Nov 26

Nov 26 'Countdown to Christmas' movie review: 'Check Inn to Christmas'

Featuring the always great Rachel Boston and Wes Brown, the holiday romance “Check Inn to Christmas” (premiering Nov. 26 as part of the Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas) is a great example of a Hallmark movie that puts story first (even if its script is far from perfect).

In short: Julia (Boston) comes home to spend the holidays with her family running their inn only to get caught up in a longstanding feud with a rival inn. Also stars Brown, Richard Karn ("Home Improvement") and Anna Daines.

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Co-leads Boston and Brown are so genuinely affable that anytime they're on screen - especially together - then "Inn" truly feels like a romance with characters who want things out of life. They crackle on screen together, yet they also drive home the drama of some of the movie's more pressing moments - especially as a large resort threatens to put the two family-owned inns out of business. This pair of Hallmark Channel veterans proves why they're among the channel's most reliable stars.

From a dialogue perspective, "Inn" is not a particularly well-written movie. Every line of dialogue should inform the audience about either some facet of the characters, the plot or should just entertain on some level. Anything else is, at best, filler or - at worst - just wastes time. The very first scene has Julia lamenting the traffic and talking about donuts. No one expects Hallmark movies to be Best Screenplay contenders, but the script for "Inn" is weak to the point of being distracting.

That said, "Inn" works because it's founded in a fun, family rivalry that is interwoven with the "big hotel encroaching on small-town business" plot. And yes it's totally a romance, but the romance is a total product of Julia and family rival Ryan (Brown) working together to unite their feuding fathers against a common threat. The movie really makes clear that both families actually have a lot to lose if a big corporate resort shows up in town. And like any good "Countdown" movie, "Inn" finds a fun way to sneak in plenty of traditional holiday events, like snowballs, wreath making and holiday decorations.

Final verdict: "Inn" is so close to pure "Countdown" charm. Its story is compelling, from the effort to save the town's family-owned businesses to Julia's conflict between the pull to return home and the lure of a career-changing promotion.