User Reviews

Well, credit where credit is due. Hallmark swung for the fences on this one and I'd suggest they knocked it right out of the park.

A Hallmark classic, but also - dare I say? - a Christmas movie classic full stop. No tired tropes. No small towns. No festivals. None of that. Just an inspired, brilliantly-conceived plot that hits all the marks and pulls at all the heart strings.

Casting was perfect. Kristoffer Polaha was born for this role. He is brilliant as Jack Huston, his finest moment, and One Tree Hill alum Bethany Joy Lenz shines as Lucy.

Star Trek alum Jonathan Frakes and Robert Picardo are great.

The Wes Brown and Rachel Boston cameo at the end (with a nod to one of my favourites, 'Check Inn to Christmas') was fantastic.

The Biltmore is a spectacular location, and 'A Biltmore Christmas' makes full use of the historical property.

The music, the sets, the costumes: all astounding. The recreation of Hollywood's Golden Age was perfect.

So, so good. In every way.

A really lovely movie. Beautifully filmed and acted. The pace was perfection, the costumes were wonderful. The leads had great chemistry, indeed, the whole cast was amazing. Hallmark seems to do very well with time related and/or historic venue movies. The settings and ambience add something very special. A Timeless Christmas, Christmas at the Ritz, and Jolly Good Christmas are some of my favorites. These movies have a sense of magic and beauty that a lot of the silly, semi-romantic comedies seem to gloss over. Even if moments are predictable., I still wanted to see them acted out. Thank you, Hallmark, for Christmas Magic.

I know time travel has been done a few times in Hallmark Christmas movies but never has it been so refreshing and heartwarming! First Bethany Joy and Kristopher are two of my faves and their chemistry is such a good match. The writing of the script gets a huge A+ as the quips they exchanged and the whole storyline was all so beautiful.

The location and costumes and words all combined to give us such a modern take on the old movies including the slightly over the top acting that is reminiscent of the movie era.

They knocked it out of the park with this one. You come away with your heart filled with Christmas spirit. Great movie!

Call me crazy, call this hyperbole, but, this is one of the finest if not THE finest Hallmark Christmas Movies I have ever seen. Clever and creative and oozing with charm and real romance and Christmas joy that does not feel forced or a pale carbon copy of a movie they have already made six dozen times. The two leads give outstanding performances and have sensational chemistry and all of the supporting players have a great time playing with the 1940s parlance and style. In an abstract way, one could almost think of this as a riff of the weepy romantic classic Somewhere in Time, but, with the genders reversed. This is the third movie Hallmark has put out in 2023 that has surpassed my expectations. This is really interfering with my annual holiday tradition of Hate Watching the mediocre ones! Highly recommended, even if you think you don't like Hallmark Christmas Movies!

I have been waiting for this movie since the first trailer I saw for it. I love the Biltmore. I love Bethany Lenz. I love Kristoffer Polaha. But I could not have imagined the absolute magic that they would create in this movie. The writing far surpasses any Christmas Hallmark movie I've ever seen (and I've seen them all.) The device for the time travel is ingenious and used with both humor and pathos. The 1947 sets and costumes are gorgeous. The acting feels like a major release movie instead of tv. I laughed and cried. I can't wait to watch again to catch more - there's so much to absorb in every scene. Thank you and congratulations to Hallmark for creating a new Christmas classic.

Loved this Hallmark Christmas movie! Like Lucy I felt transported to the Biltmore during Christmas in the 1940s. Bethany Joy and Kristoffer had magical chemistry. Bethany Joy was absolutely beautiful! More Jonathan Frakes on Hallmark please! The costumes were beautiful and the cars pristine.

I hope to spend the holidays at the Biltmore in the next year or two. It has always been on my bucket list. This movie moved it to the top! I highly recommend this movie and I anticipate it will be an annual must see! The Biltmore and Ashville certainly deserve top billing on this soon to be classic Christmas movie!

Kristoffer Polaha always adds his unique charm to a character, and he doesn't do the same character every time, as some of the actors and actresses in these movies do. We particularly know Bethany Joy Lenz from "A Christmas Secret", which is one of our Hallmark Christmas favorites.

This film has performances that rival old-style big-screen movies, and the plot has a classic fantasy charm with a unique twist ... an hourglass that sends our intrepid heroine to the past for an hour at a time ... unless it gets broken.

The dialogue between the leads is quick and clever, and the plot constructs great atmosphere between them. Highly recommended.

I avoid Christmas movies like the plague. They are often dumb, tedious, and eye-rollingly boring. The whole genre went down the drain after the first year or two when Hallmark got ridiculous about them.

But I saw this one had Frakes in it.

I'm a huge TNG fan. So after thinking about it I decided to give it a shot.

I am glad I did I enjoyed it. It's a classy movie with a good script, good acting, strong characters and fine production. It goes by quickly.

I like that the main character is fully realized. My memory of these Hallmark Christmas movies is that they were cookie cutter things that had come off an assembly line.

But I did not get that sense here.

There is one character that I found annoying (the woman with the camera) but I even warmed up to her. Maybe I'm just getting old but I enjoyed this and even cried at the end.

I recommend it.

Really enjoyed the detail they put into this film. Visually it was beautiful to watch, you can tell the production team put in a lot of love and sweat into this project. It has a golden age look to it, especially the costumes.

Although half way through the movie I predicted the ending. I kind of wish I didn't to enjoy it more.

It has a very smiler ending to a recent Hallmark show cliff hanger last season. But still enjoyed the movie, love watching movies based on that time period.

Always look forward to Bethany Joy Lenz. Her characters are always entertaining, glad Hallmark is mixing it up.

I have watched A LOT of Hallmark movies - especially, Hallmark holiday movies. This is one of the better ones. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and highly recommend it. It was a true feel good movie. Both lead actors were perfectly cast. I have seen Lenz and Polaha in many films, and this one is a perfect fit for both of them. The writing and acting was fun and charming.

The Biltmore was a beautiful setting for the movie. I have been there and have such fond memories. It's nice to see it on film.

I have never written a review before, but I enjoyed this movie so much, I wanted to share what a good movie it is.

I had almost given up on every Hallmark movie... if I had seen another baker, big real estate guy taking the small shop, or royal nonsense I was going to just quit altogether. But Christmas at the Biltmore had such high reviews, I thought, well if I don't like it I don't have to invest much time. Little did I know that I would be completely surprised and entirely entertained with this story. This is such an improvement upon old/typical Hallmark storylines, and while those can be endearing at times, I tend to lose interest. The acting was superb with great writing and well developed story. The two leads were terrific together and had such chemistry. Give this one a try if you're looking for something new!

The only saving grace for this two-hour commercial for the Biltmore House is the exterior and interior views of the house, all decked out for Christmas, and the occasional scenic shots of the mountains. Much of the acting verges between bad community theater and daytime soaps, with the possible exception of the lead actress. The script is derivative and the unbelievable ending is strictly there to tug at the heart strings. Hallmark has certainly made its share of stinkers in the past, but this one is right up there. As an Asheville resident, I was certainly hoping for higher quality than this.

When I learned that two of my favorite Hallmark stars were paired up in a time travel story, I had high expectations. This wonderful movie exceeded those expectations. Bethany Joy Lenz is always great, but she just glows as Lucy Hardgrove, a screenwriter working on a remake of a beloved 1940s movie. Kristoffer Polaha plays Jack Huston, one of the stars of that old movie which, in this movie, is shown in black and white for authenticity. Polaha probably has one of the smoothest sounding voices in the world and he's very effective as a 1940s movie star.

This movie was a lot of fun. There's a magic hourglass, a mysterious hotel worker, feuding cast members, a sweet enthusiastic fan, a writer/director who drove away the love of his life, elaborate period costumes, old cars, a sweet rendition of Jingle Bells, lots of eggnog, a surprise cameo, a Jimmy Stewart impersonation, lines about TCM and His Girl Friday, and a character who says her name is Sandra Bullock.

Hallmark movies are (unfairly) criticized for being "all the same" and "predictable", but I honestly had no idea how the movie was going to play out. That's a tribute to the writer, Marcy Holland, who wrote the "Time For 'X' to Come Home For Christmas" movies. If they gave out Emmy Awards for best Christmas movie screenplays, she'd win for this one.

John Putch, who directed last year's excellent "A Holiday Spectacular", which was also set in the past, beautifully recreated the past in this movie too. And it was a Christmas movie in the sense that "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie; it takes place during Christmas and there are lots of holiday decorations. The essence of the story, however, was the chemistry between John and Lucy and the theme of taking a risk for someone else.

I just loved this gem of a movie.

This one was not what I expected, and I absolutely adore everything about it. My husband even enjoyed it, and he's not always a Hallmark movie fan. Bethany Joy Lenz Never disappoints. Whether a romantic comedy or drama, she is always incredible. Kristoffer Polaha was dashing and debonair. The era was magical, as was the Biltmore. I've visited the Biltmore, and it is an enchanted place. The verbiage and fashion were on point. I don't usually cry watching Hallmark movies, but this ending sent me right to my box of Kleenex in a good way. The surprise appearances toward the end were also a lovely surprise.

Most Hallmark Christmas movies are sweet, enjoyable and very "watchable", but this one was a big step above the rest. I loved Bethany Joy Lenz in the role of Lucy. She is funny and likeable. Kristoffer Polaha was the perfect choice to play an actor from 1947 with his deep movie star voice and dapper delivery. The chemistry between the characters was palpable and I caught myself smiling during so many scenes. There was an element of suspense I don't usually find in Hallmark Christmas movies and I honestly was not sure how this one was going to end. That in itself makes this movie different from the rest!! Of course the fact that it was shot in the beautiful Biltmore Hotel makes it worth watching just for the scenery! Seriously, if you enjoy Hallmark Christmas movies, you are going to LOVE this one!

This movie is one of the best movies Hallmark or any other network has made. The two leads are so realistic and on screen chemistry is incredible This is what hallmark can produce if they continue to hire these fine actors The story was very original casting was good and it feels like no one spared a nickel The costumes were beautiful, the hairstyles so authentic. And the sets were wow.

Why can't Hallmark do more movies like this. I think the actors a should be nominated as well as the supporting cast. I'm sure this production coast more money than the average movie but well with it The director should also be up for an award Movie was great Thanks Frank v.

This movie was so well done I almost forgot I was sitting on my couch watching it on Tv ( other than the commercials, thank you DVR) and I wasn't at the theatre. Love the old time feel of this movie. The old cars and time period clothes add a perfect touch. The actors they chose for this movie are perfect. Kristoffer reminds my husband and I of Gregory Peck. Bethany who I love anyways is also a perfect character for this time piece. I bet they enjoyed making this film. I'd love to take a trip to Asheville to see the Biltmore Estate at Christmas. I give this wonderful Christmas movie a 10. Thanks Hallmark!

The Biltmore may be the drawing card for this movie, but it's Bethany Joy Lenz, Kristoffer Polaha, the script, and the entire production that are the aces.

Lenz is always very good, but here she is outstanding as Lucy, as is Kristoffer Polaha as Jack Huston. Plus, the chemistry they have on screen is quite remarkable, maybe because their characters are so endearing.

Yes, this is a fantasy involving intrigue and time travel, but it so convincingly written that it becomes almost realistic and believable because of the dialogue, the locations, and the performances.

The intermittent use of black and white camerawork is a brilliant idea and serves to enhance the story and the characters of Jack, Ava, and Claude, the three movie stars in 1946's fictional movie "His Merry Wife !". Colton Little and particularly newcomer Annabelle Borke are wonderful as Ava and Claude.

Everything here is perfect : the direction by John Putch, the writing by Marcy Holland, the music by Tommy Fields (which has already been nominated for an award), the production design, the art and set direction, the costumes, and the cinematography. Mention must be made of Tracy Kilpatrick who had the insight to put this cast together.

And don't think that the character of Margaret is too bizarre. Here, in Michigan, we have Mackinac Island where "Somewhere In Time" was filmed. The fans of that film flock to the island and many are just as zany as Margaret, played nicely here by A. K. Benninghofen.

This film is so interesting and of such exceptional quality that I would have paid to see it at the show - it far exceeds some to the movies that are released in theaters nowadays. Even better than "Somewhere In Time," too.

I have tried and tried to like this movie. I read the reviews praising it. Review after review said this was the best Hallmark movie ever. Some said it was so good because it was so different from previous Hallmark movies. That's true it is different. It stinks. This is the most improbable movie and I'm not talking about the time travel. Who drops the one thing that controls time travel? The money she found in the purse can't possibly pay for everything she has spent. She suddenly wears outfits that just materialize out of nowhere. And she didn't get them from wardrobe. The acting is stilted and awful in both time zones. I thought the modern day, Biltmore had bad acting with her sidekick and the manager, but then she went back in time and the bad acting continued. I have watched many Hallmark movies multiple times, but this is definitely a one off.

This was a beautiful movie in every way possible! It transforms the viewer back to the Guilded Age/Golden Age of the 1940's film era (my personal favorite)! Kristoffer Polaha was a suave "Cary Grant like" lead! There were times I felt like I was actually watching Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart! He nailed his role as Jack Huston!

Bethany Joy Lenz was beautiful and entertaining as Lucy! She brought so much personality to her character! She can play any character well, but this was probably my favorite!

And finally..The Biltmore House..the biggest character of the movie! It is gorgeous!! I've watched this movie 3 times since it's premiere a (almost a week ago)!

I've been waiting for this movie since I first saw the previews. Kristoffer Paloha and Bethany Joy Lenz are two of my very favorite actors, and their performances were better than my expectations! The writing was great, especially some of the twists. I'm very good at figuring out the plots, especially since Hallmark is generally quite formulaic, but it was very near the end before the lightbulb went off in my brain!

The costumes, makeup, hairstyles, etc. Were all great. An actress would appear on stage, and I would think, "She reminds me of Greta Garbo, Hedy Lamar, Ginger Rogers, or any of the blonde bombshells! I do hope the lead actors will continue making movies for Hallmark and Great American Family for years to come!

Great job to all involved!

This Hallmark holiday romance is an enjoyable time-travel story that borrows some elements from (and honors) "Time After Time" and "Somewhere in Time".

This fantasy film features Bethany Joy Lenz as Lucy Hardgrove, a screenwriter with a shaky career who is charged with rewriting "His Merry Wife!", a film from the forties. She travels to the Biltmore Estate, to gain insight on the subject, where she encounters an hourglass among the original film's artifacts. Somehow the timepiece transports her, and she interacts with the cast and crew of the film, leading to complications.

Miss Lenz is wonderful in her role. Kristoffer Polaha, who plays the male lead, grows on you, as the role requires. The rest of the cast is quite enjoyable, especially A. K. Benninghofen, who plays Margaret, the superfan of the original film, who becomes a super sleuth and practically forces Lucy to reveal her secret. Jonathan Frakes is a pleasant surprise.

The Biltmore Estate itself is a star---worth seeing and a great setting for a romance.

Finally, the ending of the film is very satisfying. This is a feel-good film that really warms the heart.

This is the best Hallmark Christmas movie ever. In fact, you don't even need to call it a Hallmark movie, as it stands out as a Christmas movie beyond what you would consider the Hallmark audience. They could have released this movie in the theaters, and I think that it would have been a hit! Hallmark needs to continue to make movies like they are this Christmas season. We are also enjoying all the foreign settings in this season's movies, and are liking that they are not sticking to their regular formula if past hallmark seasons. Please continue to make movies like this! And can we have a sequel with these characters?