For those who don't know, "Christmas With Holly" is based on the novel "Christmas Eve At Friday Harbor" by romance author Lisa Kleypas.
Although she's not widely known outside of romance novel fandom, insiders acclaim Kleypas as the Babe Ruth, the Dale Earnhardt Sr. or even the Michael Jordan of historical romance. She's a superstar with a huge following. While her greatest novels tend to be historicals -- LADY SOPHIA'S LOVER, WORTH ANY PRICE, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME -- this television movie gives a fair example of her storytelling magic.
After her fiancée dumps her, gorgeous, innocent Maggie travels to Friday Harbor, a remote island off the coast of Washington, to open her own toy store. She soon meets Mark Nagle, a befuddled bachelor, and his niece Holly, an adorable first grader who stopped talking after the tragic death of her mother. All ends happily in time for Christmas.
While the gorgeous cast really nails Lisa Kleypas' mixture of gentle childlike wonder and heartwarming romance (watch the scene where Maggie shows Holly the inside of her magic dollhouse) it's sort of frustrating that the darker, steamier side of Lisa Kleypas' artistry will probably never make it to the big screen. Every time I watch MAD MEN I picture Jon Hamm as Nick Gentry and Christina Hendricks as Charlotte Worth in a HARD R version of WORTH ANY PRICE. But they'll never make that movie! The problem with Lisa Kleypas is that in her really great novels, all of the action happens when the lights are out.
Although she's not widely known outside of romance novel fandom, insiders acclaim Kleypas as the Babe Ruth, the Dale Earnhardt Sr. or even the Michael Jordan of historical romance. She's a superstar with a huge following. While her greatest novels tend to be historicals -- LADY SOPHIA'S LOVER, WORTH ANY PRICE, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME -- this television movie gives a fair example of her storytelling magic.
After her fiancée dumps her, gorgeous, innocent Maggie travels to Friday Harbor, a remote island off the coast of Washington, to open her own toy store. She soon meets Mark Nagle, a befuddled bachelor, and his niece Holly, an adorable first grader who stopped talking after the tragic death of her mother. All ends happily in time for Christmas.
While the gorgeous cast really nails Lisa Kleypas' mixture of gentle childlike wonder and heartwarming romance (watch the scene where Maggie shows Holly the inside of her magic dollhouse) it's sort of frustrating that the darker, steamier side of Lisa Kleypas' artistry will probably never make it to the big screen. Every time I watch MAD MEN I picture Jon Hamm as Nick Gentry and Christina Hendricks as Charlotte Worth in a HARD R version of WORTH ANY PRICE. But they'll never make that movie! The problem with Lisa Kleypas is that in her really great novels, all of the action happens when the lights are out.