Jingle Bell Run: Movie Review

A simplistic and enjoyable romance.

While Hallmark Christmas movies are always simplistic, sometimes they lean into that simplicity perfectly. Jingle Bell Run spends all of its time on Wes and Avery and their budding relationship as they race around the United States in an Amazing Race type reality competition show. It’s the right focus because the actors fit their characters perfectly and there is that much growth in their relationship.		2024 Directed by: Lucie Guest Screenplay by: Tom McCurrie, Stephanie Sourapas Starring: Ashley Williams, Andrew W. Walker
The beginning narrowly avoids the worst trope of all: when the lead pair meet each other with animosity and are unnecessarily rude. Wes is not pleased with Avery’s ineptness when they meet in the gym but she’s very polite (which is a nice change for Hallmark leading ladies) and they avoid any more unpleasantness. When they are unexpectedly paired for The Great Holiday Dash, they’re not pleased but they remain cordial and they do immediately start working together. Avery is the brains and Wes is the brawns, labels they give each other right away, and stereotypical labels that fit, but those stereotypes don’t lead to unfair assumptions. They respect each other and work together to solve the clues. There are eight legs to the race each one has city-specific and Christmas-specific trivia questions and then a challenge for the teams to compete. Given the popularity of The Amazing Race and related competition shows, this movie fits right in. There’s trivia and romance and characters that echo a lot of the memorable characters from past Hallmark Christmases. I know what you’re thinking – how can Hallmark afford to fly and shoot in multiple cities across the country? Obviously, they cannot. Each leg often started with stock footage of the city and then the challenges took place on movie sets, so you’re not actually seeing the cities the way you do with The Amazing Race. Of course the target audience isn’t really expecting that and we’re here for the romance. It’s a slow-burn, mature, simple, enjoyable romance. Avery is an elementary school teacher and always has a pleasant and upbeat disposition. Wes is a recently retired pro hockey player, so he tends to air on the side of competitiveness, but he does have a streak of vulnerability when he starts expressing to Avery his doubts about his next stage in life. They remind me of the couple in Checkin' It Twice, which is my favourite Hallmark romance.

Want a different Christmas movie or just more holiday-themed movies? Holiday Movies

For a similar romance and a lot more hockey check out “Checkin' It Twice”.

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