Christmas at Castle Hart (2021)
After the immense success of Christmas in Rome, Hallmark sent Lacey Chabert on another on-location excursion: Christmas at Castle Hart. Everyone hoped it would be just as charming and absorbing as its Italian counterpart, but unfortunately this “Christmas in Ireland” fell very short. Yes, the castle itself is very beautiful, and you’ll get to see some of the charm of little local pubs and the green countryside, but the story and characters leave much to be desired.
Lacey and her sister, Ali Hardiman, work for a successful party planner in New York, and when they get fired two weeks before Christmas, they decide to forget their troubles and take a vacation to Ireland. But it’s a vacation with an ulterior motive: they recently found out their late father was adopted and his ancestors came from Ireland. They’re hoping to look up their extended family (with nothing but a very common Irish surname to go on), descend upon them just before the holidays, and be welcomed in with open arms. It’s a bit inconsiderate, isn’t it?
Their ulterior motivation increases when they get a chance opportunity to become party planners themselves – and by chance opportunity, I mean a full-blown lie. The Earl of Glaslough and his sister (Stuart Townsend and Aoife Spratt) have a Christmas gala to plan and their events coordinator quit at the last minute. Ali spins a very elaborate lie that she and Lacey are the best party planners in New York, and that Lacey herself is actually the boss who fired them. They’re hired on the spot and find themselves completely over their heads, not only with the event but with the constant lies needed to keep up the charade.
Isn’t this the most ridiculous plotline? They would never be hired without a background check (during which time someone would see a picture of the real party planner and realize Lacey is an imposter), while they’re on a tourist tour of the castle. If the original planner quit ten days before Christmas, wouldn’t some of the arrangements still be intact? Why would Lacey need to start from scratch to find a caterer and live musicians? And if she’s not supposed to be inept, why is she spending her days either fiddling with twinkle lights on table centerpieces, or driving around the countryside with Stuart? The answer to that last question is easy to answer, of course: this is a Hallmark movie, and she has to fall in love.
I really wouldn’t recommend this movie, even if you yourself are Irish and love your culture (as do I). If the plot and script nearly ruin it, Ali’s character’s lack of mental faculties finish the job. As an Irish-Italian, I’m going to stick with Christmas in Rome, and when I want an Irish Hallmark fix, I’ll watch A Luck Would Have It.
More Christmas movies here!
Lacey and her sister, Ali Hardiman, work for a successful party planner in New York, and when they get fired two weeks before Christmas, they decide to forget their troubles and take a vacation to Ireland. But it’s a vacation with an ulterior motive: they recently found out their late father was adopted and his ancestors came from Ireland. They’re hoping to look up their extended family (with nothing but a very common Irish surname to go on), descend upon them just before the holidays, and be welcomed in with open arms. It’s a bit inconsiderate, isn’t it?
Their ulterior motivation increases when they get a chance opportunity to become party planners themselves – and by chance opportunity, I mean a full-blown lie. The Earl of Glaslough and his sister (Stuart Townsend and Aoife Spratt) have a Christmas gala to plan and their events coordinator quit at the last minute. Ali spins a very elaborate lie that she and Lacey are the best party planners in New York, and that Lacey herself is actually the boss who fired them. They’re hired on the spot and find themselves completely over their heads, not only with the event but with the constant lies needed to keep up the charade.
Isn’t this the most ridiculous plotline? They would never be hired without a background check (during which time someone would see a picture of the real party planner and realize Lacey is an imposter), while they’re on a tourist tour of the castle. If the original planner quit ten days before Christmas, wouldn’t some of the arrangements still be intact? Why would Lacey need to start from scratch to find a caterer and live musicians? And if she’s not supposed to be inept, why is she spending her days either fiddling with twinkle lights on table centerpieces, or driving around the countryside with Stuart? The answer to that last question is easy to answer, of course: this is a Hallmark movie, and she has to fall in love.
I really wouldn’t recommend this movie, even if you yourself are Irish and love your culture (as do I). If the plot and script nearly ruin it, Ali’s character’s lack of mental faculties finish the job. As an Irish-Italian, I’m going to stick with Christmas in Rome, and when I want an Irish Hallmark fix, I’ll watch A Luck Would Have It.
More Christmas movies here!