Release Date: Dec. 10, 2021, 8/7c
Movie: A Dickens of a Holiday
Network: Hallmark
Starring: Brooke D'Orsay and Kristoffer Polaha.
Synopsis: To make the 100th anniversary of her hometown’s Victorian festival a success, Cassie invites action movie star and former high school classmate Jake to play Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol.”
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⚠🛑 Disclaimer: This review may contain spoilers.
Review:
Bravo Kristoffer Polaha. Bravo Booke D'Orsay. Loved you guys. Loved the plot. Loved everything.
Cassie (D'Orsay) is a recently divorced woman who is trying to find her way back into the world of theatre and in particular directing. She is tasked with directing the 100th anniversary of her hometown play, A Christmas Carol. When the actor playing Scrooge falls ill, she is forced to invite an old high school classmate Jake (Polaha) to play the role. Jake just happens to be a big time Hollywood action star who just isn't taken seriously about more serious roles and decides to head home to star as Scrooge in hopes he may be taken more seriously in the future. Through the direction of his director Jake is able to work on his dramatic skill, but in the meantime also work on getting the girl.
This movie was absolutely charming. Both Polaha and D'Orsay were unbelievable in their performances. Individually they offered such talent and heart to their respective roles which is typical of both of these actors. Polaha delivered an amazing performance of an entitled Hollywood action star who came home to a small town for his own selfish reasons. Through the course of the movie you saw his progression from a big Hollywood actor right through to a person beginning to love his craft again and eventually delivering the performance of a lifetime as Scrooge. He was so believable as Scrooge and really delved into the role on screen. I would actually love to see him play Scrooge on screen in an official movie or even in theatre. His performance was spot on.
The chemistry between these two actors was electric. The quick banter at the beginning of the movie was fun and cheeky. Throughout the course of the movie you really felt them moving past that original coldness and banter and growing into a more mature relationship. They really had some heartwarming moments together...especially those when Cassie was really trying to help Jake in feeling the character and emotion of Scrooge. I absolutely loved them on screen together.
I can't really say much more about this movie. It's something you would need to watch in order to appreciate the development of Jake, the development of their relationship and the electric chemistry of the two main leads. Definitely a must watch and in fact I will be watching this again before Christmas.
Did you watch this movie? Tell me your thoughts in the comments.