T&K's XMas (2021) Advent Calendar: Day 1 - An Unexpected Christmas

A Toast to HallmarKent: An Unexpected Christmas - 2021, d. Michael Robison - Hallmark 

And we're back for another 24-day streak of Christmas/Holiday themed movie and/or TV show reviews to bring some festive cheer into our lives (and, I guess, your lives, our dozen readers).  To start us off, yet another Hallmarkie.  

The Draw:  
I noted yesterday in my review of Five-Star Christmas that Bethany Joy Lenz immediately became the best-of-the-best of Hallmark's regular stable of female leads.  Last year, I reviewed Tyler Hines in On The 12th Date of Christmas which I really enjoyed him in, also noting enjoying his performance as Long Dick Dierk in Letterkenny, which I thought worth mentioning again...that a genuine Hallmark star played a role called Long Dick Dierk.  

These two leads together were something I didn't want to miss, in as much as I don't really care if I miss any Hallmarkie. But relatively speaking, if I'm going to watch a Hallmarkie, and there's not some bigger name who doesn't usually do these things, I think these are two of the very few names in the Hallmark stable that would be a draw for me.

HIS&HERstory:
Jamie (Hines) is a struggling speech writer who has just landed a new gig writing speeches for Illinois state senator Hayward for her re-election campaign.  It's December. Elections are held in November, generally.  That's some advanced planning but then again US election cycles are fucking ridiculous so who knows, maybe this is on the level.  He has a deadline for the senator's Christmas address, because well...that's something Senator's do, right?  And because Christmas deadlines are always a thing in Hallmarks.  On his way home to Fulton County, it's clear that Jamie has a case of writer's block.

Emily (Lenz) is an creative director in advertising. She has a clumsy moment while putting on stalkings but thankfully that just a one-off pratfall and not a portent of the "clumsy girl" cliche.  Her deliciously sardonic boss Daryl gives her a last minute assignment because he deems her the best, which is probably why he puts up with her perpetual lateness - a character trait which does not have any later relevance. 

The exchange:
Daryl - "I need a miracle here. You're my wunderkind, my Don Draper."
Emily - "Don Draper is one of the most tragic fictional characters in television history." 
Daryl - "Yeah, but he had a thing. You had a thing. I need you to do that thing.
The exchange continues, and it's easily one of the best scripted exchanges, certainly one of the funniest, ever in a Hallmark. Daryl is played by character actor Tom Pickett and he brings such a unique energy, it's sad we really only get him in these early scenes and not a constant throughout. 

Daryl dangles a big cushy office and international travel in front of Emily she hesitantly agrees to the assignment to help the planning committee for Fulton City  -the Christmas Capital of Illinois- with their new marketing initiative for attracting new residents, which launches on Christmas.  Because Christmas deadlines are always a thing in Hallmarks.  

Jamie and Emily, it turns out, broke up in October, but Jamie hasn't told his family yet and he dodges their questions about whether she will be joining them for Christmas, in Fulton (you see where this is going??). We find out later that his reason for breaking up was because he was feeling insecure: Emily's job was taking off and he had just lost his job.  As we learn, he's kind of a bit of a demure fellow who has trouble disappointing his family. (I'm also not sure how he affords his awesome Chicago apartment when he's been unemployed and he kicked the only income earner out of his place...)

Anyway, cut to the train station, Jamie and Emily just happened to take the same train to Fulton and before word one can be said, the family has swept the two of them and their luggage up into the car.  In a moment of respite (after the family assault on Emily), they have a quietly heated exchange about the situation, the fact that he didn't tell his family they broke up (his excuse: his grandfather had just passed and he didn't want to give them any more bad news, but really, it's evident, it's cowardice), and she agrees to give him a little bit of time for his ruse, but then she sneaks out with Jamie to get to her hotel, only to find it overbooked and having to go back.  

The next day, Emily learns that Jackie Joyner Kersee, her celebrity spokesperson for the new campaign has pulled out due to inclement weather, as is her camera crew, and so she's stuck, her project about to fail, when Jamie offers up the Governor as a potential replacement (a promise he can't actually fulfil) in exchange for Emily continuing the ruse through until Christmas.  Blackmail is always a great way to start/rekindle a romance.  They both agree it's a terrible idea, but they also both agree to proceed.  Why the family doesn't question that they're staying in separate beds, though, I really, really don't know

So over the next few days, the two have to negotiate the ruse, wade through the lies that Jamie's told over the past two months, and dodge Jamie's overbearing family and their many, many traditions.  Jamie's sister, Becca, catches onto the two of them and pulls Jamie out for a heart-to-heart in her She-Shed (I want a She-Shed).  In fact they have a few great scenes together.  I love a good sibling dynamic.  

Becca: "I love you, and I support you, but you're wrong here. So if you don't marry her, I'll have to marry her myself, because one way or another we're keeping that girl in this family."

For exes they spend a whole bunch of time together, and Mom and Dad are completely misreading the vibe, thinking that a proposal is probably in the offing.  Mom and Dad are very annoying but in a fun movie kind of way.  Jamie's boss/friend Gina comes to get set up for the Governor's speech, and there are instant sparks between her and Becca, and I'm there for it.  

Then the nephew's play and complications when Jamie finds out about Emily's new job, and his parents find out, and Jamie's all wishy washy about expressing himself, and tells bossfriend Gina that he doesn't have a speech but then he gets drinky drinky in the She-Shed and a peptalk from Becca and finds inspiration and mails off a first draft, and then a bummer of a Christmas morning without Emily, but they race to the Governer's presentation but the Governor can't make it, but they loved the speech which she's delivering from home so hooray ("Oh,and Gina, I'm so sorry for...me...being me."), and then a big family race in the mini-van to the train station for a laying of cards on the table and some kissy kissing.  The movie ends with kissing at the bar, which is new.

The Formulae:
This whole "pretend to be together for Christmas but then really fall in love" is such a cliche.  It's no less a cliche here.

Both our leads have Christmas deadlines. I'm so tired of the Christmas deadline trope.  I've never had a Christmas deadline beyond, well, you know, Christmas shopping.  If the Hallmarkies wanted to make it more believable they would have the deadline be like Dec 22, and have the characters dealing with the aftermath of their success or failure as Christmas approaches.  Too complex?

There's a Christmas tree lighting ceremony and a Christmas festival (complete with Christmas karaoke?) Christmas pageant that Jamie's nephew is in.  And of course both of the leads get conscripted into performing in the pageant. The difference here is instead of making sure it goes off smoothly it's kind of an epic fail.  It should be funnier than it is.

Christmas charades.  Hallmark seems to think Christmas charades are a thing that anyone does.  Do they have a game box of Hallmark's Christmas Charades for sale in their stores or something?

That dumb cliche of one of the leads overhearing a partial conversation, overreacting and creating a complication.  In this case it's that Emily got the promotion that's sending her to the Caymans for three months and therefore...Jamie thinks they can't be together, that he would be getting in her way, I guess?  I dunno man, if the relationship is strong enough you can survive three months apart.

And, of course the mad dash to the (mode of transporation center) to profess love is just a romcom trope for the ages.

Unformulae:

The comedy. The great repartee, not just between the leads, but between almost all the characters.  As opposed to other Hallmarkies which write for the manufactured relationship and Christmas drama, this one is written more towards humour, and it lands more often than not.  All the actors (well, almost all the actors) are really into the lighthearted, more broadly caricatured vibe of the piece. 

Everyone keeps hitting Jamie.  I mean, he is a dumbass and deserves it, but that's unusual.  

Drinks. 2021 Hallmark. So much drinking!  It ends with drinking.  Yay drinking.  It's what we do when we watch these things.

True Calling? 
No, this title is stupid.  It's "unexpected' because...Emily wasn't supposed to be there for Christmas?  Whatever. It's so generic. But they're always so terribly generic.  
How about 

The Rewind: 
Oh, those photos Becca takes...they're so bad.  She went to film school, not photography class, and it shows.  Like, a quick montage of really, really bad pictures.

That moment where Emily takes one of Dad's cookies excitedly then immediately conceals her spitting out the bite in disgust.

The moment where Emily slaps the cookie out of Jamie's hand.

Did they really say that the whole campaign - the campaign to get new residents to move to Fulton - is "If you can't beat her, Joyner"?  Everyone, and I mean everyone should be fired from that ad agency.

A blink and you'll miss it cameo from Andrew Walker as he bumps into Jamie in the bar.  Walker repaying the cameo that Hines put in his this year's My Christmas Family Tree as a barista.

The Regulars:

As noted we get Bethany Joy Lenz and Tyler Hines.  I gave some credits at the top so I won't repeat them.

Tom Pickett who plays Bossman Daryl has been in a few Hallmarks as late, including Five Star Christmas with Lenz last year, and The Santa Stakeout this year.  He's great and I wish there was more of him in this.

Mom/Diane is played by Lynda Boyd (she could be Julianne Moore's sister), and she's been in a couple Hallmarks including Christmas In Evergreen.  Dad/Tom played by Paul McGillion is co-starring with Boyd again in Christmas in Tahoe this year.  He's been in a few other scattershot Hallmarks over the years, but not a regular.

Andrew Walker, who cameos as patron in the bar, has been in dozens of Hallmarks.  I'm not going to bother starting to list them.

Oh hey there Andrew Walker 👋 Are you surprised to see him in Fulton for the holidays? 😍 #AnUnxpectedChrtismas #MerryThanksgivingWeekend pic.twitter.com/xw4MP5BMBz

— Hallmark Channel (@hallmarkchannel) November 27, 2021

The screenplay is from Paul Campbell (story by Gregory McGoon) who is known more as a Hallmark leading man, last seen in The Santa Stakeout .

Special mention: Alison Wandruza plays Becca, and is maybe my favourite part of this.  She's just a great centering presence with a lot of charm and really captivating.  I liken her position here to Carrie Coon's breakout performance in Gone Girl.  I'm not saying she's as good as Carrie Coon, but she should at the very least lead her own Hallmark sometime.  This is her first Hallmark.  She was the Sherriff in the TV series Critters: The New Binge...

How does it Hallmark?
This is really, really good for Hallmark, a legit Hallmark romcom (of which there are precious few) that is genuinely funny...at least for the first 45 minutes.  The romance is just okay, as are the Christmas feels , but Hines and Lenz bring it completely, really selling the comedy, doing little things that pay big dividends for establishing their characters and dynamic. It's a fun watch, but the latter half gets pretty mushy and loses sight of the comedy as they go through the Hallmark cliches and it's just relationship talk and anecdotes about their childhood.  It gets dragged down as it forgets about the funny.  But I like these people, so it's pretty okay.

How does it movie? 
Well, it's still very much a Hallmark in production values and there's still a sense of pigeonholing the story into a Christmas scenario where it didn't really need to be, and it just doesn't escape the ghetto of Hallmark storytelling.  It's definitely many steps above the rest but it's no Holidate. It's not even a Love Hard.