Christmas in Love Review: This holiday film is formulaic but the lead stars Daniel Lissing and Brooke D'Orsey make it a joyful watch

2.5/5

​Story: A​n aspiring entrepreneur in a small town shows a big-city CEO that it's the employees that maketh a business

Review: There's something about the feel-good romantic holiday films. Not only do they instantly put you in a festive mood, but they also make you forget your worries for a while. Or maybe it's just the excitement of the season in the air. Christmas in Love, which dropped on Netflix, is just that. Originally made for Hallmark Channel, the film stars both the regulars of the channel, Brooke D'Orsey and Daniel Lissing in the lead. However, this is the first time that the duo come together for a film. And when it comes to meet-cute, what's a better situation than to set it up amid a holiday backdrop.

The plot of Christmas in Love features a small town in Missouri where Christmas celebrations have reached its feverish peak and the entire town wears a colourful and festive look. Amid the festive euphoria, we meet Ellie (Brooke D'Orsey), who works at the popular Carlingson bakery and is known for her mouth-watering kringles. The affable Ellie with a positive outlook towards life, is just fresh from a break-up and has actively dived into making the popular Christmas Kringles.

It's at this juncture that the CEO of the bakery, sends his son Nick (Daniel Lissing) undercover to learn the business hands-on. He arrives with the idea to modernise the entire unit and in the process, lay off many employees. But Carlingson bakery is a place where people revel in hand-made products and hold its people the reason for the success of the business, something which the CEO of the company, too, believes in. When Nick arrives from San Francisco, Ellie is assigned with the task of taking him around the factory. As they spend a lot of time together, naturally sparks fly between the two, but in a very subtle manner.

The plot of Christmas in Love is pretty much what we have seen in many romantic movies. They are stark opposites but eventually turn out to be the motivating factor in each other's lives. The lead pair run into each other unexpectedly and get off on the wrong foot and later, when they spend more time with each other, they understand they are the ones that they were looking for all this while. In Christmas in Love, Nick Carlingson comes to town with his grand ideas of automation, and we know that by the time the movie comes to end, he would be a changed man altogether, courtesy Ellie. Likewise we know that from the start that Ellie, who has always nurtured entrepreneurial dreams will finally take the plunge after persuasion from Nick.

Both Daniel and Brooke, who have done many films in the genre, seem to be at ease in their respective characters. It's a delight to watch both of them. While every time Brooke appears, she lights up the screen, Daniel is no less than charming. The plot may be run-of-the-mill and the romance, too, but as a holiday film, Christmas in Love definitely puts you in the Yuletide spirit. The colourful film brings a subtle cheer on your face.

Review: Pop on this holiday film and soak in the Yuletide spirit.