[I review the holiday movies "Jingle Bell Heist," "Champagne Problems" and "The Merry Gentlemen"]
Hallmark holiday movies have reigned supreme during the holidays, despite the fact that each and every one of them has the same predictable tropes: a big-city professional returns to his or her small and charming town and ends up saving a bakery or inn. He or she is also a fish out of water but finds romance, usually an unlikely one where they don't like each other at first; the road to love is rocky and then there are encounters with odd characters followed by a major plot point involving the holidays with an uplifting message reminding us of what the holiday season is supposed to be about. And then there is snow.
But now Netflix is giving Hallmark a run for it's money when it comes to holiday movies and don't expect the usual tropes. Netflix has found some new ways to celebrate the holidays. But never fear. Yes, there will be an unlikely romance. There has to be. And yes, there will be an uplifting message...and sometimes snow.
So cuddle up by the fire, grab a hot drink and take a break from the hassles of real life and get in the holiday mood. These are hot on Netflix right now.
Jingle Bell Heist (2025)
An American ex-pat and a British ex-con meet in London and plan a Christmas Eve heist together. Just your usual holiday fun!
Sophie Arbus (Olivia Holt) works two jobs, one at Sterlings department store and another at a pub in London. She is in London for cancer treatment for her mother. Sophie also happens to be a pick-pocket, and doesn't have a problem lifting the occasional wallet.
While working her job at the department store, Sophie steals a diamond encrusted dog collar from a rude customer and while dropping it off in the store's vaulted security room, she steals some petty cash as well and eyes some expensive jewelry being kept there, not realizing that she is being watched by Nick O'Connor (Connor Swindells) on the department store's video feed. You see, Nick installed the security camera system but, unfortunately, he was fired for his trouble and falsely accused of stealing from the store which led to his spending two years in prison. Now he is struggling financially and trying to stay connected to his young daughter and ex-wife. But, he still has access to the store's video feed and, of course, he wants revenge on the store.
Nick approaches Sophie, tells her he saw her in the vault and tries to blackmail her into helping him rob Sterlings. She says no at first, but when she learns her mother needs some expensive treatment she can't afford, she says yes and the two plan a heist for Christmas Eve.
There are many bungled attempts and a big twist before the Christmas Day reveal. Will these two prevail? More importantly, will they fall in love?
Written by Abby McDonald and Amy Reed and directed by Michael Fimognan, this holiday movie defies the tropes. No charming, rural small town, no bakery to save. There isn't even any snow, but the production values are first rate, and it was actually filmed in London, which is not often the case with the Hallmark movies, which even if set in London are most often filmed in Canada. Anyway, this is a charming film to get you into the holiday mood. Holt and Swindells make charming thieves, and believe it or not, the dialogue and story are also charming. I loved it!
Rosy the Reviewer says...if you are a bit of an Anglophile (I am a big one!), you will enjoy this British take on a holiday movie. Did I say it was charming?
Champagne Problems (2025)
A company executive travels to Paris during the Christmas holiday to secure the acquisition of a renowned champagne brand and meets a handsome Parisian. Gee, Paris, Christmas, handsome guy. Do you think there will be romance? Duh.
"Champagne isn't just a drink, it's a celebration!"
During a meeting at her company, The Roth Group (TRG), Sydney Price (Minka Kelly), who is in charge of acquisitions for the company, suggests they enter the Champagne business, whereupon her boss Marvin (Mitchell Mullen) asks her to go to Paris to buy the Champagne Chateau of Hugo Cassell.
In Paris, Sydney checks out a bookstore called Les Etoiles, where a French gentleman, Henri (Tom Wozniczka), directs her to a section she is looking for. He admits that he doesn't really work there, but wants to eventually open a bookstore that also serves wine. He offers to guide her around the city, and she accepts. They embark on a tour of the city, and on a Ferris wheel that stalls, the two have plenty of time to share their stories and begin a romance. And wouldn't you know, the next morning when Sydney arrives for her meeting with Hugo Cassell (Thibault de Montalembert), there, in the meeting, is Henri, who just happens to be Hugo's son. Awk...ward.
In the meantime, Sydney is not the only one vying for acquisition of Champagne Chateau. There are Roberto Salazar (Sean Amsing) and Otto Moller (Flula Borg) who provide some comic relief as well as Brigitte Laurent (Astrid Whettnall), Hugo's business partner, is also in attendance at the meeting and Hugo invites all of them to the Chateau. But Sydney's boss, Marvin, is not feeling that Sydney is up for the job, so he sends Ryan Garner (Xavier Samuel) to assist her.
It's all very beautiful and decorated for the holidays at the Chateau, but a dark cloud descends when Ryan arrives and announces that the ultimate plan for the Chateau Cassell is to be sold to a Japanese company for a big profit. Henri overhears and is not happy. Sydney tries to voice her opposition but Ryan threatens to have her fired if she doesn't follow the plan.
All kinds of machinations involving the acquisition of the Chateau ensue as well as misunderstandings between our lovers.
Yes, even though this is a Netflix movie, the Hallmark tropes are in place and we all know how this is going to end. Written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, it's the usual formula, but that doesn't mean this is not an enjoyable film. It is. Beautiful actors, beautiful location, who cares if there are a few cliches? Minka Kelly, who is probably best known for her role in the TV show "Friday Night Lights," is a lovely, believable actress and the rest of the cast and the production values raise this film above the usual TV rom-com. It's a warm, comforting little movie just right for this time of year. We love these kinds of movies despite their predictability because we love the holidays, but more importantly, we love love, and when we see an attractive couple falling in love, we remember how our first (or second or third) great loves looked at us with love in their eyes and we get to relive it. Well, that's my theory and I'm sticking with it! And it doesn't hurt if you also love champagne.
I have to add that Paris is a special place at Christmas. We flew there one Christmas day thinking that no one would be there because they would all be at home with their families. We were wrong. I guess everyone else also thought Paris was a special place for Christmas and they were there too. It was a madhouse. But you can avoid the crowds and enjoy it watching this little movie from your comfortable chair, hopefully with a glass of champagne!
Rosy the Reviewer says...this one has the Hallmark tropes, but hey, we get to hang out in France for the holidays! And it was actually filmed in France.
Broadway dancer Ashley Davis (Britt Robertson) has rarely been back to her hometown in the 12 years since becoming a "Jingle Belle" on Broadway (think the Rockettes), but when she is fired from her job, it's back home she goes for the holidays.
Yes, Ashley returns home to her small town of Sycamore Creek, and yes, her parents' bar, "The Rhythm Room," needs saving and yes, she "meets cute" with Luke (Chad Michael Murray), a handsome handyman, when she arrives (she gets snarled up in a holiday wreath he is putting up). Trope-de-trope-de trope, but that's where the tropes end. Enter the male strippers!
But first, let me back up a bit.
When Ashley arrives in town and after running into Luke, she discovers that her parents, Stan (Michael Gross) and Lily (Beth Broderick), owe $30,000 in rent for their bar, and if not paid they will lose it. But when Ashley sees Luke with his shirt off, she gets the idea to have a male Christmas revue in the bar to raise the cash. She is a dancer, after all. She enlists Luke as well as her sister's husband, Rodger (Marc Anthony Samuel); Ricky (Hector David Jr.), a local taxi driver she met when she arrived; and Troy (Colt Prattes), the bartender; and dubs them "The Merry Gentlemen." And when Rodger twists his ankle, she recruits older bar customer, Danny (Maxwell Caulfield). When he agrees and is questioned about whether he can learn the choreography, he answers by saying he doesn't just drink when he sits at the bar.
The troupe is a G-rated "Magic Mike" and they are a hit. All goes well and it is clear that Luke and Ashley have feelings for each other. But then, Ashley is offered her job back on Broadway. What will she do? Will she leave Sycamore Creek and Luke behind?
I don't think it's a spoiler if I say...duh.
With a story by Jeffrey Schenck and Peter Sullivan, a screenplay by Marla Sokoloff (who also plays Ashley's sister) and directed by Sullivan, what saves this from being just another predictable Hallmark-type holiday movie is that it has characters you care about. Britt Robertson, probably best known for "The Longest Ride " and "Tomorrowland (both of which I reviewed favorably in 2015) is a lovely actress with a luminous quality that draws you in, and hey, there is nothing wrong with enjoying buff guys gyrating with their shirts off!
Rosy the Reviewer says...despite the usual predictability, this has the holiday spirit we yearn for and is a heartwarming reminder that "there's no place like home."
