User reviews

One reviewer stated there was a goof with the dog not aging after a year had passed. Totally wrong..the bit in the court showed a flash back of them having a photo taken the Christmas before so the dog would have still been a puppy. The next bit carries on the year later when the dog is shown as brown. Wish people who state there are goofs watched the film properly.

This is a lovely heart warming and at times tearful, but one of the best Hallmark films. I've watched it twice now.

Have been on a roll watching Christmas films every now and again for a while. Especially the output of Hallmark and Lifetime. It has been an interesting experience, but also a very uneven one and at times frustratingly so. 'Holly and Ivy' did sound good on paper and while some of the synopsis sounded familiar, especially early on, it sounded as if the film was trying to not be too conventional. Plus with that many liked it, there was no chance of missing it.

2020's 'Holly and Jolly' didn't disappoint. As far as all the Christmas films seen as part of my Christmas films go, it is among the best and namely because it was one of the few recently seen ones that had emotional impact and didn't try to stick too much to conventions. 'Holly and Ivy' is not a masterpiece and it won't be one of my favourites any time soon, but it comes to talking about the 2020 Hallmark Christmas films this is among the best.

It is a bit of a slow starter, with the film taking a bit of time to get going story and script wise.

Do agree that Marisol Nichols never quite disappeared into her role and comes over as overly-restrained, even for a restrained character.

On the other hand, much is great. 'Holly and Ivy' looks attractive, especially the scenery, and the music has a pleasant and nostalgic quality that doesn't become overdone, over-emphasised or too syrupy. The direction was sympathetic but still gave the film momentum when necessary.

The dialogue is heartfelt, thoughtful and flows well without being self-indulgent or too flowery. The story is charming and moving, but instead of going down the cheesy and sugary sweet route that a lot of Christmas films in recent years do it takes a grittier and more serious turn. Without being overly-serious that it becomes dreary, without it getting preachy and without the shift being jarring. The charm and pathos, as well as heartfelt warmth, were still there even in these stretches while neither go into overload. The ending did move me a lot, easily the most heart-wrenching ending of all the 2020 Hallmark Christmas films and actually the only one to move me.

So refreshing too in 'Holly and Ivy' to have characters that felt like real people and ones that one gets behind in their trials and tribulations. Something not commonly found in recent years Christmas films. Personally thought Jannelle Parrish was fine and had charm and energy. Jeremy Jordan doesn't overplay or underplay, while Piper Rubio is adorable. As is Betty. The characters have a very natural and sincere chemistry, especially in the final third.

Concluding, well done. 7/10.

7/10 - one of the better Hallmark Christmas movies this year has good actors and a heart-wrenching, original storyline

My wife and I enjoyed this Hallmark movie after our weekly steak dinner and wine. Unlike most this one is filmed in Utah and not in Canada. Not that there is anything wrong with Canada.

Set in Wisconsin, it starts leading up to Christmas. A 26-yr-old single woman moves to town with a degree in Library Sciences, a newly purchased "fixer upper" house, but no job yet. Pretty quickly she meets a young man who runs a local construction business. They hit it off pretty quickly.

But the bigger story is her next door neighbor, a single woman with two daughters and a terminal illness. With no other family will the young lady, new in town, step up and volunteer to care for the two girls?

A really good story about friendship, family, and following your dreams. At home on DVD from our public library. One of the better Hallmark movies we have seen.

Slightly different and very close to my heart as a story. Beautifully told and all the actors are wonderful. Left me in tears (of happiness). Well worth a watch - a delight.

My 1st hallmark movie review after a full year of this guilty pleasure/distraction. I understand the formula for the average hallmark fare and i rate most 7 (6to8). This film goes above and beyond as a story and i give ... no...it earns a 10 star rating. The story connects the characters so well to one another and the acting is great. I have watched it at least 3x and tear up at least 3x still.

Ultimately, there is one measure for rating Christmas movies that outweighs the others. Will I watch it again? Oh, yes.

If you watched the previews, you know what could have been the surprise a little before half way, but even so, it wouldn't have been totally unexpected. Nina's cancer is back and she has no other family for her kids. Melody grew up in foster care and she will let those kids go there only over her dead body. But she has a challenge. No permanent job, and a house that needs an overhaul because she bought it to fix it. And she has little time to get it up to code for CPS inspection.

The premise is unusual, but is perfect for the Christmas season. It's super sappy, but also super irresistible. For starters, there's two adorable little girls, an equally cute puppy and a sad sad story that needs hope.

The movie is about family and community and dreams and reality. And books.

It's interesting because Jeremy Jordan must like to act opposite super-heroines. In another TV world, last I looked, he was Supergirl's best friend. Melody makes Kara Danvers look selfish. Jordan and Janel Parrish have wonderful chemistry. Marisol Nichols is very reserved as Nina, but that's her part. The actors playing the two girls do a great job. Neither of them falls into the trap of child actors in a Christmas movie of overplaying her part. And they bring an energy to the movie which Parrish amplifies.

Are there flaws in the movie. I'm sure there are. I already said it was predictable, although I wasn't sure about one major thing until almost the end. This movie isn't strictly a romance movie because the bigger story is Melody, Nina and the kids, but that's a plus.

PS: 2020 isn't over yet, and I'm sitting here watching at least the last half of it for the 4TH time and tears are still flowing. I think that says that I love this movie.

"Why blend in when you can stand out?"-Dr.Seuss "Be white hot and passionate."-Roald Dahl

This film has a beautiful cast and is about a sweet former foster care raised master of library science driven 27 year old woman, who buys a large dilapidated house to start working on her dream of working with children as a librarian. She befriends her next door single-mom neighbor, Nina, and her two daughters, Holly and Ivy. She also meets a contractor and want to be wood furniture builder who she becomes romantically involved with. Nina's lymphoma ends up coming back and our heroine Melody who was raised in foster care volunteers to take the girls so they won't go into the system.

Melody has these vintage elves for her Christmas tree that were given to her by her first foster family, every year for 5 years. These are still prized ornaments and as she says they are the hardest working in Santa's story and she could relate to that.

This was a sweet sentiment Christmas story about finding your own family, foster care and adoption.

"Help where help is needed, not just when it is easy."

Yes, I shed a tear, don't judge. I'm glad Hallmark can still surprise us.

Melody is moving to a city in Wisconsin. She meets her new neighbours, Nina, and her daughters Holly and Ivy (and an adorable puppy). She is also searching for a job as a librarian, however they are all in a hiring freeze, so she volunteers until she can find something. As she spends time with her neighbours, we discover that Nina is sick and it may be terminal so Melody volunteers to take the girls in the case something happens to her.

If only the world had more people like Melody. She is such an inspiring person. What's beautiful and different about this movie is that is not focused on romance but on the relationship Melody builds, specially with Holly, Ivy and Nina. There was great chemistry between everyone. The girls were adorable.

You know how two years ago we had "Once Upon a Christmas Miracle". That movie overcame my expectations and became a favorite. So did this. It has that sentimental factor that not even the great Hallmark movies have. It's about helping each other and the relationships we form along the way.

This was my most anticipated Hallmark movie of the year (mainly because of the leads, and the plot) and it did not disappoint. I was so into the story that didn't even pay attention to the smaller details I usually look in these movies.

Please watch this.

This is my 9th Hallmark Christmas movie of the 2020 season. Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this one; it is at the bottom of my list thus far. I see that some reviewers here really enjoyed the film. However, I did not have the same viewing experience. It is a very sweet story, don't get me wrong, as other reviews have pointed out. But I had to stop myself on multiple occasions from multi-tasking, i.e., grabbing for my iPad. It was not until the last 20 minutes or so, at around the sleigh riding scene, that I was drawn into the film. Thus, for much of it, I was not engaged. The acting by the leads was OK. I know Jeremy Jordan from his role on Supergirl; I like his character in that series. He performed well here too. However, I was unimpressed with Janel Parrish's performance. She did have a couple of good scenes (e.g., the first date scene), and her performance did improve in the second half of the film, but her performance overall simply did not draw me in. As always in Hallmark movies, the supporting cast was good. Ivy (Piper Rubio) and Betty (the puppy) had very cute performances, for example. The role of Nina (Marisol Nichols), however, was an exception. Though she did perform well in the latter half of the film, there were several times where she looked like she was acting, which is not a good sign for an actor. The movie does get you into the Christmas spirit, especially the last 20 minutes.

Awesomesauce! There were definitely some things that are not realistic, but it's a movie about libraries & a bookmobile - so we'll just ignore those things.

Make sure you have tissues, I knew what was coming as soon as the mother passed out the first tim.

Bonus points for Broadway actor Jeremy Jordan.

Cute if you can suspend belief!

I rarely get "into" cheesy Christmas movies, but this one is different. It's not cheesy and has a believable plot. It's a win-win with a good script, and actors who really can act! I will watch this over and over!

This movie was absolutely amazing. The actors were great, the storyline was a tear-jerker, and it wasn't one of those sappy/cheesy Hallmark movies where everything and everyone is perfect...it was a real-to-life story full of problems, new friendships, fighting to survive, and overcoming life's obstacles. I loved it!! Great job, Hallmark!

It was okay. Definitely not one of my favourite Hallmark movies. Did not like the lead male actor at all.

I am a long-time fan of Tony-Nominated Jeremy Jordan. Musicals are my jam and he's the best. I've never seen him in a role where he didn't kill it, and this movie is no exception. I thought the relationship between his character, Adam, and Melody was sweet. There was a moment where the typical "misunderstanding" was about to derail them, and then they had *gasp* an actual conversation.

But, one of the best parts of this movie is that it's not all about the romance. It was a nice surprise to see that the friendship between Melody and Nina took center stage. This movie does have more sadness than your typical Hallmark movie with the situation Nina is going through. But, there is still that uplifting feeling you come to expect from Hallmark movies.

I hope that Hallmark continues to employ Broadway stars. Jeremy Jordan is just one in the movies this season. The 2020 movie One Royal Holiday has three! Way to step up your game Hallmark!

So I was just passing by on the TV was a really sweat interaction between the man and woman in the store. She was looking for building materials. The man who is a contractor explained a couple of things to her but it turns out that she knows her stuff. Not only was he being helpful, but it was his actual job. Cool! But then the script has him apologise for "mansplaining" which took me out of the nice old timey feel right back into the madness which is the 21st century. So I'm out!

This movie needs a part 2. Continuing from the end. Great story line about family, love and happiness.

I wasn't going to watch this at first because I knew it was going to be a tear jerker but I'm certainly glad I did.....Twice. Although It deals with loss, it does so in the most positive and uplifting way possible. The entire cast does a wonderful job and chemistry and love abounds here. It has a very unique and interesting story that you will certainly be invested in. And yes, you'll need the tissues, but it's well worth it.

I knew the story would be emotional but was surprised at the caliber of acting. Didn't know anything about any of the leads, but enjoyed all of them. I liked that the love story was secondary to the story about the friendship between the two families. One of my favorites of the 2020 season.

You will cry, laugh and have a warm fuzzy feeling. Bring tissues!

I like it ! Was the fair conclusion after the final scene. First, for nice exploration of sensitive themes, from the single mother affected by cancer to the foster care volunteers and the orphans looking for a home, from the stranger in town and the eccentric investment to the love for books and the remind of children literature classics , from the not happy financial situation of public libraries to the hard work for a dream becoming true and the fall to have the desired job.

The romance is nice and few scenes just forced, but the small dog, the girls and the good atmosphere are good points of a film who has the courage - and some succes- be different by the so familiar Hallmark Christmas films.

There's a song by Kacey Musgraves called Happy and Sad:

"Is there a word for the way that I'm feeling tonight? Happy and sad at the same time. You got me smiling with tears in my eyes."

That's how I felt during many of the scenes (like the sledding scene, and the court scene). There's this pervasive sadness throughout the movie that's tempered by moments of real joy and love. I cried often.

Janel Parrish and Marisol Nichols were effective as Melody, the former foster kid, and Nina, the sick mom. Jeremy Jordan was impressive as Adam, the thoughtful love interest trying to deal with complicated issues with his father.

There are things that could be criticized, but this movie is such a celebration of love, kindness, compassion and selflessness, that I'm skipping any criticisms.

Any movie that features the reading of the How the Grinch Stole Christmas to two children in bed should get a thumbs up for that alone.

There's also a gift of an elf and then the use of an elf in the naming of something that I found very sweet.

Two key phrases that might define the movie:

"Help where help is needed"

"Sometimes dreams take a little time"

This movie will make you happy and sad at the same time.

My family and I kept passing this movie up, but I was home alone and decided to give it a try and so glad I did.

I just really enjoyed this film and its heartwarming message. I found it to be beautifully, acted and more believable than most Hallmark films. The writing and storyline is also much more creative and engaging than most Hallmark films I've seen in the past.

Take the time to watch the film, I think that you will be glad that you did.

It would be great if they produced a sequel so we could all find out how things turn out for the couple, the house and the children. Well done movie.

8.2 stars.

I could not hold back the tears watching 'Holly & Ivy'. This movie is crafted to be a tear jerker, no question. I'll just put forth a generic summary, because the beauty of this movie speaks for itself.

A woman with a master's degree has one dream in life: to be a librarian. She is doing everything she can to secure a job in a local library, but it's taking a lot of time and effort volunteering etc. Unfortunately, she's young, single and unemployed and in the process of remodeling a house she recently purchased. It's not a great situation.

A neighbor lady has two girls named Holly & Ivy. These girls are so adorable. These two women become instant friends and are so endearing. Take into account the cute and cuddly aspects of 4 females having a lot of fun and sharing dreams and memories and all that sappy stuff. There is also a man in the picture who dreams of creating woodworking masterpieces, but his father is pressuring him to take a solid job. This story is presented so well, it will touch your heart. It's not silly or lopsided, it's simply quite moving.

With an amazing film like this, I need not elaborate. You will love it, you will be touched. Tissues on standby required, or use your sleeve; but if you watch this with family, friends, or significant other, they will witness your blubbering. If that is not your wish, delay viewing this until you are alone (with ample tissues).