Nov 16

Nov 16 The Mistletoe Inn

Kim is an aspiring romance novelist, but she’s timid in both love and labor. Looking to get outside her comfort zone, she signs up for a Christmastime writers’ retreat at a quaint Vermont inn - where another aspiring author soon becomes her shadow. Will romance remain relegated to the written word… or can love leap off the pages?

Christmas clichés:

Opens w/ City Scene
Alicia Witt
Deceased Parent
Contest as Plot Device
Mistletoe
Hate Becomes Love
Carolers
Sleigh Ride
Evil Fiancé
Mistaken Identities
Red Dress
Ends w/ Kiss or Ring

Our Thoughts

Alicia Witt is one of our favorite clichés, yet our reviews don’t reflect the depth of her holiday catalog. With COVID work-from-home in full force, the early evening airing of Hallmark’s 2017 “The Mistletoe Inn” not only allowed for this review—it allowed us to discover a flick of hers we’d never seen before.

Poor Kim (Alicia Witt, a little sad but always compelling). Her success at the car dealership isn’t her dream; instead, she wants to be a romance writer, just like her favorite author, H.T. Cowell. Nothing sparks creativity like a public dumping by her boyfriend, Garth, who doesn’t think Kim is a “serious writer” because she won’t share her work.

Encouraged by her father and the memory of her Deceased Mother, Kim enrolls at a romance writers’ retreat the week before Christmas, where the closing speaker will be H.T. Cowell! No one knows what he looks like, but that isn’t in Kim’s mind when she engages in Hate Becomes Love banter with her assigned writing partner, Zeke (David Alpay, already loved because of “Ice Sculpture Christmas”). Snowball fights evolve to brutally honest feedback which builds to a somewhat strange trek to New York City, all with Zeke’s goal of building Kim’s confidence in her natural writing talent.

About 10 minutes into the movie, we got excited this would play up the romance novel genre. Perhaps it was our inherent immaturity or ability to make anything dirty, but we were tickled by how they said Garth (“Babe, did they just say girth?”), discussion of a writer’s spunk, or the holiday drink that Kim had to try: Rudolph’s Ride.

What…just us?

Alas, this was produced by Hallmark, and the ability to make puns petered off once the Contest as Plot Device kicked in.

There are a few sweet Christmas moments, like when Zeke makes a Christmas tree into a writing analogy. But it’s more rom-com than Christmas cuteness, even with the 12 clichés. We recommend a viewing as long as you know it won’t hold a candle to the Very Merriest.

Rob's Final Take: Merry
It’s not “Ulysses” but this book-cum-movie has lots to like, and it’s worth throwing on while stuffing stockings or wrapping packages.

Jess's Final Take: Merry
Would’ve been better set at Valentine’s, but I’ll let that slide. I wish there was more about their Xmas stories or even a story-in-a-story. But simple holiday rom-com works, too.