Best Christmas Party Ever (2014): A Christmas Party with Razzle-Dazzle and Romance

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Next to last in the line of all-new Hallmark premieres in their well-known and popular Countdown to Christmas campaign, this telefilm is two things. First, it’s one of my favorites, and secondly, is the kind of party you won’t want to miss. best christmas party

Best Christmas Party Ever (2014) Hallmark TV Film Review

Here’s what the story is all about. Jennie Stanton (Torrey DeVitto) is synonymous with the best in the biz when it comes to party planning. She’s an event planner working for the premiere sought-after party planner, Petra (Linda Thorson). But everything changes when, in an unexpected move, Petra announces that this will be her last Christmas season. 

Best Christmas Party Ever (2014): A Christmas Party with Razzle-Dazzle and Romance #Moviearchives Share on X

This leads Jennie to believe that she will take on the business reigns. Only Petra surprises her yet again with another ringer. The plan is to bring in Petra’s nephew, Nick (Steve Lund) to groom him to take over the business. To make matters worse, Petra expects Jennie to train him and with two people with vastly different ideas, this could cause a mess.  

As I already said, this film wound up on my favorite list. Or it is up until the time I quit watching it. Reason for tuning out isn’t that it’s not enjoyable, but rather I just ran out of time between everything else and never got back to it. (Edit: I have finished this one, and stand by my first impression; it’s adorable.) 

I think one of ‘Party’s’ advantages, which perhaps its competitors didn’t own this season, is the characterization. The second being the plot, which (in my viewfinder) was a good attempt at breathing “fresh” life into the cliché (albeit very loved) world of
Christmas flicks. The setting of a party planning business lent itself to some creative storytelling; it was fun to see Jennie’s creative ideas come alive and hear her vision through her business pitches for the many party’s she plans. Making it all the more fun
is that the scope of those parties has the freedom to be bigger because they’re portrayed as high class parties. Beyond that, what I liked most was the characterization.

Nick is really a great character since he’s one that is “deeper” than first impressions and while some will roll their eyes at his development, I “understand” where the reasoning for the character came from. He wasn’t the kind of superficial hero I’d originally pegged him as and that was a breath of fresh air. Jennie too is a fun character, who has more to reveal than her professional persona, as all characters do. Overall, Hallmark has crafted another sweet and endearing kind of film. It may be a signal that draws us to a close for our 2014 Countdown to Christmas premieres, but it’s a good one. If you’re looking for a night in, make sure to RSVP to this party. It’s an event not to be missed.  

Photo: Hallmark Channel