I have watched 46 Christmas movies from 2019 so far and this was one of the good ones. That being said, it could have been a lot better. First the cast. I really enjoyed watching the two leads together but despite a few great moments, the their love story was not very well written. The little girl pretty much stole the show with her delightful role.

I question why have the lead character be a famous singer when she never sings in the movie? Oh, she does sing with the choir at the end, but you don't hear her voice. Huh? An opera singer's voice would not lift above all others? If she wasn't going to really sing, why have her be a singer? She could have easily have been a famous actress or an heiress or any number of professions.

Lastly, what about the niece working in the bakery? She was quite pretty, single and easily could have wooed the male lead but didn't? Odd.

It sounds like I didn't enjoy it but I actually did. The countryside was beautiful. I just think better writing could have made it even better. Two scenes at the train station and only the conductor and the lead female; no other extras? I scored it 7 points because it did inspire some wonderful tears of joy.

This gets off to a bad start: a steam train as a regular service from a train station attached to a regional UK airport? No; diesel or electric, I'm afraid.

The script really is terrible, with characters making consequential decisions with little believable motivation. The dialogue is atrocious. And some of the actors, especially the male lead, are so wooden they make the script and dialogue seem even worse.

It's just a horrible, horrible mess. I'm sure it's perfectly possible to made a pleasingly quirky film about a big city American woman in a rural English town, but this is a miserable attempt.

Before I get into the review, here are my ratings for the movie.

The story gets 0.75 out of 2: The Direction a 1.25: The Pacing receives a 1.25: While the Acting gets 1.25: And my Enjoyment level earns a 1.25 out of 2: This brings the total for A Very Yorkshire Christmas to 5.75 out of 10.

The one thing that lets this film down, as with most Christmas Tales, is the story. For the most part, you have seen this before; especially, if like me, you love Christmastime. And there's an extra problem; the story has told better.

Writers Karl Hall and Steven Nesbit, who also directed the film, give the viewer a tale of love and romance, the essential ingredients in most Chrimbo flicks. Jessica's an American opera singer forced into an overnight stay in England when her flight has trouble. Somehow, she finds herself on a quaint British railway station platform. Though, if her plane had put down near a city, the platform wouldn't be quite so warm and welcoming. She then lucks out. Because somebody forgot to erect a hotel close to the airport she has to find a place to bed down. Luckily, she hops onto a steam train and heads off into the wilds of North Yorkshire. Talk about writers prerogative. This annoyed the hell out of me. Though I've seen The Flying Scotsman a few times and had the please of feeding coal into a steam engine at the local Roundhouse open day, I've never had the pleasure of riding in a steam train carriage, especially on a mail-line. For our American friends, be aware that if you're looking for this style of transport you won't find it on a main-line. What you'll get is a small two-carriage Bug-Unit, which resembles the inside of a bus, with dirty and, sometimes, slashed and graffitied seats. And that isn't at all romantic.

Jessica misses her stop because the lull of the train's rhythm sends her off to the land of nod. Upon her awakening, she finds herself in Knaresborough, which is a beautiful country town. She calls into a local café looking for sustenance and meets the only other American in town. What's the odds(?) Her fellow compatriot advises her of a Holiday park nearby who could put her up for the night. Fortunately, for us and the story, the part is run by a recently widowed Andrew, along with his mother, Sandra, and his cute and charming daughter, Katie. As might be expected, the park is in financial problems, and a mining company are wanting to buy Andrew out, but he's obstinant and proud.

From here on forward, we of the Christmas movie admirers club are on very familiar ground.

For me, Hall and Nesbit, move the story too fast. There are numerous balls in motion, and most of them take very ambiguous courses. Luckily for the audience, they keep the story light and tongue-in-cheek. It's hard to take the story too seriously when the writers don't.

It helps hugely that Nesbit is a decent director. You get some genuinely pleasant images of Knaresborough and the surrounding countryside. He uses these views to set the mood of the film. Take the kiss scene. It's set on the river in a rowboat with the Knaresborough viaduct in the background. It's a beautifully thought out shot. He then goes the extra mile by giving us a long-distance shot showing the couple in the rowboat. He shoots this setting from the hillside, looking down on them. It's a straightforward static view but adds so much to the romantic atmosphere of the scene. There are a few "pretty" walks around the town and Nesbitt frames all of them impeccably.

As with most romance films, the pace is a secondary thought, and it appears to be the case here. Nesbitt keeps the storytelling to a moderate tempo. Though I do believe it would have been more charming to slow it down a tad when we arrived at the hesitant kissing sections. The hesitancy would have added to the anticipation of the forthcoming snog-session. And, added to the humour element when they are inevitably disturbed by Katie. We all know the secret of good comedy.

As for the performances, the cast is okay, but it's the supporting cast that adds to the film's and story's strength.

Steve Evets, who is a much-understated actor, is superb as the Scrooge-Fagin character of Ben Ritchie. His performance and his stories finale brought a tear to my eye. Michele Dotrice is the ideal mother, and the role fits her snugly indeed. And, though it's just a minor walk-on part, Paul Barber delivers an impressive performance as an irascible workman that's been instructed to investigate a power outage. These actors and actresses are sublime and subtle in their executions, which makes their characters believable.

Regrettably, this cannot be said for the rest. Who at times, appear a smidge hammy or wooden. The worst, and best of these, is Isla Cook; she's the child actress who plays Katie. You can literally see her grow as an actress throughout this role. There are moments when you know she's merely reciting her lines. And, at other times, she's just as believable as the others. Her skill is evident in the cookie cooking sequence. Who knew cookie cooking could be cute and heartwarming and funny.

All things considered, this is not the best or most realistic Christmas Film I've watched. But, it is enjoyable and well worth a look-see. Nevertheless, I wouldn't rush out to watch it.

Jump on the steam train and chuff your way over to my Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas Belles list to see where the a Yorkshire Christmas ranks.

Take Care & Stay Well & Merry Christmas.