More From Hallmark

Ali Liebert is best known as a Canadian actress, including playing a lesbian working in a Canadian munitions plant during World War II. Meg Tilly played a supervisor. AL also popped up on Hallmark.

Liebert also has directed. She is the director of Christmas in Notting Hill (Great Britain), a 2023 film that was repeated on Saturday. The leads have been in various things, but are not among the leading repeat players in Hallmark Channel films. I thought they did a good job here. 

The film involves questions about sibling duties and life choices. The surrounding plot takes up a lot of time, partially because a major part of this film is the British Christmas setting. So, this provides a different vibe than many of these films. The main love story as a result is somewhat limited. Nonetheless, all the other stuff retains interest. 

(The leads turn out to be the brother and sister of each sibling's own romantic partner. Each lead is an older sibling who had a parent die at a young age though in one case they are half-siblings. So, the whole thing has a certain incestuous feel, future inlaws forming a romantic bond.) 

A special nod to the creation of a British setting, including a pub, public areas, and Christmas celebrations.  

The leads in A Biltmore Christmas are more familiar faces. 

The plot winks a bit at viewers because it involves the remake of a Christmas classic from the 1940s. Our heroine, a bit of a modern cynical sort, wants to change the ending. By some magical events, she is transferred back in time to the filming of the original.  

An older Hallmark Channel film, Journey Back to Christmas, was also recently on. This involves a WWII-era nurse (a Full House actress all grown up). I thought the whole thing was overall disappointing, the modern-day storyline coming off as rather weak. 

Not the best time travel fare. A Timeless Christmas was better. An industrialist (familiar Hallmark actor) travels from the beginning of the 20th Century. He later plays himself in a historical reenactment at his historical home. And falls in love. I rewatched this and enjoyed it again.

There have been a few enjoyable time travel films, including one that reunites (though they did not share a scene) two actors of Back to the Future, on Hallmark Channel. People went back and forward in time. One or more went back and had a chance to relive part of their own lives. 

How was this new film? Jonathan Frakes has a charming supporting role in the modern-day story. Fans of Star Trek might almost not recognize him as a museum official (more or less). Hallmark films are great chances for older actors to get some work. 

The film has a charming recreation of 1947. If it feels a bit like a movie, not real life, that is likely intentional  A big fan of the old film that is not too put off when she hears about time travel is an amusing touch. The leads do their job well. I did get bored with the story after a while. 

This might have been my own personal taste. Nonetheless, this time, the film did not keep my engagement the whole way. It was still fun overall. Ends well. (Oh you knew it would end that way.)