Christmas at Maple Creek

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.