'Countdown to Christmas' movie review: 'Christmas Under the Stars'
Despite its romantic name, the holiday movie “Christmas Under the Stars” (premiering Nov. 16 as part of the Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas) gets a tripped up on its tangled web of subplots - which sadly includes much of a lead character's entire plot.
In short: Work-focused investment banker Nick (Jesse Metcalfe, 'Chesapeake Shores') is fired during the holidays - when kindly tree lot owner Clem (Clarke Peters) hires Nick. While selling Christmas trees, Nick meets Clem's longtime friend Julie (Autumn Reeser), an astronomy teacher looking for her own holiday miracle.
"Stars" is sold as a Christmas romance between Nick and Julie, but this movie's heart is the elementally kind Clem, and Nick's evolution from workaholic to man rediscovering what it means to be home for the holidays. Clem is effortlessly generous with his wisdom and time, however, he's also evasive when it comes to his past. It's clear something pangs Clem, an elderly man who fondly talks to an old photo, but he quickly changes the subject whenever his past comes up.
And for his part, Nick isn't a just selfish jerk who learns to appreciate the holidays - he's an earnest man trying to live up to his father's expectations. Metcalfe finds the essence of an adrift man forced to redefine himself and how he lives his life. If generosity is the spirit of the holidays, "Stars" celebrates the best aspects of the Christmas season by rooting the story in characters who don't just find love or learn to love Christmas - they learn to give of themselves and learn to accept the gift of giving.
It's not enough that Julie is still mourning the passing of her father (itself a compelling plot), but she's also dealing with his medical bills and a gifted student who is distracted from her schoolwork. It almost feels as the Julie and Nick romance storyline was tacked onto the movie after Nick and Clem's story was written -- which is an especially odd trait for a Hallmark movie. To her credit, Reeser sparkles as a devoted educator and an attentive mother, so it's just unfortunate to see her lovely performance lost in a movie where her character's story is sadly a bit peripheral.
Final verdict: "Stars" is anchored in the spirit of giving and dealing with the loss of loved ones - if it just found a more elegant way to weave Julie's story into the plot, then it could have been a truly lovely addition to the Hallmark holiday catalog.
Score: 3 French hens (out of 5)
"Christmas Under the Stars" is rated TV-G and has a running time of 90 minutes. The movie premieres on The Hallmark Channel on Nov. 16.
