"A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas" manages to invoke the intended comforting effect many made-for-tv Christmas films strive for: the feeling of familiarity in setting and hope for positive change. We enjoy films like this often in spite of how unrealistic they are. I can't think of a more prominent recent example than this one. That the movie manages to entertain this in spite of its miscasting is impressive. For a film set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, no one is overweight or speaks with any kind of southern accent. The actors are miscast in that they do not reflect the setting of where these people live. The movie is enjoyable if you disregard the title (how unfortunate that "Blue Ridge" is there) and watch it as a story of two burdened people growing closer over a shared project.
Rachael Cook stars as a hotel manager from New York returning home to Virginia to help plan her sister's wedding. Cook plays this Willow as a focused woman who doesn't ever slow down. She proposes the idea of having the wedding at Eagle Ridge, a hotel her family used to own. The family later sold it to the Lyndon family lead by widower David (Benjamin Ayres). David works at a local law firm and likes to repeatedly mention he is about to make partner. Willow enlists his help to turn the hotel's barn into a wedding venue ostensibly so he can sell the hotel to a buyer who wishes to use it as a wedding venue.
Ayres portrays David seemingly with a sense of world weariness. I don't know if it was intentional or if it was due to the actor's disinterest in the role. Regardless, I found the performance fit his character well. As a result of his wife's death, he seems to have foregone the possibility of doing anything besides working as a lawyer. Willow acts somewhat similarly to him though less tragic in her backstory. The lack of a "spark" as other reviewers mention fits these two characters. Neither is bereft of emotion and love slowly develops between them.
The main actors often wear contrasting red and green outfits. It puts us in the mood for Christmas. Otherwise, there is little about the film that reminds one of the holidays. The bride walks through a beautiful Christmas wedding arch. It's so visually interesting that the director shows it twice. The panoramic view of the decorated hotel are beautiful. Watch the film for those moments even if you don't care for the story.
By many measures, Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas should be a failure. The actors play their characters just right and the visuals are interesting. I give a cautious recommendation.
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