Stories that comingle fan favorite tropes with a few unexpected addins make me quite happy. Much as I enjoy the cozy comforts of a Christmas movies’ nostalgic charm, as Picture a Perfect Christmas does, I also like when it also takes an unconventional turn.
Picture a Perfect Christmas (2019) Hallmark TV Review
For the first time in her young, but promising career, Sophie (Merritt Patterson) will be at her “home base” for Christmas. Building a career as a talented photographer, normally Sophie is too busy living the nomad life to spend the time in her California apartment. Her boyfriend is in the same line of work, so their schedules rarely see them home together.
With free time on her hands, she heads home to visit her grandmother, and unexpectedly, befriends her grandmother’s new neighbor, the adorable Troy. As Sophie cares for Troy as his temporary nanny, she also gets to know his ambitious entrepreneur uncle, David (Jon Corr), a man who makes her realize she’s been missing something quite important.
Like anything I’ve seen (so far) from this network, this is another cute package of festive cheer. There’s some really good things wrapped inside, and also some things that makes me think this script moves things in all the right directions.
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One of the most fun things about this film is the photography aspect. I love seeing a heroine as a photographer, if only because I find photography a fun “hobby,” and as such, it’s interesting to see it in fiction. This then carries into something I love about this film. It’s admirable to see that while Sophie misses something she longs for, she also still loves her work with a passion. As she says, it’s all about finding balance, and I’m a big believer of this. Life is about balance; about finding that line between doing and pursuing something we enjoy, and making time for the people who encourage us to pursue these goals, and no matter what, love us through the ups and downs.
In this regard, Picture a Perfect Christmas is pretty telling, but of course, because it is a Christmas movie, it’s also all about cheerful spirits. The décor is really tasteful in this (meaning it’s not overboard), but still remains festive, leaving us with no doubt we’re in a Christmas movie. There’s the usual scenes like tree shopping, and cookie baking, which all add up to those tropes we enjoy, and continue to return for.
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It’s nice to see Merritt Patterson in another Hallmark (she’s got that girl-next-door charm and a genuine quality she brings to each character), and for anyone who likes Love on Safari, you’ll recognize Jon as Lacey Chabert’s co-star. This role is really quite different from that, but he does the role justice in the best way. Based on the novel by Terri Reed (titled Family Under the Christmas Tree), this is another sweet romance from a network no one can seem to enjoy too much during this time of year.
‘Picture a Perfect Christmas’: An Unexpected New Family. A review of the 2019 Countdown to Christmas adaptation with Merritt Patterson. #Hallmarkies #PictureaPerfectChristmas #CleanRomance Click To Tweet
Photos: Hallmark / Crown Media Press
Have you seen Lifetime’s Christmas in Mississippi? It also features a heroine who is a photographer. Plus, it co-stars one of my personal favorites Wes Brown.
…I’m not sure. I feel like I probably have because it’s with Jana Kramer, right? But I just can’t remember for sure. Definitely one I’ll have to read up on to see if it jogs my Christmas movie mystery. ;D