By Melissa Antoinette Garza
After watching GOD’S NOT DEAD: A LIGHT IN DARKNESS (2018) and remembering how much I enjoy movies in that genre, I decided to get a PURE FLIX membership. I gifted it to myself for my birthday and thus far it’s well worth it.
I’m a fan of Christian films in general and especially those that are retellings of fairytales like CINDERELLA and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. They’re always silly, over-the-top and leave the viewers with a feelgood ending. CHRISTMAS BELLE (2013) also known as A FAIRYTALE CHRISTMAS is a perfect example of this.
The film opens with Isabella (Haylie Duff) overwhelmed by the workload of the real estate business she owns with her father, Rex (C. Thomas Howell). Rex passes all the responsibility on to her while he sits around and reads Garfield. He’s not a bad guy, but he is oblivious to the stress he puts onto his daughter. Despite being told last minute and still having a lot of work to do, Isabella (Haylie Duff) agrees to head up north and sell a mansion prior to Christmas which is only weeks away. Her business needs the commission and so she gets herself together and leaves right away.
On her way there, she stops by a deli where the chef warns her that the owner of the mansion, Hunter Lowell (Nicholas Gonzalez) is impossible to work for. As he rants and raves, Angie (Sheree J. Wilson), an employee of Hunter’s overhears. She comes over and reassures Isabella that Hunter isn’t all bad.
When Isabella finally arrives at the estate, Hunter isn’t happy to see her. He wanted Rex to do the job. Isabella offers to call her father, but explains that her expertise is needed to sell the home and its contents. Hunter relents knowing his grandmother’s extensive library needs to go and that Isabella’s knowledge on valuable antique books would help.
At first, it appears that the chef’s warning is warranted. Hunter is a jerk! His dog, Beast, is cool; but Hunter has an attitude problem. He gets so angry at her for planting new roses and cleaning up the conservatory that he smashes a potted plant. Isabella, having had enough quits and goes back to the deli to say goodbye to her newly found friends.
Angie is there. She secretly calls Hunter and tells him to stop by and apologize to Isabella, so she doesn’t leave. He does just that and it works. Isabella forgives him. Later, he explains that his fiancé who died tragically loved the roses and that the greenroom was her favorite place which is what set him off.
Quickly, the two grow extremely close. While they are beginning to find a romantic connection, Rex is being swooned by Tony (Mark Famiglietti), a rich suitor who is working the dad to get to Isabella’s heart. He asks for Rex’s blessing and not knowing his daughter is fawning over Hunter, Rex does his best to help Tony.
Tony will do anything to win Isabella including purchasing Hunter’s home and the library she loves so much. He even goes so far as to lie to Hunter by introducing himself as Isabella’s boyfriend. Of course, this misinformation causes an eruption in Hunter and Isabella’s blooming relationship. Will they get back together? What do you think? Of course, they will. We don’t watch these movies for surprises. We watch them because we know what’s going to happen and that the main characters will end up happy. It’s the movie version of comfort food and I love it.
For those not subscribed to PURE FLIX, you can rent this on AMAZON and VUDU. It’s definitely worth a watch and even worth a buy.
The acting is great. The characters are fun. C Thomas Howell is hilarious in it! His timing and mannerisms make the jokes work, especially when Rex finds Garfield amusing.
Also, Sheree J. Wilson was excellent in the role of Angie. Angie’s empathy and kindness towards Isabella ensures the audience share her compassion for Hunter. It was a pivotal role that Wilson portrayed perfectly.
Mark Famiglietti did magnificent as the antagonist. I would have preferred him messing with the couple throughout the film. It could have been amusing to see such a white-collar sleaze break in and steal books to get Angie fired or pretend to be a flirtatious woman calling for Hunter in hopes Angie would quit. There’s so many tropes that would have fit perfectly with his character. Still, for the time he was on screen, he was fantastic!
Like the rest of the cast, the leads were outstanding. Nicholas Gonzalez and Haylie Duff have great chemistry together. There was a playful realism to Isabella and Hunter’s relationship that made it impossible not to root for them.
Overall, I highly recommend this. CHRISTMAS BELLE (2013) delivered on what it was supposed to do. It was a fun, modern, retelling of a fairytale that is safe enjoyable viewing for the whole family.
Scared Stiff Rating: 6.5/10
