Honest Review – ‘A Biltmore Christmas’ Is A Stand Out Hallmark Movie This Year. There have been 40 new titles this year on Hallmark Channel’s Countdown To Christmas for the 2023 season. Starting at the end of October, Countdown To Christmas has become a beloved tradition.
Again, I, like so many, look forward to this event every year and the new crop of movies and reviewing many favorite holiday movies. This year’s class has many that are worthy of rewatching for years to come. ‘A Biltmore Christmas’ is one that I will be watching for many years to come.
‘A Biltmore Christmas’ stars Bethany Joy Lenz and Kristoffer Polaha star as Lucy and Jack. Jonathan Frakes of Star Trek fame costars as the Biltmore Caretaker.
Related: Honest Review – A Merry Scottish Christmas On Hallmark Channel
A screenwriter on a trip for research unexpectedly finds herself in a different time – but in the same place. Lucy Hardgrove (Lenz) is a screenwriter who lands the job of a lifetime when she’s hired to pen the script for a remake of the beloved, holiday movie classic, His Merry Wife!, which was filmed in 1947 at beautiful, historic Biltmore House.
When the head of the studio isn’t satisfied with the ending Lucy wrote because it deviates from the original’s feel-good conclusion, he sends Lucy to Biltmore Estate for research and inspiration, where she’s welcomed by Biltmore employee Winston (Frakes), who shows her around. While there, she unwittingly discovers the ability to travel to the 1947 set of His Merry Wife! through the help of an hourglass.
While on set, she and Jack Huston (Polaha), one of the film’s stars, spend time together and become close. But her sudden appearance has set off a chain of events that put the production in jeopardy. Before she can return to the present, Lucy must make things right or threaten to alter the future forever.
For me, this movie checked all the boxes. As a fan of Hallmark movies, I look for a movie that gives me the feels. It should make me root for the people, feel the nostalgia of Christmas, and evoke emotion. This movie did all of this. Throw in that there is time travel and an old-time Christmas movie being made, and boy, am I hooked.
The movie that they are filming, ‘His Merry Wife’ reminds me a lot of ‘The Bishop’s Wife’ which is a personal favorite. Furthermore, if you also liked ‘The Bishop’s Wife’ you can watch ‘Archie’ on Britbox, which is the story of Cary Grant’s life. You can check my review on The Funatics Blog.
The cast is fantastic in ‘A Biltmore Christmas.’ Bethany Joy Lenz proves why her movies are stand out routinely for Hallmark. Kristoffer Polaha is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. There is palpable chemistry between them. I absolutely was rooting for these two as Lucy and Jack.
As with other movies in the last few years, there is a great cameo by Rachel Boston and Wes Brown play themselves and make mention of their Classic Hallmark movie, ‘Check Inn To Christmas.’
I do plan on doing a full wrap-up review of this year’s Countdown to Christmas movies and I can guarantee that this will be in my top 3. This is this year’s stand-out movie to me. I see myself watching this many many times. Finally, it has inspired me to want to take a trip to Ashville, NC to see the Biltmore for myself.
“A Biltmore Christmas” is from Hallmark Media. Dustin Rikert is the executive producer. The movie is produced by Andrew Gernhard and Colin Theys. Molly M. Mayeux serves as line producer. Jason Sallee is the co-producer. John Putch directed from a script by Marcy Holland.
