Tonight's Movie: A Biltmore Christmas (2023) - A Hallmark Blu-ray Review

A BILTMORE CHRISTMAS (2023), which I can attest is one of the finest Christmas films from the Hallmark Channel, was just released on Blu-ray.

The movie received a lot of buzz on social media last year, and it's easy to understand why; it's also easy to see why Hallmark chose this as one of just a couple Blu-ray releases from their 2023 lineup of Christmas films, when most of their movies are only released on DVD.

Bethany Joy Lenz (SNOWED-INN CHRISTMAS) plays Lucy, a screenwriter commissioned to write a remake of a late '40s classic Christmas film, HIS MERRY WIFE!

The producer (Tommy Cresswell) sends Lucy on a Christmastime visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, where the original movie was filmed. He hopes the visit will help inspire Lucy's writing, especially as he disagrees with her inclination to use a more somber ending than was seen in the original film.

Thanks to a magical hourglass at the estate, Lucy finds herself taking trips back to December 1947, when the original movie was being filmed at the Biltmore. She gets to know the entire cast, including up-and-coming leading man Jack Huston (Kristoffer Polaha); more accurately, in a very short time frame Lucy falls in love with Jack. But she must return to the future...and then the hourglass breaks.

And what about the fact that Jack is reported to have died on Christmas Eve, 1948, never knowing HIS MERRY WIFE! became a beloved Christmas classic?

A BILTMORE CHRISTMAS is 84 minutes of Christmas movie bliss, thanks to a clever, well-written script by Marcy Holland and direction by John Putch. The movie tugs at the emotions in the best ways, and it's also quite amusing.

When Lucy exclaims "I watch a ton of Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Collection!" to a very baffled Jack I laughed out loud. There are a number of other fun references, including shout-outs to Veronica Lake and BACK TO THE FUTURE.

Lenz and Polaha are marvelous, attractive leads who completely sell their quick attraction and love. An excellent supporting cast is topped by actor-director Jonathan Frakes (STAR TREK) as the Biltmore's mysterious staffer.

Near the end of the movie it's fun to see Mary Beth McDonough (Erin of THE WALTONS) pop up directing the remake of HIS MERRY WIFE! McDonough has a history with Hallmark; she was in CHRISTMAS ON HONEYSUCKLE LANE (2018), which she also scripted based on her own novel, and she appeared in last year's HOLIDAY TOUCHDOWN: A CHIEFS LOVE STORY (2024).  (Update: Thanks to reader Ashley for reminding me of another fun connection: Jonathan Frakes played Erin Walton's beau, Ashley Longworth Jr., on THE WALTONS.)

There are delightful cameos by Rachel Boston and Wes Brown as the stars of the remake, and when one of them exclaims that it will be better than CHECK INN TO CHRISTMAS that got another laugh from me, as they costarred in that film a few years ago.

A BILTMORE CHRISTMAS was lovingly filmed by Andrew Rawson. Much of the movie was filmed at the Biltmore Estate.

Hallmark's Blu-ray is a lovely widescreen print. There are no extras, but the disc does include optional English subtitles.

This film is a "keeper" likely to become a beloved Christmas classic in its own right. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Hallmark for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. A BILTMORE CHRISTMAS may be purchased from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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