If the Marvel Cinematic Universe needs tips and tricks to nail down time travel and romance, it needs to look no further at what Hallmark continues to accomplish with the genre. Logistics? Eh, who cares about that stuff when the magic feels transcendent and the story remains engaging from beginning to end? This viewer sure doesn’t. Hallmark’s A Biltmore Christmas joins A Timeless Christmas as a holiday gem featuring time travel in a way that works.
Starring Bethany Joy Lenz and Kristoffer Polaha, the noir-inspired film—nay, picture—is a gorgeous showcase of why happy endings matter in worlds of fiction we create. Written by Marcy Holland and directed by John Putch, Hallmark’s A Biltmore Christmas works entirely because of the message it leaves viewers with at a time when we’re still (and always) scouring the sea for wholesome content. At the same time, there’s always something genuinely enticing for romance genre connoisseurs about the one who doesn’t believe in fairytale endings, finding something indescribably magical when they least expect it.
Lenz’s Lucy Hardgrove is very much in her Scrooge era, trying to make it work as a screenwriter, giving in to all the pressures of being edgy and realistic. There’s a moment in the film that’s very much akin to Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, and the best part of both these movies is that the women don’t just succeed in their careers, but they find love, too. By boxing characters and thus humans into one category, we put a limit on human complexities. Women can be both edgy and soft at the same time. They could chase a career, but they could want love, too. And without aggressively knocking viewers over with this theme, A Biltmore Christmas makes this notion abundantly clear. So, when Lucy starts to fall for old Hollywood star Jack Huston (Polaha), both destiny and mystery start to unravel, revealing the invisible strings of time that always hit like a ton of bricks with this sub-genre.
A film like this begs the question most people end up asking saps around the holidays—aren’t you tired of the same old story when you know how it’s going to end? As a society, we disregard two crucial aspects of critical thinking when we ask questions like this: we neglect the detail that people have mental illnesses bringing them down constantly, and we dismiss the fact that being able to predict endings is also a good sign that the writer is doing something right by planting seeds. Additionally, it doesn’t matter if it’s predictable because people want to be swept away by the idea that everything will be alright when they sit at home while sad and alone. Sometimes, it’s that serious. Sometimes, it’s an escape. Regardless, it still equates to good storytelling, especially as Hallmark’s A Biltmore Christmas puts a unique spin on the idea and crafts something thoroughly heartwarming and unpredictable.
We might have to suspend a lot of disbelief during these movies, but isn’t that what we do all the time with films anyway? Logic and reason don’t always have a place in analysis when, sometimes, it’s more about the feelings the piece of media evokes. And in more ways than one, Hallmark’s A Biltmore Christmas effectively evokes a familiar sense of nostalgia and hope. It’s topped with dazzling performances, gorgeous set designs, amusing banter, and a narrative that simultaneously feels refreshing and comforting. It’s the kind of film that even those who aren’t into such films would likely enjoy as it teleports viewers to places old and new to tell a timeless story about why love continues to remain our most universal language.
There’s also something to be said about how the film acts as a sweet love letter to the real Biltmore House at the Asheville Estate in North Carolina, honoring it beautifully by exhibiting stunning shots that’ll lead those unfamiliar with the place to do a little internet digging. Christmas traditions aren’t always contained within the fictional worlds writers create, but rather, sometimes, they’re right under our noses, too.
A Biltmore Christmas is now streaming on Frndly TV.