I wish I could respond to other reviewers individually, especially when they have confused the location of where the story takes place. SOUTH Carolina NOT North Carolina is where "A HOLIDAY to Remember" takes place. I emphasize "Holiday," because at least one review erroneously referred to the movie as "A Christmas to Remember."
I also wish that I could tell each reviewer who complains about the formulaic and overtly-sentimental plot of the film that they should avoid all Holiday-themed movies made by Hallmark, Lifetime, Great American Family, and other similar production companies; because this is what they all churn out! Why are these reviewers watching Holiday-themed or Family-friendly Rom-Coms in the first place?
"Accidentally watching" such a film and assuming it will get darker or have an unforeseen twist cannot be the reason why they would watch it. One need only to glance at the marketing pictures (or VHS/DVD tape covers) for these films to spot them easily, and "A Holiday to Remember" is no exception. Pictures for it show:
- Randy Travis and Connie Sellecca head-to-head with a gentle smile on what looks like an ornament on a Christmas tree,
- Connie's character looks to have fallen down and is being helped up by Randy's and they're dangerously close to kissing,
- vignette-style photos in corners show both children in the film very happy in the snow.
These are typical of nearly ALL Hallmark-style films! Attractive couples surrounded by Holiday decor, colorful lights, a greenery & holly berry strewn hearth with a warm fire burning, a snowy mountain range in the background, matching cable-knit sweaters, families in their cozy flannel PJs holding perfectly wrapped gifts; sometimes two people are standing back-to-back as a hint of some sort of tension, but since we know it is a happy movie, we're certain it will be resolved in a positive manner.
So now that my bullet points of geography, ridiculous complaints about obvious plot lines, themes, etc. Is finished, I will agree that it's not a perfect movie. (Is there such a thing?)
One reviewer mentioned that the character Connie plays is much too glamorous and cosmopolitan to be in such a tiny North Carolina town. She just moved back from Los Angeles, so obviously her wardrobe from decades before when she lived in the small town is completely gone and has been replaced with a California set a clothing. Early on, her profession as a therapist in Los Angeles is established, so obviously, she is going to have nice things as is her daughter. However, I do agree that both should have been better armed with what to expect at Grandma's house and what the weather would be like so that they would have better winter clothing and bedding. I always find it a little silly at the way the characters in these movies appear even when they're fixing up an old farmhouse: evening shades of makeup and clothes that could go from cocktails to dinner. The daughter's style of dressing is completely forgettable.
Surprisingly, the daughter adjusts to life in "the sticks" and wants to stay when her mom suggests they will be returning. After all, it was the daughter, who was complaining as they left California that her mother was taking her to a place with "no beach."
That particular comment annoyed me greatly because:
A.) the mother, who was from North Carolina, did not immediately mention the fact that the state has a rather long coastline,
B.) this would have been an opportunity for the writers to "convince" the daughter of how NC has nearly everything California has (including a healthy film industry),
C.) if their town of "Mayville" is a stand-in for the actual MAYSVILLE, NC the mother definitely should have told her the beach was half an hour away.
D.) Other areas of NC, such as in the mountains, where I assume this movie is supposed to have taken place, are a few hours to a day's drive from the beach.
The "ocean location" question makes me wonder did they make the daughter stupid on purpose, or did they assume the audience watching is?
The only other thing that bothered me, is that the Southern accents were all over the place. Connie's often sounded Texan. All love and respect to the late Ms. McClanahan, but her Southern accent has not always been the most honed, either. Neither her native Oklahoma tongue nor her invention of her "Golden Girl English-Southern Lady" hybrid doesn't quite translate to the Carolinas. Linguistically, accents aren't exactly uniform anywhere in the South, especially in North Carolina, where there are so many transplants.
In conclusion, this is a very cute movie, and it's everything that you should expect from a Hallmark film and a holiday type of classic plot (in fact, it's pretty much exactly what "Ted Lasso" described to one of the other characters in the show when he had referenced a Hallmark movie in one of his inspirational coach speeches 😄).
