Five Gold Rings
Writers: Aloura Melissa Charles, John Christian Plummer
Director: Steven R. Monroe
Cast: Holland Marie Roden, Nolan Gerard Funk, Henriette Ivanans, Susan Loewen, Curtis Moore
Holland Roden (Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas) plays Audrey, a painter based in — where else? — New York City who's still striving for wider recognition. Her big-city dreams are low-key questioned when she returns to her hometown only to discover that her mother (Henriette Ivanans) plans on selling the family's antique shop now that Audrey's grandmother (Susanna Portnoy) has passed away. Unless, of course, Audrey wants to hep run the store.
No time to dwell on that, because grandma left Audrey her prized antique rolltop desk — a desk that includes a secret mission. Audrey is to follow in her grandmother's footsteps and take part in her cherished holiday tradition: returning lost treasures — in this case, five ring-shaped gold trinkets — to those who lost them, potentially decades ago. Thank god for Google, am I right?
To help her on her quest, grandma urged Audrey to turn to local private investigator Finn (The Flight Attendant's Nolan Gerard Funk). Finn knows how special this tradition is, because he was on the receiving end of grandma's generosity and dogged sleuthing skills 20-ish years ago, back when he and Audrey were kids. Now they're adults and working together in close quarters. Could it be that grandma has another, more romantic mission in mind for Audrey?
Home For the Holidays: Audrey hails from Springside, Minnesota — which does not exist in reality but very much exists in our hearts. The town has a couple of annual traditions, like the "Springside by Candlelight Walk" and the "Build a Gingerbread House with a Fireman" event. (If a gingerbread house catches fire, do you get gingerbread s'mores?) And, most importantly, there's the art contest at the Christmas Giving Gala. You'd think Audrey would've been a lock for a win back when she was a kid, but you'd be wrong.
'Twas the Night Before This Movie: The very first line of the movie tells you everything you need to know: "I tell you Audrey, I love beachcombing year round, but it never fails that at this time of year, I find the most treasured gifts."
They Brought Presence: It's so rare that Hallmark movies give us an outright villain, which is why I have to give this to Daina Leitold for playing rival antique dealer Diana with perfect levels of small-town snobbery.
Ho Ho Ho: Five Gold Rings isn't exactly a laugh riot, so there's slim pickings here. But, I did get a smile out of Finn's deadpan reaction to seeing a dog in a reindeer costume.
As Advertised: It's about five gold rings, five golden rings is totally a Christmas thing — ya nailed it, Hallmark.
You gotta appreciate it when an entry in the companion Miracles of Christmas movie series actually leans into the mystery part of Hallmark Mystery. That's absolutely not a prerequisite. Sometimes the only mystery in a Hallmark Mystery holiday movie is if I'll be able to get through the whole thing without sobbing. These can be tearjerkers! Five Gold Rings isn't one of those. While there is plenty of sentiment — the look in Holland Roden's eyes every time Audrey mentions her grandma, you can see that character's decades of affection welling up in the corners — Five Gold Rings is a whodunnit through and through. Of course in this case, the "it" in "whodunnit" is "lost a tiny gold ring-shaped thing at one point years ago."
Where Five Gold Rings falls short is in the romance department. There's just something a little off about Audrey and Finn's relationship, and it may be Finn's disposition. He comes across a bit too broody. Like, you're a private investigator in a town where the biggest rivalry is between two antique shops. You can smolder a teeny bit less. And that goes for the whole movie, which could've used just a little more zip, a little more pep — a little more merriment.
Also, as someone who moved to New York City from Tennessee, we have got to stop demonizing cities in these movies! Still, props to Five Gold Rings for giving much-deserved respect to retail workers.
