Have said many times about my love of Christmas and getting a lot of pleasure out of in particular watching films, cartoons and specials during this period, something that most years has been much needed. Wanted to see some more festive films that were more recent, lower in budget and were not childhood favourites, so in a way to broaden my horizons and have been doing so since November 2019. The idea of the film did sound predictable and similar to other hotel etc-set Lifetime/Hallmark films.
The 2020 output from Hallmark did vary in quality but was not near as bad or wildly uneven as it could have been. None of the films from the batch were really terrible, and a small handful of them were actually very good. One of the best, maybe a strong contender for the best, was 'Five Star Christmas'. The setting and basic scenario sounded quite familiar, but 'Five Star Christmas' actually managed to be one of the few Christmas films in recent years to do something different to the usual (namely with it being more comedic than most).
It drags ever so slightly in the final quarter and the married sister subplot wasn't as compelling or as well developed as the rest of the film.
'Five Star Christmas' has so much that is great on the other hand. It looks lovely, have nearly always loved the scenery in Hallmark films (especially their Christmas output) and it is beautiful here and filmed very lovingly. The music is appropriately festive and doesn't come over as intrusive or overdone, which is not the case with many other Hallmark films.
Was very surprised at how good the script was. It was not cheesy. It was not too sentimental or over-schmaltzy, while having touching well intended moments. It also doesn't sound forced, with the conflict being much better written than most conflicts for Hallmark. What surprised me was the comedy, it was a big surprise that there was any but it was even more of a surprise that the comedy was actually funny and at its best hilarious. As far as Hallmark films go, 'Five Star Christmas' is one of the funniest and in a way that always feels natural and not strained.
Also liked that the story was a lot less predictable or formulaic than most Hallmark Christmas films, especially the conflict which is not forced or easily telegraphed this time. There is a good deal going on, but it doesn't feel too much, almost all the subplots work and the chemistry (especially the central romance) is genuine all round. It is also very heart-warming and never comes over as too heavy, with plenty of light heart. Great to see characters that were interesting and worth caring for. Bethany Joy Lenz is terrific and the heart of the film, and she is just as much a joy in her chemistry with charming Victor Webster in one of his better performances. Loved the grandparents, so entertaining and endearing. Paula Shaw coming very close to stealing the show.
Overall, very well done and highly recommended. 8/10.
