'Countdown to Christmas' movie review: 'Christmas Scavenger Hunt'

Wrapped in a festive event, “Christmas Scavenger Hunt” (premiering Nov. 3 as part of the Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas) is packed with endearing holiday traditions, the sweet reunion of two former flames and a young woman split between her career and her hometown.

In short: Belinda (Kim Shaw) returns to her hometown for the holidays and enters the town's annual Christmas scavenger hunt - when she reluctantly teams up with her ex, Dustin (Kevin McGarry, "When Calls the Heart ").

Belinda is what makes "Scavenger" a holiday surprise. While she's drawn back to her hometown for her bestie's wedding, Belinda finds herself completely engrossed in the scavenger hunt. The movie isn't as simple as Belinda being thrown together with former boyfriend Dustin - that's a foregone conclusion. Instead, the story patiently allows the scavenger hunt to reignite their relationship. Most importantly, the movie establishes Belinda as an internally conflicted character, torn between her job, her big city boyfriend, her hometown and Dustin.

Holiday traditions typically rear their head in Hallmark movies, usually in the form of a to-do list. "Scavenger" has fun going down the checklist of typical holiday fare - gingerbread houses and snowmen - and finds a creative new way to sprinkle these beloved Christmas traditions throughout a 'Countdown' movie. That said, it's pretty hard to figure out how the town manages to make its scavenger hunt an annual event, given how the tasks are pretty broad.

McGarry is impossibly charming - to the extent that it would be silly if that old flame between Belinda and Dustin didn't start to flicker again. He doesn't have a lot of room for any character development, which can be a problem in some Hallmark movies - but McGarry's likability is so effortless that it's easy to overlook his relative lack of character depth.

Tom Arnold (yes, THE Tom Arnold) is wonderfully cast a Belinda's lovable father. He exudes such earnest warmth as "Bel's" dad and infectious joy as the organizer of the annual hunt. He's not a huge part of the movie, but Arnold is this movie's secret weapon. Anyone would want his character as their father or neighbor.

For a grounded little Christmas movie set in a scenic small town, "Scavenger" takes some plot turns that strain believability. Most of the movie takes place in a single day. Belinda and Dustin's relationship goes from cold to sweet. Dustin pulls off one doozy of a Christmas miracle. The connection between scavenger hunt and how it could save the town's mill -- isn't exactly clear. But, against all odds, "Scavenger" threads all these turns together in ways that oddly make sense.

Final verdict: "Scavenger" rediscovers romance, has fun with some holiday traditions and is anchored in a character whose life was going in one clear direction, before questioning everything with one trip back home.

Score: 4 calling birds (out of 5)

"Christmas Scavenger Hunt" is rated TV-G and has a running time of 90 minutes. The movie premieres on The Hallmark Channel on Nov. 3.