Three Wisest Men
Writers: Paul Campbell, Kimberley Sustad, Russell Hainline
Director: Terry Ingram
Cast: Paul Campbell, Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker, Miles Marthaller, Christopher Shyer, Erin Karpluk, Matt Hamilton, Lochlyn Munro, Ali Liebert, Margaret Colin, Fiona Vroom, Nicole Major
Andrew Walker, Paul Campbell, and Tyler Hynes play the Brenner brothers, three adult men whose wisdom has increased incrementally over the past three years. This Christmas season finds Luke (Walker) anxiously awaiting twins, Stephan (Campbell) anxiously planning a wedding, and Taylor (Hynes) anxiously considering a major move.
Complicating matters further: Stephan's future father-in-law (Munro) is a no-nonsense veteran with a sassy cockatiel; Luke's convinced that he won't survive the jump from one kid to three; and that big career opportunity that Taylor's considering? Uh, it's coming from his ex, Fiona (Liebert). Add in the fact that six-ish-year-old Thomas feels overlooked by his expectant parents and that "for sale" sign in mom's (Colin) front yard and, woo boy, we've got a lot of movie to get through.
Home for the Holidays: Once again, the Brenner-verse is nestled in the cozy Seattle suburb Spruce Grove. Is Spruce Grove a real place? Not in America, it's not! It is, however, a city in Alberta, Canada.
'Twas the Night Before this Movie: When Sophie (Major) delivers this bit of exposition — "We have less than a month before these twins arrive" — you know that we the audience has less than 70 minutes before these twins arrive.
They Brought Presence: Jill Morrison dominates her sole scene as a battle-hardened mother of twins who runs her "what to expect" course like she's a sergeant in Full Metal Jacket.
Ho Ho Ho: In case you don't hit pause when Stephan's bookshelf makes a cameo, his bibliography includes the titles Calm, Cool & Conquer: This Time, For Humans and Prime Mates For Life.
Exactly As Advertised: From Three Wise Men and a Baby to Three Wiser Men and a Boy, we've arrived at just Three Wisest Men. I don't know if I'm suggesting they go with "Three Wisest Men and a Slightly Older Boy" but, it is very obvious that the franchise demoted a titular character. What's wild is, that's Thomas's storyline! It's hard to believe it when Thomas is told "it's impossible to forget about you" when the name of the movie very much has.
Trilogies are hard to pull off. By the time you hit the third movie, that original spark of an idea has already burned out. You either have to stick the landing, like Return of the Jedi, or start a brand new blaze, like Thor: Ragnarok. For a Hallmark movie trilogy, trilogies that sadly don't tend to utilize Ewoks or the sexual magnetism of Tessa Thompson, closing out a successful trilogy is even harder. Hallmark holiday movies thrive on the formula. How do you follow up a movie like 2022's Three Wise Men and a Baby, which eschewed the typical formula by just being a straight-up comedy? Then, how do you follow the follow-up?
Unfortunately Three Wisest Men doesn't have a solution to this quandary, nor does it have much to say — although that doesn't stop the movie from shouting. This is big, broad, often aimless comedy. There actually was something subtle about the first film, something that's been amplified to absurdity over the two sequels. For example, compare Hynes and Karpluk's chemistry and performance to, well, everyone else's. They have the kind of lived-in, subdued vibe that never telegraphs a joke. And wow, a lot of this movie is telegraphed. Sophie's pregnant, Thomas eyes one particular action figure, Susie's dad has a prized pet bird, and Stephan's being overly picky about wedding planning — and, well, you can guess where it goes next.
Last year's Three Wiser Men and a Boy mostly skated by on charm, novelty, and familiarity. Three Wisest Men, sans Boy, is just kinda there (courtesy of Home Goods and King's Hawaiian).
