up a book signing with Emmett in his Springdale bookstore. Their relationship ended when he ghosted her without an explanation leaving her alone waiting at their date. Meanwhile, Brad arrives looking to buy up the town and developing it into a tourist destination.

It's a standard Hallmark Christmas romance. Both leads are pretty and Hallmark veterans. This one has the advantage of pretending to have a love triangle. The movie never pushes Brad that hard. The misunderstanding could easily be understood with a conversation between Nell and Emmett. At least, it pretends to try. That's well worth a passing grade.

The 6 stars are for Kristoffer

[mchthom · 6/10 · 6 November 2021]

I love all of Kristoffer's movies. He is such a good actor. I'm not a big fan of Ashley Newbrough. I have a hard time watching her movies. This is a cute movie. Not a movie to watch more than once. I can't imagine the two of them never communicating at least once after he abruptly left. Especially since they were so close. But it's Hallmark world so anything can happen.

Love this Christmas Movie

[SunnyDaise · 10/10 · 11 March 2021]

I'm not a big fan of Christmas (for work reasons) but I still love this movie! Even in the Twentieth Century, communication lines can get cut so this plot still works, although Hallmark could easily reuse it for movies set in different eras! Hallmark has perfected civilised rivalry, giving tension without the tantrums.

Springdale is America's best kept Christmas secret!

[cgvsluis · 6/10 · 2 June 2021]

It is entirely charming...or maybe it is Kristoffer Polaha?

Kristopher Polaha and AshleyNewbrough smolder in this Christmas entry Hallmark movie. The real charmer in this holiday flick is Marnie, the adorable and slightly precocious niece of Emmett Turner (Kristoffer's character).

First time best seller is on tour for her book, Small Town Christmas, when her publicist and friend hears that she has never visited the real small town her fictional town is based on. She immediately sets up some promotional stops there before Christmas...including at the small town book store "Paige Turner".

The Paige Turner just happens to be owned by our author's former co-worker and ex-potential love interest...the one whose stories of his home town inspired her book's fictional town.

Romance had been heating up between co-workers Emmett and Nell, before something unexpected happens causing him to leave town abruptly...and one missed hand written letter combined with the generous offer to share the last rental car in to Springdale combine to create misunderstanding and confusion between our two well suited protagonists.

The chemistry is great, the cute little bookstore with fun categories like "heartfelt Christmas with strong female heroine" is wonderful, and above all I liked that there were no dark motives...everyone was good, wanting to do the right thing, and think the best of others.

I appreciated that something of the writing process was discussed and that our two protagonists where old school, liking to start with pen and paper first.

"How could I refuse a charmer like you?"

I also really liked the sharing of something as personal as a locket and the meaning...and loss behind it's special place. That is pretty special to share with a child who also has experienced loss.

"Trading in a big city for a quieter life"

These characters ran the gamut of supportive friend, foolish playmate, romantic lead, professional and town advocate.

"This isn't just a store but my sister's legacy."

This is a sweet entry in the Hallmark Christmas Movie Vault and I for one think it is a must see!

"Oh! So you are old fashioned like Emmet." "What I think Steve means is that Nell and I are classic.""I like the feeling of my pen and paper, I can't describe it, there is just something substantial about it."

Best line: "Springdale at this hour is a hot bed of nefarious activity, hooligans abound." No one could deliver that line like Kristopher Polaha!

Leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling...

[Design88 · 9/10 · 2 December 2023]

This is the third time I've watched this movie and it never disappoints. It is so well cast and Kristoffer Polaha is delightful in every role. He is so natural, extremely good looking and sexy and exudes warmth and kindness on screen.

Ashley Newbrough is perfect as Nell, the successful novelist whose last stop on her national book tour is Springdale... the small town that inspired her latest novel. She's reluctant because it's still the home of her old New York junior copy editor colleague for whom she had a big crush but he broke her heart when he suddenly disappeared on the eve of their first date many years earlier.

He had inspired her novel with all his wonderful stories of Springdale when they worked together but she was deeply hurt when he left her waiting for him in a restaurant for two hours, quit his job, left without a word and never responded to any of her texts.

In typical Hallmark fashion, misunderstandings occur when she first arrives. She gave a stranded guy a lift to the town and when Emmett first meets her, he assumes he is her boyfriend. Later, she meets Marnie (Bailey Skodje) and assumes she's his daughter.

Nervous about seeing Emmett again, she warms to her new friend Brad ( Preston Vanderslice) and enjoys his upbeat energy and help. This complicates things even more.

They both assume the other didn't feel the same way about each other because he never responded to her texts and she had never responded to an explanatory letter he had sent to her a few months later.

There is great chemistry between them, both in the story and on screen, and as they spend time with each other, their old feelings are ignited and grow.

The movie invokes the essence of a small town at Christmas without being cheesy and the supporting cast are all more natural and interesting than many of their Hallmark counterparts.

My only complaint with the script is when Nell immediately assumes that Emmett is betraying his convictions and selling his bookshop for the money. Like many years earlier, she jumps to the wrong conclusion and doesn't wait to hear his explanation. It's classic Hallmark but out of place here because she packs to leave immediately without a thought to the effect it will have on Marnie and the rest of the townspeople she has bonded with. It doesn't fit here. Then, when the misunderstanding regarding the letter is resolved, they finally kiss and all their old feelings rush back.

Her publisher and her whole family conveniently come down with the flu so her invite to spend Christmas with them is withdrawn, opening up the opportunity to spend Christmas with Emmett and Marnie and alls well that ends well.

It's a very enjoyable movie set at Christmastime and about small town Springdale's Christmas traditions but it is much more about the townspeople and their interconnected lives. Unlike so many other Hallmark Christmas movies, they don't overdo the Christmas message and, without unrealistically decorated surroundings, it could almost be set at any time.

.... And if you are a Kristoffer Polaha and Ashley Newbrough fan this is a must see.

Lost letters and mixed signals

[MickyG333 · 7/10 · 7 December 2022]

6.8 stars.

This is another average one for me. I like the leads just fine and they have good chemistry, however we don't get to see much chemistry.

This is a movie about saving a small town from the big bad investors. Feels a bit like an anti-Wall Street message of some kind, but I'll hope for the best and accept that it's not.

Our lead actress was very nice, I've not seen her yet in a Hallmark film. She has a radiant smile, although a bit pasted and not so sincere as I'd like. Polaha is in a lot of these, and he does fine as an obviously southern gentleman type. I don't know if that was deliberate, but he had all the mannerisms, charm, and even the accent of a Texan. I don't believe his character is from Texas in this movie, so it's a bit off for me, but I'll go with it.

There were some confusing scenes where the plot is fragmented. You will notice a disconnect mid-way through with the Brad guy, and the whole "are they dating, or not" side plot, and then the conversations between the two leads did not quite flow, and it just flops for a while. It's as if the writers had to invent dialogue to fill in gaps within the allotted 2 hours.

I enjoyed the film for the simple fact that it was entertaining in its own way. The bookstore was cool, the music, lighting, and acting was sufficient.

Cookie Cutter storyline

[lyndavanleeuwen · 5/10 · 9 December 2019]

Can't you find a new hairdresser for these films?!? Does EVERY lead actress have to have ringlets! Jeez! Let them grow up and start wearing grown up hairstyles. Even the older actress with grey hair also had little side ringlets! C'mon, use some creativity hairstylists! Isn't it enough that the storylines are almost identical? The two lead characters are not allowed to share a kiss until the last FIVE minutes because we sure don't want their relationship turn into a "sexual" affair, do we?!?

Standard Hallmark Fare

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 18 November 2022]

Due to the title of this film, might think this is the oft-used Hallmark holiday story line of a woman from the big city visiting a small town and falling in love with its charm and the friendliness of its inhabitants-and you would be correct.

But what makes this one work well is the cast, especially the romantic leads-Ashleigh Newbrough as Nell, and Kristoffer Polaha as Emmett. Nell and Emmett used to know each other years before and have a long-standing conflict to resolve.

Like most of these films, there are clichés left and right, but isn't that what most viewers expect from these holiday romances?

I Think I Have Diabetes Now

[Stoshie · 3/10 · 9 July 2020]

OK, I'll admit I don't watch many Hallmark movies. This one is a great example of why I don't. I won't get into all the cliches strewn throughout this movie; it would take too long. Let's just leave it at the fact that I've noticed so many of these movies follow a similar formula. A woman goes somewhere away from her home for some contrived reason. There she meets a guy. We all know she is going to end up with him in the end, but there has to be a misunderstanding that slows that down. After all, you have to fill the movie out somehow. There you have it - the basis of virtually all Hallmark romance movies.

This one was especially annoying, though. The little girl hugging everyone constantly, instantly falling in love with our heroine - another cliche I could do without. Then you have the the obligatory bad guys that turn out not to be so bad. All just like real life, right?

I guess movies like this make some people feel good? For me, when it was over, I felt like I ate a pound of some too-sweet cookies.

If you don't want to have to think, or be challenged, but instead just watch something you already know the ending to, I guess that's fine. I expect more.

Trash

[zufre · 1/10 · 30 December 2018]

This must be one of the lamest movies ever. I guess Hallmark makes their employees to give nice rating to their awful movies. Good only to put you to sleep or to want you to be put to sleep.

Small town christmas

[mitchellrharl · 5/10 · 6 November 2019]

No chemistry Nell and Kristoffer Polaha both out of their comfort zone too mechanical . Beautiful town rest of cast great. Kristoffer has good pers

Cast

[judyharl · 5/10 · 18 July 2020]

Ashley Newbrough so boring and bland Kristoffer Polaha tries to be too charming Storyline boring this was 2018 movie older Hallmark movies had better actresses and actors