The plot went from bad to worse. The male lead looks great, but is so monotone. Not sure where the writers came from, but they definitely need new jobs, because writing is not a strength for them. I kept thinking with time things would get better, but it kept getting more ridiculous and painful to watch. The actors and actresses were probably fine and with the right script they may be great, but this was a terrible movie and I think the fault lies with the writers. The male lead was boring also. Good looking, but boring. Oh, and who splits wood on a porch? Do your research people. I only gave it 4 stars because it was family friendly and was a safe movie for my family to watch.
14 Reviews
A premise with promise but sketchy writing
VetteRanger20 November 2022
The first problem with this movie was Andrew Biernat. The pine trees in the movie are less wooden than most of his acting. He just had no fire in some of the most important lines. Even though he doesn't have a lengthy list of credits, there are enough I'm surprised he was this bad.
The premise itself is sort of the flip side of the FAR superior Five Star Christmas, where a family pretends to NOT be a family, but guests of a lodge. Here a group of friends pretends to be a family to live up to the impression people have gotten from a blog about the farm and the business.
Most of the scenes regarding that are far too awkward for the reporter to have done anything but realize things were not as presented, and sadly there were many scenes that just didn't make a lot of sense ... such as when he immediately intruded to tell the female lead her pretend fiancé was wrong for her. We didn't buy that would happen when and as it did. That's just one example.
This story COULD have been funny and entertaining with good writing, but it didn't get that.
The premise itself is sort of the flip side of the FAR superior Five Star Christmas, where a family pretends to NOT be a family, but guests of a lodge. Here a group of friends pretends to be a family to live up to the impression people have gotten from a blog about the farm and the business.
Most of the scenes regarding that are far too awkward for the reporter to have done anything but realize things were not as presented, and sadly there were many scenes that just didn't make a lot of sense ... such as when he immediately intruded to tell the female lead her pretend fiancé was wrong for her. We didn't buy that would happen when and as it did. That's just one example.
This story COULD have been funny and entertaining with good writing, but it didn't get that.
Another story about deception
Jackbv12320 November 2022
An "innocent" lie or secret is a common trope in Christmas movies. Likewise big contract needed to save the "family" farm. Throw in reporter, Josh, sent to do a piece on the business which threatens to become an expose. There is also a fake fiancé and a fake marriage. Many of these have slight twists in the way they are presented especially the fake fiancé situation.
The acting is poor at times but mostly OK. The dialogue can be a bit odd, but there are some cute sequences too.
Another reviewer pointed out that the "family" is so inept at explanations to Josh. What's sad is that so many of the explanations should flow naturally even if this group is not really biological family so why would they fumble?
It is also uncomfortable that the lies grow more serious and less innocent, less "white". How the fake fiancé is established is a little ridiculous. So many of the gags are high on the silly meter. The basic lie comes up constantly one way or another.
Kristina Cole has a sweetness consistent with a typical girl next door. She definitely seems low key for the CEO of the business. She and Andrew Biernat have the potential for great chemistry but two things interfered with my appreciation of it. First Biernat has almost no spark in his performance. Second, and more significant, is the lying.
I don't think it is a spoiler to say that the underlying theme of the movie moves toward a sort of redefinition of what a family is apart from strictly biological. This is not a new idea especially for holiday movies. Many would consider the idea that family includes our closest friends to be valid. What might be different about this movie is the this "family" excludes any biological relatives.
So why is it a lie as far as the movie premise goes? Part of that is in misrepresentations in the blog, but even those are not unusual in the world of blogging. The movie is a little vague but implies Natalie wrote about traditions that were never followed by this "family". I think that and the perpetuation of the lies with Josh is where I have a problem that makes it hard for me to enjoy the inevitable HEA.
This movie has a ton of potential and a lot of positives, but for me the dishonesty, the intent to deceive, trumped that. Note to self - skip watching this again.
The acting is poor at times but mostly OK. The dialogue can be a bit odd, but there are some cute sequences too.
Another reviewer pointed out that the "family" is so inept at explanations to Josh. What's sad is that so many of the explanations should flow naturally even if this group is not really biological family so why would they fumble?
It is also uncomfortable that the lies grow more serious and less innocent, less "white". How the fake fiancé is established is a little ridiculous. So many of the gags are high on the silly meter. The basic lie comes up constantly one way or another.
Kristina Cole has a sweetness consistent with a typical girl next door. She definitely seems low key for the CEO of the business. She and Andrew Biernat have the potential for great chemistry but two things interfered with my appreciation of it. First Biernat has almost no spark in his performance. Second, and more significant, is the lying.
I don't think it is a spoiler to say that the underlying theme of the movie moves toward a sort of redefinition of what a family is apart from strictly biological. This is not a new idea especially for holiday movies. Many would consider the idea that family includes our closest friends to be valid. What might be different about this movie is the this "family" excludes any biological relatives.
So why is it a lie as far as the movie premise goes? Part of that is in misrepresentations in the blog, but even those are not unusual in the world of blogging. The movie is a little vague but implies Natalie wrote about traditions that were never followed by this "family". I think that and the perpetuation of the lies with Josh is where I have a problem that makes it hard for me to enjoy the inevitable HEA.
This movie has a ton of potential and a lot of positives, but for me the dishonesty, the intent to deceive, trumped that. Note to self - skip watching this again.
Wow
mbiv77721 November 2022
I write my reviews as if I'm talking to my grandmother, so I always try to find something nice to say.
I think I would have to tell her to watch Gilligan instead.
The plot involves a small company selling hand made products from a farm who inadvertently create the impression they are a family, and are forced to carry out the deception in order to obtain the big order that will save them from foreclosure.
The lead actress is ok, she has her moments, but the leading man is basically a male model type who has yet to learn the acting craft.
I did enjoy the "sister" character, and some of the scenes involving wood-chopping and jealousy were almost amusing, but the plot was trite and the ending illogical and forced.
I can understand why GAC buried this one in mid-November.
Sorry, that's as nice as I can be.
I think I would have to tell her to watch Gilligan instead.
The plot involves a small company selling hand made products from a farm who inadvertently create the impression they are a family, and are forced to carry out the deception in order to obtain the big order that will save them from foreclosure.
The lead actress is ok, she has her moments, but the leading man is basically a male model type who has yet to learn the acting craft.
I did enjoy the "sister" character, and some of the scenes involving wood-chopping and jealousy were almost amusing, but the plot was trite and the ending illogical and forced.
I can understand why GAC buried this one in mid-November.
Sorry, that's as nice as I can be.
I couldn't watch this
gryhndmom22 November 2022
I love Christmas movies and I'm one who will watch a movie to the end no matter how bad it is. But I just couldn't with this one! I couldn't get past the stiff acting of Andrew Biernat. I'm not an actor and I know everyone needs to start somewhere but he's just not ready for movies. I forced myself to watch 30 minutes but it seemed like 3 hours.
The premise of this movie could have been really fun but the dialog wasn't clever and many scenes were awkward. The lead actress tried but couldn't hold her own. The best friend should have played the lead. I love Christmas movies, even the corny ones but I just couldn't get passed everything that's wrong with this one.
Do yourself a favor and forget about this Christmas movie.
The premise of this movie could have been really fun but the dialog wasn't clever and many scenes were awkward. The lead actress tried but couldn't hold her own. The best friend should have played the lead. I love Christmas movies, even the corny ones but I just couldn't get passed everything that's wrong with this one.
Do yourself a favor and forget about this Christmas movie.
Painfully awful
momsipadonly25 November 2022
This movie had so much wrong with it I wouldn't know where to start. Awful acting by leading lady, she seemed so fake and overacting every scene and line you just can't find yourself caring about her at all. There was ridiculously corny, terrible dialogue and even the filming left a lot to be desired ....I kept hoping it would get better. I can't imagine this channel will last long with this kind of production garbage. The supporting characters storylines should have been developed more as they were more interesting and their acting was much better. Save yourself the agony and find some paint to watch dry. It will be more entertaining.
A bad script doomed it.
Avidviewer-0284727 November 2022
The script isn't good especially some of the dialog. The plot was hokey, a quality publication does a lot of fact checking and would have unmasked the deception early. The deception didn't bother me, it's a movie it's not real. A family in this day and age doesn't necessarily mean the members have blood or legal ties, they can just be good friends that feel like a family. Not the worst rom-com I've ever watched, but it's not great. The DB says it was filmed in Savannah, GA which is an odd place to film a Christmas movie, but the locations were nice.
Andrew Biernat and Marc Herrmann are both male models, which is obvious. Rene Ashton and Kristina Cole have been in other films I've seen The rest of the cast was good, not the usual actors we're used to seeing in Canadian made rom-coms.
Andrew Biernat and Marc Herrmann are both male models, which is obvious. Rene Ashton and Kristina Cole have been in other films I've seen The rest of the cast was good, not the usual actors we're used to seeing in Canadian made rom-coms.
Like Getting Coal in a Stocking
AlrtAlrtAlrt-271243 January 2023
The storyline had potential. Many have called out the writers. The script wasn't strong but it wasn't horrible. The director, should find a different field.
The casting was bad with actors who cannot act. Many scenes were staged badly. They were painful to watch.
Bringing in models to act? Bad decision. Chopping wood on a wooden porch, next to the windows? Bad decision. Scene cuts at the Christmas dance were horrible. Didn't need a camera shot of an extra's armpit. Running the ceiling fans on a snow-covered porch in wintertime? Bad decision.
I don't know where he spent his budget, but it wasn't on this film. Not the product to put forward when trying to grow a television network.
The casting was bad with actors who cannot act. Many scenes were staged badly. They were painful to watch.
Bringing in models to act? Bad decision. Chopping wood on a wooden porch, next to the windows? Bad decision. Scene cuts at the Christmas dance were horrible. Didn't need a camera shot of an extra's armpit. Running the ceiling fans on a snow-covered porch in wintertime? Bad decision.
I don't know where he spent his budget, but it wasn't on this film. Not the product to put forward when trying to grow a television network.
Lacklustre storyline, I didn't last beyond 15 minutes.....
mandyjwebb13 December 2022
With so many talented people writing scripts how does this particular one get funding and made, is beyond my comprehension?
The writers, if you can actually refer to them as that, basically phoned in the script. As many of the reviewers have posted, it's predictable, bland and some of the acting looks like the local AmDram were drafted in to fill the gaps.
With huge competition from Sky TV, VOD, YouTube etc., along with many others, I wonder how this type of very low quality film still has a place on a TV schedule? They seem to be churned out like fodder with no regard for quality or entertainment. It's an insult to the viewer to be honest.
I also find it odd that every scene has massive amounts of Christmas decorations. Does the set designer have Tourette's? Is this entirely necessary to remind the viewer it's a Christmas movie every single scene? Perhaps if they scaled back the expenditure on props they could divert that money to a decent script?
My suggestions would be to improve the scriptwriting and direction, perhaps scale back some of the over acting which would result in a greatly improved production, overall.
If you're thinking of watching don't bother, you'll get more entertainment from jumping on a cross trainer, starring at a wall for an hour and a half.
The writers, if you can actually refer to them as that, basically phoned in the script. As many of the reviewers have posted, it's predictable, bland and some of the acting looks like the local AmDram were drafted in to fill the gaps.
With huge competition from Sky TV, VOD, YouTube etc., along with many others, I wonder how this type of very low quality film still has a place on a TV schedule? They seem to be churned out like fodder with no regard for quality or entertainment. It's an insult to the viewer to be honest.
I also find it odd that every scene has massive amounts of Christmas decorations. Does the set designer have Tourette's? Is this entirely necessary to remind the viewer it's a Christmas movie every single scene? Perhaps if they scaled back the expenditure on props they could divert that money to a decent script?
My suggestions would be to improve the scriptwriting and direction, perhaps scale back some of the over acting which would result in a greatly improved production, overall.
If you're thinking of watching don't bother, you'll get more entertainment from jumping on a cross trainer, starring at a wall for an hour and a half.
Hot guy, bad film.
adamjohns-4257513 December 2022
Christmas In Pine Valley (2022) -
Andrew Biernat was very handsome, but alas he was not enough to keep me watching this film for that long.
I found it hard to believe that an article on a small family run farm business would take days to achieve or that any magazine would pay the costs to have him stay for a week at Christmas to write it, regardless of the previous errors in his writing. I'd be surprised if an article like that took more than an hour for interviewing and a few hours to write and it would have been written months in advance anyway.
The panic that ensued after leading lady Kristina Cole as Natalie realised that they weren't actually the family business that she had been suggesting online, but a rag tag bunch (Who would undoubtedly have considered themselves a family by the end of the film if I could have watched it that far) was farcical and these deceitful films are really getting tedious, because they lack any imagination and are more predictable than ever, having been done so many times and none of them that successfully in my opinion.
I also hate dishonesty and the ridiculousness that followed to maintain the lie when the truth would work just as well. So when it got to the lie about Natalie getting married I had to turn it off. It was just another deception on top of what was already too much.
And it may seem picky, but some of the decorations were very basic and tatty and it was incredibly obvious that they hadn't put much time or thought in to the set dressings or for that matter the film as a whole.
Natalie was over the top and Josh was quite boring and not played by the best actor. It was a good job he was so pretty and that was the only reason I made it as far as I did with this one.
Unscored as unfinished.
Andrew Biernat was very handsome, but alas he was not enough to keep me watching this film for that long.
I found it hard to believe that an article on a small family run farm business would take days to achieve or that any magazine would pay the costs to have him stay for a week at Christmas to write it, regardless of the previous errors in his writing. I'd be surprised if an article like that took more than an hour for interviewing and a few hours to write and it would have been written months in advance anyway.
The panic that ensued after leading lady Kristina Cole as Natalie realised that they weren't actually the family business that she had been suggesting online, but a rag tag bunch (Who would undoubtedly have considered themselves a family by the end of the film if I could have watched it that far) was farcical and these deceitful films are really getting tedious, because they lack any imagination and are more predictable than ever, having been done so many times and none of them that successfully in my opinion.
I also hate dishonesty and the ridiculousness that followed to maintain the lie when the truth would work just as well. So when it got to the lie about Natalie getting married I had to turn it off. It was just another deception on top of what was already too much.
And it may seem picky, but some of the decorations were very basic and tatty and it was incredibly obvious that they hadn't put much time or thought in to the set dressings or for that matter the film as a whole.
Natalie was over the top and Josh was quite boring and not played by the best actor. It was a good job he was so pretty and that was the only reason I made it as far as I did with this one.
Unscored as unfinished.
Very refreshing and sweet message
tracyerinjones27 November 2022
I felt that this movie was heart felt and had a great message. It was about forgiveness and finding family connection with the people you surround yourself with. Josh/Andrew was not supposed to be a love interest but redeeming his career with truth. In the end he found love with this family that was created through friendship. So after all he did find true love and a family. I think it was well done for what we seek in happiness and holiday entertainment. I wish critics would take into consideration that these movies are very light and just a stepping stone for new actors and that it was made during covid so that put a lot of pressure on these actors. I would love to see Andrew Biernat develop his ability in acting. I've heard he's quite funny on his sets and entertains his crew. I hope to see more of him. He's definitely got the stage presence. He sure has a fanfare in other work he's done. Give this film a chance and see what I mean. He's a serious journalist so what do you expect? He's not waltzing in like Prince Charming in these typical movies! He is trying to put a story together to save his career! Not what you expect out of Christmas movie at all.
Not Enough Plot
Sassy2_920 November 2022
Honestly, I wanted to like this, but it was painful to watch. The plot was SO predictable and had nothing original to it. Also, the script was ROUGH. It affected the performances and was just boring and cheesy.
This is unfortunately a result of the production (GAC/GAF). I have yet to find one of their films that isn't painfully corny and sloppy. This movie suffers from cliches that move it to D-level, direct-to-DVD. There could've been any number of changes that would've improved the whole film.
The acting suffered from the overly cliched characters and I did like the leading lady, but it was a hard film to watch. Our secondary romance worked out ok. That is part of what saved the move. The production design wasn't too terrible.
This is unfortunately a result of the production (GAC/GAF). I have yet to find one of their films that isn't painfully corny and sloppy. This movie suffers from cliches that move it to D-level, direct-to-DVD. There could've been any number of changes that would've improved the whole film.
The acting suffered from the overly cliched characters and I did like the leading lady, but it was a hard film to watch. Our secondary romance worked out ok. That is part of what saved the move. The production design wasn't too terrible.
Skip it!
jennifa77728 December 2023
The male lead Andrew Biernat, is just so awful. Every one of his lines sounds like he's performing in a 7th grade school play. That's the first and biggest issue. He should probably stick to modeling. If they'd selected a better actors this might have been a little bit better, but the story wasn't great either so maybe not. They wanted to make this a love story so for some reason they threw in a dumb twist on top of everything else. I think this is where they went wrong. Terrible writing. Don't waste your time unless you just want to have something playing in the background while scrolling on your phone.
Don't do it to yourself
kyliepickett4 December 2023
Dreadful. Terrible acting by the lead male who played josh, it helps to use different tones when you speak!! The story line was boring. We fast forwarded a chunk of the movie and the story line still had not progressed. There was nothing magical, funny or exciting about it. Seriously, 2 men having a cushion fight? Why even bother with that scene at all. I don't mind no name actors, it can be quite refreshing. We watched this after having watched "A Christmas to treasure" which was an exceptional movie so maybe that didn't help. I do not reccomend Christmas in pine valley unless you're struggling to fall asleep.
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