Christmas Under the Stars (2019)
In Christmas Under the Stars, Jesse Metcalfe starts the movie as a wealthy investment banker who only cares about success. When he gets fired, he goes for a walk to clear his head. He hears a man call out to him, “Hey! How tall are you?” From then on, his life changes.
Clarke Peters has been operating a Christmas tree lot for thirty years, but now that he’s alone and getting older, it’s getting difficult. He keeps a smile on his face and a cheerful disposition for his customers, but his heart is breaking. His best friend’s daughter, Autumn Reeser, is celebrating her first Christmas after her dad’s death, and she’s lonely too. Autumn is just as cute as it gets, with her sparkling eyes completely embodying the spirit of Christmas. Jesse sets aside the ego we’d all seen in Chesapeake Shores and embodies a different, sweeter character (it’s called acting, folks). And from the first scene, we’re intrigued to discover the pain behind Clarke’s smile.
I would definitely recommend Christmas Under the Stars. It’s one of the better Hallmark movies, with a touch of drama mixed in with a solid story. There aren’t any gingerbread contests, great-grandmother recipes to retrieve, or snowball fights. Instead, there are medical bills, family disappointments, and rebuilding from the ground-up. Jesse is humbled more than he thought possible, and he learns that humanity is more important than financial success. Autumn learns that accepting help doesn’t mean she’s a failure. And Clarke shows his underbelly, opening the doors to his heart to both strangers and friends near and dear. Yes, the movie does have a bit of Hallmark-esque corniness in the end, but very few Hallmark Christmas movies don’t have that feature. It’s the one time of year we all tolerate a bit of unrealistic cheese, so don’t write this movie off just yet. It’s enjoyable, the characters are endearing, the romance is realistic, and the story will stick with you.
More Christmas movies here!
Clarke Peters has been operating a Christmas tree lot for thirty years, but now that he’s alone and getting older, it’s getting difficult. He keeps a smile on his face and a cheerful disposition for his customers, but his heart is breaking. His best friend’s daughter, Autumn Reeser, is celebrating her first Christmas after her dad’s death, and she’s lonely too. Autumn is just as cute as it gets, with her sparkling eyes completely embodying the spirit of Christmas. Jesse sets aside the ego we’d all seen in Chesapeake Shores and embodies a different, sweeter character (it’s called acting, folks). And from the first scene, we’re intrigued to discover the pain behind Clarke’s smile.
I would definitely recommend Christmas Under the Stars. It’s one of the better Hallmark movies, with a touch of drama mixed in with a solid story. There aren’t any gingerbread contests, great-grandmother recipes to retrieve, or snowball fights. Instead, there are medical bills, family disappointments, and rebuilding from the ground-up. Jesse is humbled more than he thought possible, and he learns that humanity is more important than financial success. Autumn learns that accepting help doesn’t mean she’s a failure. And Clarke shows his underbelly, opening the doors to his heart to both strangers and friends near and dear. Yes, the movie does have a bit of Hallmark-esque corniness in the end, but very few Hallmark Christmas movies don’t have that feature. It’s the one time of year we all tolerate a bit of unrealistic cheese, so don’t write this movie off just yet. It’s enjoyable, the characters are endearing, the romance is realistic, and the story will stick with you.
More Christmas movies here!