Do you hate morning shows? Do you hate Hallmark? Then you should steer clear of this film. Otherwise, come right on in. This time we’re watching Good Morning Christmas!
Synopsis:
Two squabbling TV hosts are sent to a festive small town over Christmas. While pretending to get along for the sake of appearance, they discover that there’s more to each other than they thought. Starring Alison Sweeney and Marc Blucas.
RECAP
Our Hallmark Heroine Melissa Merry and Hallmark Hunk Brian Bright are big time presenters for a morning TV program called – get this – Bright & Merry. Brian loves going off-script which irritates Melissa and the producer. This makes sense because the poor co-host has to volley with him and wriggle back to the script. It’s pretty selfish and she has a right to be irritated.
But it’s Hallmark, so Brian’s actions are charming and she’s a stick in the mud!
The producer calls the team into her office to inform them that the duo is dunzo. The network has agreed to Brian’s request to leave the show. It’s the #1 morning show in the country…Brian definitely has some dirt on the higher ups.
Melissa is panicked as she had no clue. Brian didn’t even give her the courtesy of telling her he petitioned to leave. The level of disrespect. We’re literally four minutes into this film and I am going to lose my mind.
The angry host heads to her sister’s house to vent and wrap gifts. She moans that the show hired an unqualified ex-football star/reality show contestant to host and now she’s being left in the lurch. These are fair complaints.
The next morning, the producer tells the soon-to-be-former-cohosts that the show will be filming at a town called Mistletoe for a week-long Christmas special. The team heads to the quaint town and is introduced to all the quaint people at the quaint hotel.
The hosts have dinner and discuss the show. Melissa asks that he rehearse the program before he leaves. Brian flat out says no and thinks that their “spontaneity” is what makes the show a hit, not her “controlling every moment.” They can’t agree on a very simple detail in their working relationship, so it’s definitely a blessing that this dude is leaving.
It’s the first day of filming at Mistletoe. Brian immediately stops reading the teleprompter and the producer surprises Melissa with an impromptu gingerbread house building session. Needless to say, things are going just peachy for Melissa.
Later, the hosts go on a walk and declare a truce. They only have a few episodes left to film so might as well. Little do they know that this walk down Mistletoe’s overly decorated lane is the first of many bonding sessions.
Melissa gets bamboozled into doing a three-legged race with Brian. It doesn’t go well as they fall on the floor five steps into the competition.
Melissa goes on a very pleasant, flirty walk with Deputy Mayor but is interrupted by an urgent work text from Brian. A worried Melissa races off to deal with the issue only to realize that it was all a prank by Brian. He did this so that she’d stop falling in love with the handsome guy. In spite of Melissa’s budding love interest and Brian’s GIRLFRIEND, the couple does loads of bonding scenes.
In one of the bonding scenes, they set up a bet where if Brian loses, he has to dance a Christmas jig (I don’t know what the details are around this and I don’t care to rewind).
A moments later, Brian’s girlfriend interrupts a stocking decoration sesh to inform her boyfriend that she landed them a reality show together! This is a big deal, but Brian doesn’t appear to be remotely interested.
This is red flag territory. In almost every scene with his girlfriend, he flat out ignores the woman. People even make comments that Brian and Melissa seem like a couple. Run, Melissa, run!
Brian learns more about Melissa and coordinates a cooking baking moment for her. He even sexily wraps an apron around her. While beating some eggs, Brian asks why Melissa is single. (Spoiler: it’s because she’s TOO career focused.)
Brian’s girlfriend finds Melissa alone for once and asks if Melissa is ok with her stealing Brian away to her new reality show. The TV host is unaware of this and just nods. Brian’s girlfriend takes Melissa’s response at face value and traipses off to see Brian.
She meets her boyfriend and tries to get him to sign the TV show contracts, but he hesitates. She realizes that something is up. They conveniently get interrupted by a rude townsperson who tells Brian that he and Melissa make a great team.
The ex-NFL player and future-reality star break up. She handles the whole thing with grace which Brian does not deserve.
Still thinking that Brian has a new show, Melissa begins to pull away from her co-host. Christmas will not have this! To get her on-side again, Brian plans a big surprise and leaves a note at her door.
However, instead of seeing the surprise, she goes on a quick dinner date with Deputy Mayor. In Hallmark, dinner means going for a walk. While chatting, she realizes that Deputy Mayor didn’t send the note. She hugs him and runs back to the hotel to dive into Brian’s arms. But he ain’t there.
The next morning, Brian prepares the surprise (again?). The producer sniffs out that her two hosts are going to do a grand gesture and sics her cameraman on them without their knowledge so that she can capture the intimate moment for millions of viewers.
Brian meets Melissa on a horse carriage decorated in Christmas lights and garland. Brian apologizes for being a rude person, says he has no reality show, tells her that he’s single now, and admits that he loves her. Melissa says that she loves him, too. They kiss.
The couple rides into the evening on their horse carriage. Presumably, Brian is given his job back.
REVIEW
Initially, I had written “Brian sucks,” but I’ve replaced that with THE PRODUCER SUCKS. What kind of vulture is she to broadcast that moment without the knowledge of her talent? Live? On the most viewed TV program in the country? Jesus Christ.
Rating: 3 out of 5 unethical producers that should be fired
STRAY THOUGHTS
- One summer as a child, I got really into Days of Our Lives. The female lead in this film played Sami, a total idiot who was in love with Austin and HATED Lucas. Really weird summer.
- I really can’t pin why, but I really dislike Melissa and Brian becoming chummy more than the usual “control freak falls for cad” trope.
- Question to the audience: is “why are you single” a typical question to ask people?
- An interesting trend from all the movies I’ve watched recently…no DEAD PARENTSTM. What is going on here?!
- Brian: Hey Stan, how did you know Jenny was the one?
Stan, the friendly hotel owner: Because she has been driving me crazy since the day I met her.
What the hell kind of answer is that?! - Thanks to everyone who is still bothering to read these even if they are wildly out of date.
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