I take in my next festive freebie while getting ready to nip off on a weekend break with my wife and her family and I’m probably not giving it my full attention. It’s hard to pack for a trip when half your stuff is still in boxes. Still, from what I do take in, I’m glad that 2012’s Christmas with Holly is a little different from the crowd. Sure, it’s another romantic TV drama but puts less focus on the romance angle and more on the relationship between Josie Gallina’s six year-old recently orphaned Holly and her uncle Mark, played by Sean Faris who becomes her guardian. Holly’s mum recently passed, the kid’s stopped talking and she’s had to move in with her uncles who all try to share the responsibility of caring for her and hopefully give her a happy Christmas. Meanwhile, a young woman named Maggie (Eloise Mumford) has moved to their quaint little island town and tries to open her own toy store where she crosses paths with Mark and silent but charming Holly, who touches her heart and so on. Faris is immensely sweet as Mark, in way over his head but is determined to do the right thing by this child.
Interestingly, it’s not an overly Christmassy film. It seems like they’re really trying not to distract from the primary focus of the tale which is how everyone struggles to find their feet (and voice!) again after a life-altering tragedy. The film’s gorgeous island setting is a really great touch, with its fairy-light festooned fishing bloats creating a striking backdrop and giving me something visually a bit different from the norm.
We’re still firmly in made-for-TV territory here, so there’s nothing particularly revelatory about the plot. We know everything will work out fine and it will all come to a head at the big Christmas boat show where romance will blossom and yuletide dreams will come true and so on. The film is fine and it’s something slightly different. I’m grateful for that.
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