Is it truly the holiday season if one doesnt indulge in a little Hallmark joy?
Admittedly, yours truly is a Hallmark novice.
Even though it debuted in 2023,A Biltmore Christmasremains the jewel of any Hallmark Media season.
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It practically deserves the subtitle, “your ideal experience.”
(Yes, that’s a verb.)
What Is Hallmark’s ‘A Biltmore Christmas’ About?
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InA Biltmore Christmas, theHallmark beats practically drip with tinsel sheen.
Lucy Hardgrove(Bethany Joy Lenz) is a professional screenwriter who thinks she has her life together.
(Exclamation point included free of charge.
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)Lucy wants to update the “unrealistic” happy endinginto the modern age.
Her boss, knowing what sells best, insists that Lucy keep the original ending intact.
She just can’t fathom how.
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Then, vague life events crushed her optimism.
She’s convinced that people are incapable of demonstrating selflessness when push comes to shove.
And Lucy has tobelievein what she writes.
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As a natural pessimist, she craves realism.
That puts her up-and-coming career in a perilous spot.
The estate is the pinnacle of breathtaking glamour and glitz.
Courtesy of an inexplicably magical hourglass,Lucy time travels to 1947 whenHis Merry Wife!
’s leading manand her old crush, Jack Huston who’s destined to die on Christmas Eve, 1948.
I think if I just throw a buster here and a fella there, Ill blend right in."
Most importantly, Lucy dances in a stunning vintage ballgown and lives out the fan romance dream with Jack.
What could beyet another heterosexual pairinginstead crackles with studiedscrewball comedychemistry.
The emotional hook is studied, too: will Lucy get back home before the metaphorical stroke of midnight?
Does Jack really die?
How could Hallmark get me invested only to break my heart?
The best escapism doesn’t insist you come along for the ride; it warmly invites.
One could hardly askA Biltmore Christmasfor more, and directorJohn Putchhas a firm grasp of the proceedings.
Between Lenz and the script she wields, Lucy Hardgrove is a win for the rom-com girls.
Stumbling into a decades-spanning love story with herCary Grant-esque soulmate is something destiny adds to her equation.
Some may call this low-hanging fruit, but it’s a foundation that bears repeating until it’s normalized.
Seeing this package given to a 43-year-old actress is especially delightful.
Polaha feels as frozen in time as the performers he was tasked to emulate.
The Nancy Meyers rom-com totally nails this key relationship.
The old-time glamour emphasizes the house’s modern tangibility.
Heck, one room has a Fraser fir Christmas tree that’s 35 feet tall.
For the many jaw-dropping costumes,designerKeith Nielsenutilized real vintage itemsfrom the 1940s and emulated era-appropriate patterns.
Why Is ‘A Biltmore Christmas’ the Perfect Hallmark Movie?
Where’s ourA Biltmore Christmassequel?
The charmingly ambiguous lore allows for flexibility.
That’s how Old Hollywood did it.
No one needs to be conversant in Criterion Collection trivia to revel in the comfortsA Biltmore Christmasaffords.
