Following Yonder Star
Writer: John Eliot Jordan and Carlie Mantilla-Jordan
Director: Jeff Beesley
Cast: Brooke D'Orsay, John Brotherton, Isla Verot, Amanda Austin, Melissa Murray-Mutch, Jacob Blair
Every year, Hallmark releases dozens of holiday movies — and Pop Heist staffer Brett White has seen them all. All Heistmas long, Brett checks out what Hallmark has to offer, analyzing each movie's setting (Home for the Holidays); calling out the most heavy-handed exposition ('Twas the Night Before This Movie); praising any LOL moments (Ho Ho Ho); singling out the scene-stealer (They Brought Presence!); and deciding if the title matches the story (Exactly as Advertised). To top it all off, each movie is judged on six quintessential Hallmark qualities to determine once and for all if this Hallmark Christmas movie hits or misses the (Hall)mark. Read more Hallmark Hit-or-Miss reviews here.
Brooke D'Orsay (A Not So Royal Christmas) plays Abby — not Gabriella. That's the name of the character who Abby played for at least twelve seasons on Guiding Grace. That show's been off the air for two years now! Everyone, move on! Abby sure is trying to, but it's hard when you spent over a decade so tied up in your work. Abby was even married to her co-star for a stretch (not anymore — he's getting remarried!). Abby's going through it, emotionally, and that's precisely when an overzealous and belligerently appreciative employee at a Christmas shop pushes Abby past her limits. She justifiably snaps at him and — this being a new trope of Hallmark's social media era — video of said snapping goes viral. Abby's agent suggests she take a break.
That break takes her to Vermont where — oh, whoops, Abby reserved a luxury resort experience for... next Christmas. Fortunately there's a cozy inn nearby with a room available. It's run by Nick (Christmas on Cherry Lane's John Brotherton), a — deep breath — innkeeper/high school science teacher/widower and single father who's also directing the local Christmas pageant. How, truly how will Abby be able to resist this man? Look at him! Good thing he's not into celebrity gossip, though, because Abby's viral moment has absolutely followed her across the country...
Home for the Holidays: Nick's inn is located in Pine Ridge, Vermont — a city that does not actually exist despite there being a Pine Ridge in nearly half the states in America. Wild. This fictional Pine Ridge holds an annual masquerade ball, because Hallmark loves giving our leads an excuse to wear formal attire despite people opting to dress more and more casual every year.
And then there's the main tourist attraction, is the arrival of what is called the "modern star of Bethlehem" on Christmas Eve, which is perfectly visible from Pine Ridge.
Twas the Night Before This Movie: During Abby's phone call with her ex-husband/costar, we get this gem: "I can't believe our fictional son is in college!"
Ho Ho Ho: The script isn't exactly bursting with jokes, and most of the humor seems to come from riffing between Brotherton and D'Orsay. One truly wild adlib: Abby walks in on Nick, who's reading essentially Innkeeping for Dummies. She asks what he's reading, and a flustered Nick hides the book and I think says, "The Art of War." Speechless. Perfect.
They Brought Presence! Love seeing Santa Summit's Dan De Jaeger pop up at the start as the aggressive retail worker who can't separate Abby from Gabriella. It's big, broad comedy and it really worked for me. Honestly, De Jaeger and D'Orsay had such fun comedic chemistry together that I wish the rest of the movie had been in that tone. I mean, John Brotherton is funny! More jokes!
Exactly as Advertised: Okay, listen: this movie has a lot going on. Of all the things — a children's choir in need, cancel culture, inn upkeep, a masquerade ball, solo parenting — the celestial event for which the movie is named feels like an afterthought. And while I'm at it, why is the show-within-a-movie titled Guiding Grace and her character is Gabriella? Shouldn't her character be Grace? And since establishing her independence from her famous role is Abby's whole deal, should the title be Guiding Abby? I know it's not Christmas-y but, work with me here.
I don't really know where to begin with Following Yonder Star, which actually feels like the top-level note for this movie. There's just a lot going on in this one — and D'Orsay and Brotherton can only do so much! And they do a lot, mind you. You have two A-listers like them in a movie, you're gonna get all the Hallmark feelings that you crave this time of year. They play off each other wonderfully, and they bring their own unique style to their respective Hallmark archetypes (the single dad with a heart of gold, the super-accomplished professional yearning to have it all). I love them together!
I just wish that Following Yonder Star had picked one, even two, stories to follow and edited the rest out. A whole movie could've been built around Abby researching her next role as an innkeeper (which, BTW, is a plot point I've neglected to mention so far!). A different movie could be built around Abby hiding out from the public in a small town and lending her skills to a local play. Neither of those movies particularly need the astronomy angle? And if you're gonna make Nick a high school science teacher, let's see him do more science!
There are a lot of bright elements in this one that drift in orbit but, unlike the titular "star," they never really align to form something beautiful. So, by a tenth of a point, Following Yonder Star barely misses.
