Hallmark’s latest holiday film drops Thursday, December 7, on Hallmark Movies Now, reminding us to be cautious of what we wish for.
Rescuing Christmas follows a woman overwhelmed with the holidays, so she wishes it would disappear. When she’s filled with wish regret, she needs to bring it back, and she turns to an unlikely ally: her recent blind date and her brother-in-law’s friend Sam.
Rachael Leigh Cook and Sam Page star in this holiday rom-com, and neither is a stranger to the Hallmark franchise.
Cook has had the perfect blend of comedy and romance since she appeared in She’s All That 25 years ago, and she still rocks it when she reaches the end of her rope and then tries to fix things.
If you ask anyone, they’ll confirm that planning for Christmas is as overwhelming as it is joyous. You need to buy all the presents, do the holiday baking, and attend a million holiday events. It becomes exhausting to keep a smile on your face while maintaining that cool aunt status.
Erin Smithson (Rachael Leigh Cook) recently split with her boyfriend and is feeling depressed. Her family tries to be helpful and arranges a blind date with Sam (Sam Page).
While he’s incredibly charming, she’s not ready to date yet. She’s very anti-holiday, which is when the enthusiastic elves Debbie and Chuck formulate Operation Wish.
Anyone familiar with wishes knows you must proceed carefully, or they can backfire. To be fair, Erin tries to ignore the wishes, and the elves are as persistent as an annoying telemarketer you can’t get rid of.
As the film progresses, there are many Easter eggs from other holiday classics, including The Twelve Days of Christmas, A Christmas Carol, and The Grinch. The last thing Erin wanted was to take Christmas away from her entire community, especially her beloved niece and nephew.
Rescuing Christmas is one of those holiday films that will become an instant classic. It combines the panicked humor of Santa and the elves with Erin’s pleas and tactics to save Christmas before it vanishes forever.
The hardest part for Erin is that no one believes her, so she needs to find an ally. From their first meeting, Erin and Sam had a natural connection, so he seemed like the ideal choice.
While most of the film focuses on Erin finding herself, Sam also finds he is missing a part of himself. Initially, he asks Erin to develop some old photos, and when he sees what’s on them, he revaluates what he’s been told all his life.
But how do you convince a town that Christmas exists? Only a lawyer would suggest hard facts and evidence. The film teaches you to combine belief and evidence and to adapt your ideas along the way.
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We don’t want to spoil too much, but the film is packed with relearning traditions, including what Christmas means, with some help from St. Nick, the elves, and the mayor.
Rescuing Christmas does a beautiful job of hanging twinkling lights and applying new traditions to renew the spirit of the holidays. Rachael Leigh Look and Sam Page had an instant connection. They played off each other’s banter beautifully.
While Rachael Leigh Cook and Sam Page are both Hallmark regulars, they’ve never worked together. However, their relationship unfolded organically, and we would love to see more projects with the two of them partnered up.
Most Hallmark holiday films feature a holiday festival, and this one was no exception. The sets, especially the Christmas tree lot, all lit up and really added to the film’s ambiance. It was filmed in Duluth, Minnesota, and featured the Depot Square as the Christmas Square for the festival.
Rescuing Christmas was different because while the sparks sizzled between Erin and Sam, the main focus was for Erin to save Christmas. It was refreshing to see someone believe in her and show her how many others did as well.
I loved seeing a holiday film that brought so many holiday aspects into one movie. Seeing the comedic antics of the elves and Santa was so much fun, but I also enjoyed Erin’s yearning to reverse her wish. We had so many classic characters, but it didn’t feel overstuffed.
This is the perfect Hallmark holiday film for the entire family, so make a batch of sugar cookies and peppermint hot cocoa and gather around the television.
When you watch this holiday film, if you enjoy it as much as we did, please share your opinions on social media. Your thoughts matter, so we get movie sequels or another massive movie slate.
We’ve got an exciting holiday surprise for you. TV Fanatic received an exclusive clip of Rescuing Christmas, where Erin tries to convince her brother-in-law, Taylor, and Sam that Christmas has disappeared.
Watch the clip below to see the hilarious tactics she uses to make them remember and see if either of them believes her. Since they are both lawyers, she’s got an upwards battle.
Part of the fun of this Movies and Mistletoe event was watching Erin regain her belief in art and herself. Would that be enough to save Christmas?
Rescuing Christmas drops on Hallmark Movies Now on Thursday, December 7 at 7 am/6. You can access Hallmark Movies NOW directly or through Amazon or Apple TV Channels.
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Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on X.
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