A Merry Scottish Christmas movie review

MOVIE TITLE: A Merry Scottish Christmas

This Hallmark movie is another sweet addition to their holiday collection now available on the Hallmark Channel.

RATING: TV-G

LENGTH: 2 hours

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B-

IN A NUTSHELL:

I’ve had the great pleasure of going to Scotland a couple of times and adore the beautiful country, culture, and people. I love the musical Scottish accent, which we get to hear plenty of in the film.

The story is about estranged siblings who travel to Scotland at their mother’s request where she reveals a huge family secret.

The film was directed by Dustin Rikert. Writing credits go to Andrea Canning and Audrey Shulman.

THINGS I LIKED:

We get to spend time in beautiful Scotland and, especially, in a gorgeous Scottish castle called Duns Castle in real life. Some of the shots were actually filmed in Ireland though, also a lovely country.
The cast includes Lacey Chabert, Scott Wolf, James Robinson, Kellie Blaise, Josephine, and more.
Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf also played siblings on the TV series Party of Five from 1994 to 2000. Did you ever see that? I never did.
If you love Hallmark movies, you’ll probably remember that Lacey Chabert and Will Kemp played the romantic leads in several of the most recent Hallmark films. A cute moment is when Lacey’s character meets Will’s character and mentions that he looks familiar. Later when they dance, Lacey explains that she only knows how to waltz and tango, which is what their characters did in previous movies. True Hallmark fans should get a kick out of that.
We only get a few, quick glances at some famous Scottish food such as black pudding, Haggis, smoked Arbroath, porridge, and Scottish whiskey. We also get to see cute Shetland ponies, kilts, and a big bonfire to celebrate the winter solstice.
Two of the characters drink what they call a “Dirty Reindeer”, which is crushed cookies dropped into hot cocoa. Would you drink that? Sounds yummy to me.
Lovely costume design by Keith Nielsen and pretty set decoration by Katya Greene.
The decision the siblings had to make seemed super easy to me. What would YOU have done?

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It’s annoying how unimpressed the adult kids are that they’re in a gorgeous Scottish castle.
Some of the men look like they have blush on their cheeks. Did they?
It always drives me nuts when women supposedly wake up in the morning but have a full face of makeup on.
Movies like this are super cliche and visually manipulative. For example, everyone wears green because that seems so Scottish.
The requisite cheesiness is included for a Hallmark movie.
There’s no talk of Jesus’ birth or Santa Claus; it’s just a movie set around the holidays.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be bored.
Lots of alcohol.
Adult siblings fight.
No profanity. Thank you, Hallmark!

THEMES:

Being in charge of your own life
Hidden identity
Family drama and dynamics.
Secrets
Marriage
The decision to have children
The importance of family

FUNNY LINES:

“This isn’t Downton Abbey.” – Lindsay Morgan (Lacey Chabert)
“You know, we have a saying around here in Scotland: “We have two seasons: June and winter.” – bartender
“It’s like Mom popped out of a Scottish time machine.” – Brad Morgan (Scott Wolf)
“Scots are hot. What can I say?” – Mac Bell (James Robinson)

INTERESTING LINES

“No family is perfect, Brad.” – Sarah Morgan (Kellie Blaise)
“Sometimes, in order to go forward, you have to take a step back.” – Mac Bell (James Robinson)
“I don’t know anything about whiskey.” – daughter “You’re half Scottish. It’s already in your blood.” – Mac Bell (James Robinson)
“An enchanting time and place, the romance, the history, the moors: Glenncraig is straight out of a fairytale at Christmas time.” – Mac Bell (James Robinson)