Maggie Collins (Amy Acker) is set to spend a rare Christmas without her daughters. Her ex-husband Jeff Randall (Kristian Bruun) and girlfriend Kate Reynolds (Brooke Nevin) are bringing them to her family's Aspen home. Before Sam could stop her, Kate invites Maggie. Sam Reynolds (Warren Christie) is Kate's charming brother.
This is not the usual Hallmark fare. There is real stakes imbedded in the premise. Normally, this would be a fight to the finish between Maggie and the villainous Kate with a final reconciliation to conclude the story. The fact that this is Hallmark complicates matters a bit and I'm not sure the mixture the film decides upon. They do keep the conflict at a good simmer but never at a boil. The kids give this movie actual stakes but Hallmark does prevent it from turning into actual conflicts.
This is not the usual Hallmark fare. There is real stakes imbedded in the premise. Normally, this would be a fight to the finish between Maggie and the villainous Kate with a final reconciliation to conclude the story. The fact that this is Hallmark complicates matters a bit and I'm not sure the mixture the film decides upon. They do keep the conflict at a good simmer but never at a boil. The kids give this movie actual stakes but Hallmark does prevent it from turning into actual conflicts.