Of course, after I trash Lifetime movies, they actually release something cute. Let’s talk about A Christmas Village Romance.
Diana (Jeni Ross) writes historical romance books. For Christmas, she visits the pioneer village of Maple Creek, which is also the setting for her stories. When she arrives, she finds out that tourism is down. Without the revenue, the village may have to close. Diana rallies her fans to help save the village, though the new local blacksmith, Carter (Jake Epstein), isn’t sure her plan will work.
While I think this movie is adorable, the plot is like molasses. It takes forever for anything to happen. I actually fell asleep for a short bit and had to rewind to see what I missed. Amazingly, I didn’t miss much. I could have easily kept the movie running and I still would have understood what was going on.
On the plus side, Ross and Epstein have an interesting on-screen chemistry. Their characters spend a lot of time arguing but they never seem like they are actually fighting. They always seem like they are sort of play-fighting, which is a change of pace for Lifetime romance characters.
Sadly, there isn’t a lot for me to say about A Christmas Village Romance. It is cute so it’s not a complete waste of time to watch but, at the same time, it is so slow. I’m not sure who would be the target audience for it. Maybe people that read romance books? But there isn’t a lot of romance happening. I’d say turn it on. If it doesn’t satisfy you after a half hour, go find something else to do.