Movie reviews: Hollywood and Indie, specializing in independent comedies, dramas, thrillers and romance.
Saturday, November 18, 2023
A Merry Scottish Christmas: Movie Review
Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf have been reunited as brother and sister in A Merry Scottish Christmas. And when you have TV royalty with their adorableness, you might as well make them duke and duchess, almost. Estranged siblings Brad (Scott Wolf) and Lindsay (Lacey Chabert) have been invited by their mother to a castle in Scotland. They don’t know why, she’s acting weird, although given the references to their childhood, I don’t know how you identify what’s weird with her.
2023
Directed by: Dustin Rikert
Screenplay by: Andrea Canning, Dustin Rikert, Andrew Gernhard
Starring: Lacey Chabert, Scott Wolf
Turns out their mother was born there, destined to become a duchess until she ran away with an American and then promptly made up lies about her life and family to her kids. I told you, she’s weird. Now it can become their birthright, keep the castle in their family.
It’s really nice to have a Hallmark Christmas movie about something more than just big city girl falls in love with a smalltown man and figures out there’s more to life. That storyline is definitely in here, but it’s secondary to Brad and Lindsay reconnecting. They talk about what drove them apart, how to forgive one another and how to keep each other in their lives moving forward. They also have to figure out whether or not they want to own and run the castle themselves or sell it, erasing the short-lived Scotland chapter of their lives.
The plot is set up early on; that family secret is revealed so early it’s not a spoiler. That means the film gives Brad and Lindsay and the audience plenty of time to learn the Scottish traditions. There are a lot of Scottish dances and celebrations that are a little fun and interesting. The movie does move slowly, but it is such a nice setting and really beautiful photography (shot on location in Scotland and partially Ireland) that it makes for a lovely watch.
Scott Wolf’s character is married, their storyline is about figuring out their future. Unsurprisingly, Lacey Chabert’s character is single, married to her work, until she meets a handsome Scottish man who works at the castle. She’s also a doctor and at a crossroads in her practice, where the administrative work is taking away from her time with patients. The resolution to her storyline, complete with a Scottish romance, is obvious and plays out very slowly; mostly because it’s ultimately about the relationship between Brad and Lindsay.
A Merry Scottish Christmas has perfect casting and the perfect location for the story. It’s not surprising that it’s one of Hallmark’s highlighted features in their Countdown to Christmas.
Want a different Christmas movie or just more holiday-themed movies?Holiday Movies