I really enjoyed this film! Of the 2020 Hallmark Holiday film offerings, this one was one of my two favorite ("Holly and Ivy", being the other). I loved the script, the sets, and most of all, the chemistry of the entire acting ensemble. It made me laugh, which felt good, especially after this year!. Bethany Joy Lenz never disappoints, and always delivers. I wrote a quick note to the production company, echoing my sentiments here, and wondering if(hoping) we might see a sequel of the continuing adventures and goings-on at the Ralston family B&B for Christmas 2021.

Cheers!

Have said many times about my love of Christmas and getting a lot of pleasure out of in particular watching films, cartoons and specials during this period, something that most years has been much needed. Wanted to see some more festive films that were more recent, lower in budget and were not childhood favourites, so in a way to broaden my horizons and have been doing so since November 2019. The idea of the film did sound predictable and similar to other hotel etc-set Lifetime/Hallmark films.

The 2020 output from Hallmark did vary in quality but was not near as bad or wildly uneven as it could have been. None of the films from the batch were really terrible, and a small handful of them were actually very good. One of the best, maybe a strong contender for the best, was 'Five Star Christmas'. The setting and basic scenario sounded quite familiar, but 'Five Star Christmas' actually managed to be one of the few Christmas films in recent years to do something different to the usual (namely with it being more comedic than most).

It drags ever so slightly in the final quarter and the married sister subplot wasn't as compelling or as well developed as the rest of the film.

'Five Star Christmas' has so much that is great on the other hand. It looks lovely, have nearly always loved the scenery in Hallmark films (especially their Christmas output) and it is beautiful here and filmed very lovingly. The music is appropriately festive and doesn't come over as intrusive or overdone, which is not the case with many other Hallmark films.

Was very surprised at how good the script was. It was not cheesy. It was not too sentimental or over-schmaltzy, while having touching well intended moments. It also doesn't sound forced, with the conflict being much better written than most conflicts for Hallmark. What surprised me was the comedy, it was a big surprise that there was any but it was even more of a surprise that the comedy was actually funny and at its best hilarious. As far as Hallmark films go, 'Five Star Christmas' is one of the funniest and in a way that always feels natural and not strained.

Also liked that the story was a lot less predictable or formulaic than most Hallmark Christmas films, especially the conflict which is not forced or easily telegraphed this time. There is a good deal going on, but it doesn't feel too much, almost all the subplots work and the chemistry (especially the central romance) is genuine all round. It is also very heart-warming and never comes over as too heavy, with plenty of light heart. Great to see characters that were interesting and worth caring for. Bethany Joy Lenz is terrific and the heart of the film, and she is just as much a joy in her chemistry with charming Victor Webster in one of his better performances. Loved the grandparents, so entertaining and endearing. Paula Shaw coming very close to stealing the show.

Overall, very well done and highly recommended. 8/10.

Now, when I sat down here in 2021 to watch the 2020 Hallmark Christmas movie titled "Five Star Christmas", I didn't really know what to expect. I assumed that it would be a movie that broke the traditional of over-the-top-Christmas-sap-and-cheese that Hallmark is known for, given the movie's cover.

But since I am on a Christmas movie marathon this year, of course I opted to sit down and watch what writers Stephen Witkin, Michael Elliot and Alfonso H. Moreno had in store with what they wrote for "Five Star Christmas".

And I am glad that I did, because "Five Star Christmas" is actually, hands down, the most enjoyable and entertaining of Christmas movies that I have sat through so far this year, and I have sat through close to 30 movies so far. "Five Star Christmas" broke the archetypical sappy romantic formula that Hallmark churns out by the dozen, and director Christie Will Wolf delivered not only an enjoyable and entertaining movie, but also a very wholesome movie that definitely had a great amount of Christmas spirit and feel to it. Sure, there was the obligatory Hallmark romantic cheese here as well, but it wasn't the focal point of the story.

"Five Star Christmas" has an impressive cast ensemble, with the likes of Bethany Joy Lenz (playing Lucy) and Victor Webster (playing Jake) in the two leading roles. They were so nicely cast for this movie and carried it phenomenally, and they had great on-screen chemistry. The movie does also have rather impressive performances from the likes of Robert Wisden (playing Ted),Laura Soltis (playing Beth),Jay Brazeau (playing Walter) and Paula Shaw (playing Margo). I was really impressed with the cast for this movie and also enjoyed their performances quite a lot.

If you enjoy Christmas movies, and if you enjoy Hallmark movies, then you most certainly have to sit down and watch director Christie Will Wolf's "Five Star Christmas". I was more than genuinely entertained by what the movie offered.

I am rating "Five Star Christmas" an eight out of ten stars. However, while the storyline and movie was rather good, the movie just doesn't really have much of any replay value to it, sadly. So it is not going to become a reoccurring Christmas classic in my household.