Following Yonder Star: Movie Review

A Christmas and religious-themed romance.

John Brotherton, once again, lends his immense talent to a Hallmark Christmas romance with Following Yonder Star. For all of his good-looking charm that is on display, there is one thing missing: comedy. While the movie definitely fits the spirit of the season and the brand of the network, it’s much heavier on the drama and religion with a distinct lack of comedy as compared to other offerings in the Christmas countdown.		2024 Directed by: Jeff Beesley Screenplay by: John Eliot Jordan, Carlie Mantilla-Jordan Starring: Brooke D'Orsay, John Brotherton
Brooke D’Orsay another famous name brings her recognizable and angelic face to the festivities as Abby. Abby is a Hollywood actress who spent the last fourteen years starring on a TV show called Guidance Grace, an obviously very wholesome show where Abby starred as Gabriela a perfect wife and mom. Now the show is over and with the news that her ex-husband and former TV husband is getting re-married, Abby is at a crossroads in life, feeling out of place and has an unfortunate meltdown that is caught on camera. She escapes to Vermont where she winds up at an inn run by Nick (John Brotherton), a single dad, part-time innkeeper and part-time science teacher. He provides the perfect refuge for Abby because he was a huge fan of the show, but he's also able to separate actress from character and doesn’t pay attention to celebrity gossip. He also happens to run the town’s Christmas pageant. He’s a sort of well-meaning but bumbling science geek which doesn’t fit John Brotherton all that well, but on the other hand, every single woman in the state of Vermont is after him, and that definitely tracks. Also happening in town over Christmas is the new star of Bethlehem. It’s actually a planetary conjunction, but to those selling it as an event, it’s the Christmas star. The astronomy in the movie seems surprisingly accurate. It’s a nice touch, but it also comes across as a heavy-handed attempt to lessen the preachiness. The main characters are all very religious who routinely look to God to guide them on their way, and the only real plot (besides Nick and Abby’s romance) is Nick and Abby leading the Christmas pageant which includes some commentary on the Christmas story. I’m sure the target audience is all for it, but it is on the preachy side of religion. And it ends up being very noticeable given how minimal the story is. I’m a fan of both actors who bring a level of comfort in addition to their natural charm to the movie. It’s a lovely romance that leans more heavily towards drama and religion than it does comedy.