Today I'll be reviewing the movie A December Bride released in 2016.
Starring:
Jessica Lowndes, Daniel Lissing, Jay Hindle
Directed by:
David Winning
Genre:
Comedy, Romance
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Rating:
TV-G
Budget:
N/A
Current IMDb Rating When Reviewed:
6.9
The Synopsis is:
This charming film about a struggling interior designer, Layla O'Reilly, who can't seem to catch a break Yet little does she know, the true love she has been looking for is right in front of her.
Sounds familiar? Probably because movies like these are popped right out of the oven over at the Lifetime and Hallmark Channels. Own is getting in on the action this year as well. But does that make this a terrible movie? Nope. If you are a romantic, this fulfills the fantasy of falling in love.
The story is adapted from the romance novel, The Convenient Groom published in 2006 by Denise Hunter. An earlier adaptation of the book was made by The Hallmark Channel in 2016 also titled, The Convenient Groom in 2016. The channel is known for recycling story ideas to fit their growing television romance movie audience.
Karen Berger adapted the book into a screenplay and Canadian / American, David Winner directed the film. David Winner is a master of romance having directed some of my favorite Christmas TV films such as, The Rooftop Christmas Tree in 2016, and The Mistletoe Promise in 2016.
Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the film starts out with Layla on the verge of marrying her fiance, Jack. Upon the happenstance of her cousin, Jessica returning to town, the wedding she ends up going to is the one between Jack and her cousin Jessica. Ouch!
Frantic for a date to the event, circumstances puts Seth Murphy as her only chance to retain whatever dignity she has left. Seth is unfortunately the person unknowingly responsible for setting up Jack and Jessica. He feels terrible about it and offers to help Layla any way he can. In a rush of excitement at the wedding, he announces that he and Layla are engaged to keep her from being the focus of everyone's pity. This lie is the kind of trope that drives many romantic movies, to keep the story infused with wacky antics to cover up said lie. This usually drives me mad, but somehow this film makes it work. It's possible that it works because I felt so bad for Layla.
There is definitely a romance formula given to many of the films coming from the Christmas romance genre. What I like about this particular story is that is goes off the rails a little bit.
It totally skips the trope of having the main couple spend a chunk of time angry at each other and then finding their way back to each other. I despise that trope. The story focuses in on a kind of Soap Opera type format to give us a story of healing and redemption. Nothing over the top either and I appreciate that as it deals with the reasons why the relationship between Layla and Jack was so fragile to begin with.
The man stealing Jessica, is also character you would think was only after her own interests in the beginning of the film. Jack and Jessica are assumed to be horrible people but something changes as the story explores the deeper layers of complex relationships and how healing can transpire through communication.
The film gets its name, A December Bride because Layla has always dreamed of getting married in December based on a beloved memory of her deceased mother. The concept is corny or touching based on your perception of such things.
Layla O'Reilly is played by Canadian actor Jessica Lowndes who is stunning on screen. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She plays Layla with a “girl next door” charm, so seeing her point of view and empathizing with the character was pretty easy.
Seth Murphy was played by Australian actor, Daniel Lissing and his American accent was spot on. There is also a running gag in the movie that Seth can’t sing, but Daniel on the other hand is an amazing singer.
The character of Seth is quite interesting to watch because, even from the beginning of the story, you can see how much he is in love with Layla even though we are never told this. It’s implied and the character says more with Daniel’s performance than the dialogue provides. With everything that is going on in the plot, the movie does give you a wonderful insight to Seth's personal issues as he goes through a little healing process of his own with his father and accepting the value of living in the moment.
There is even a part of the film that just deals with the process of Christmasing! (Yes, I am making the word Christmasing a thing!) That’s my favorite part, which includes, the toy drives, the decorating, the gathering of friends, fruit cake, hot cider, hot cocoa, the cookies, wreaths, and singing. And most of all, these romance Christmas TV movies always end with a kiss in a picturesque holiday scene. This was no exception. It's not a spoiler. It's in the trailer.
This is one of my guilty pleasures.
My Rating:
6.7
That sums up my quick spoiler free review. This is Retro Nerd Girl signing off!
Take care movie lovers! I'm off to the next review!
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