Christmas on Cherry Lane
Christmas Vacation meets This Is Us
In a first(?) for Hallmark, we have a home as central character, sort of… This movie is split between three families who have lived in the house over the last 50 years.
1973
John and Lizzie are preparing to welcome their first child, but, having just moved in the day before they are unexpectedly joined by her whole family who have come to “help” them settle into their new home.
Their baby, Ivy, is born in the house on Christmas Eve.
1999
Widow Regina is planning to sell the house and move to Florida with her new fiancé, Nelson, but her kids are not happy with her decision, especially given the happy memories they have of their dad in the house.
You see, their dad was the cop who helped deliver Ivy back in 1973, and who later bought the house from John & Lizzie.
Wrestling with his feelings, son Conrad visits his friend Ivy (yes, the same Ivy), for advice, and realizes that he should really support his mother and her decisions.
2023
Mike and Zian have since moved into the house and discover they have been approved to be foster parents and will have a little girl arriving later that same night! It’s a full circle moment for Zian, as he was also a foster child who was himself placed with a family on Christmas Eve and it formed a core memory for him.
And, wouldn’t you know it, he was fostered by Ivy back in the day.
——-
Ok, so this was very much a This Is Us style movie, and a job well done at keeping the linkages between the three storylines separate until tying it all together at the end. Held my attention and decently enjoyable.
And kudos to the ol’ crown corp for having a gay couple on screen with a plot about a real-life; relatable event, and not just tokenism.
You’ll like this if…
You watched This Is Us and like that kind of non-linear storytelling.
SCORE: 6/10
Tell me more!
A young couple preparing to welcome their first child; an empty-nester and her fiancé ready to start a new chapter; and a couple who unexpectedly have the chance to expand their family on Christmas Eve celebrate the holiday as they navigate these turning points in their lives. Starring Catherine Bell, Jonathan Bennett, John Brotherton, Erin Cahill, James Denton and Vincent Rodriguez III.
