Movie: Long Lost Christmas
Starring: Taylor Cole, Benjamin Ayres
Network: Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
Rating (out of 5 stars): ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis: Interior designer Hayley plans to surprise her recently widowed mother Patricia with the perfect holiday present: the extended family she knows her mom yearns for.
⚠🛑 Disclaimer: This review may contain movie spoilers
Review:
Wow. Sometimes it's best not to read a synopsis before watching a movie. That's what I did with this one. I was not prepared for this at all. A truly heartwarming story that had me in tears almost from the beginning of the movie. A stellar cast with exceptional performances by Taylor Cole and Benjamin Ayres. A plot that focused on love, loss, reconciliation and family. A truly exceptional movie.
Plot
This movie aired on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries so of course that meant the deep, raw and emotional story lines that we have become accustomed to on this channel. "Lost at Christmas" definitely delivered the deep content and warranted a box of tissues for sure.
Hayley recently lost her father and her mother is holed up in the house trying to cope with the loss. Taylor finds a photo of her mom dated 1973 with a boy named Gordon that she has never heard of. Her mother declares, for the first time, that she was brought up through the foster system and has an older brother name Gordon. Gordon is 7 years older and aged out of the system at 18, fell into some hard times and never returned to retrieve his sister. She has lived without her brother for 50 years. Taylor decides to find the long lost uncle and sets off on an adventure. What follows is an emotional journey for Taylor which has some ups and downs during her road of discovery. Along the way she is able to deal a little more with her own grief, find out more about her past, find her long lost family and oh yeah...fall in love
This was a more dramatic movie which had some deeper content. It dealt with grief, loss, self-discovery, forgiveness, acceptance, family and love. It was well written, well acted and full of emotion.
The good
Taylor Cole - Wow. Taylor Cole was wonderful in this role. She tends to pick more of the dramatic roles and I don't mind it at all. Her expressions and mannerisms make you feel the character more. I truly enjoyed her in this role.
Benjamin Ayres - Benjamin Ayres had a smaller part than I expected albeit he did play an important role. His content on social media shows a sillier comedic side of him but this definitely was more dramatic and he does this well.
Chemistry - I really loved the pairing of Benjamin Ayres and Taylor Cole. They worked so well with each other. I would love to see them star opposite each other in something a little less dramatic. Let's see something a little more upbeat and quirky.
Grant Vlahovic - I particularly liked the character of Gordon played by Grant Vlahovic. He was guarded, supportive, strong, fatherly, loving and so much more. He captivated my attention when he was on screen as he had this element of mystery that I was drawn to. The reconciliation of Gordon and his sister Patricia had me in tears...especially when he was explaining why he left the way he did. It was heartbreaking and acted so well by Vlahovic.
The not so good
Lolly Peterson/Showcase Home - I didn't really like the little side story of Lolly Peterson and the showcase home. I felt like it didn't really add much to the story line outside of helping her find a place to house the furniture from Sarah. I found it unnecessary filler. Not to mention that I did not like Lolly at all. She was a tad snobby and the way she kept saying that there was no one else available except Hayley I thought was so rude. Not to mention tossing Hayley aside after finding a bigger star...no thanks.
Questions/Observations
A few times it was mentioned that Blake had gone through some hard times. Did I miss something? Did they ever tell you what the guy went through and what Gordon helped him through? I kept thinking he would say that he was also brought up through the foster care system.
Was anyone else constantly worried that Hayley was growing a little too fond of Blake who may have been related to her? I kept thinking...girl slow down. What if he's your cousin too??!!
Final Thoughts
Overall this movie was an emotional journey. It was well written, well cast and captivated my attention for sure. I'm not sure it's one that I would seek out regularly but that's typical for the HM&M realm for me as they are a tad deeper than the lighter romantic comedies. This is definitely one that you should watch but be prepared with some tissues.
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