The production values are pleasing on the eye, the scenery has an authentic Christmassy feel and the photography doesn't try to do too much while not being claustrophobic. Happily, all of this is resolved, partly because Holly discovers some old photos from when Dave and James and Julie's mother before she married, and Martha were all happy friends together; and partly because Julie explores some of her mother's boxes of belongings, discovers the family's misplaced Christmas-tree topper - a large crystal star - and three letters written on her deathbed by Julie's mother - one to Julie, another to her husband, James, and a third to Dave Spruce. So there are two families who own Christmas Tree farms next to each other and due to a fire that took out seven years worth of crops they've been at each other's throats for as long as the kids can remember. Against their families' wills, Julie Pine, daughter of James Pine (whose wife died almost a year ago), comes home from university, with only one semester remaining in her Horticultural degree, to help her father with the Christmas rush. The feud between the families begs an explanation, especially since they're selling two different products and therefore, aren't truly in direct competition.

Julie and Rick fall in love despite being on opposite sides of feuding Christmas-tree-farm families. The only characters I enjoyed (apart from the soldier because we respect the troops) were side characters Bear and Holly, who’ve been having a secret inter-feud triste of their own for months without making such a meal of it. The course of true love never did run smooth, and our plucky heroine grapples with major setbacks (lost cookie recipes, missing baubles, or run-away puppies) on her way to the inevitable happy ending in the snow (not a euphemism — these are family-friendly films all the way! Know the difference: it’s our family name”, and urging the grieving widower James Pine to “be a good father and keep […his daughter] in line”.Meanwhile, one of the big burly Pine workers, nicknamed "Bear", and one of the cute Spruce workers, Holly, have been secretly dating, despite knowing that their mutually antagonistic bosses would fire them on the spot if their relationship was revealed. It also isn't what some people class as a 'Chick flick' (GAWD, I hate that saying) it is a film that both sexes and all ages can watch and I bet even tho some men might roll their eyes and moan about it I bet even they will secretly enjoy the film (tho they won't admit it Lol) I thoroughly enjoyed it and might even watch it again either just before or just after Christmas. It doesn't take long to find out the feud is still going strong and appears to have gotten a little harsher in the time she's been away. It was filmed under the title A Star-Crossed Christmas, which is also the title it was released as in the United Kingdom. Rick and Julie reconcile around the same time as their grumpy relatives (who find a moment to blame Julie’s mum again for the rift: “can you forgive me for taking your girl?

Still saw it anyway, with it being one of the films as part of my Christmas film completest quest and one of the films watched during the much-anticipated and needed Christmas period. The acting fares decently, with a likeable John McGregor giving the best performance with charming, feisty Sarah Fischer close behind. Meanwhile, coming from Texas, where he had been a successful used-car salesman, Rick Spruce, accepts the invitation of his uncle, unmarried and childless Dave Spruce, to help his uncle at this busy season. So much of the dialogue is contrived, obviously designed to give details about the characters without developing the plot. However, as our viewing habits change, and we demand the content we want streamed 24/7 the made-for-TV Christmas Movie is evolving.A Star-Crossed Christmas becomes the comedy Romeo and Juliet was destined to be before Mercutio dies. However, this is a made-for-TV Christmas Movie and while an emotional back story is obligatory, the actual act of death must be confined to the (unseen) summer months. At the risk of ruining the predicable happy ending — Rick and Julie, our Star-Crossed lovers cheat fate and in a Christmas Cliché epilogue enjoy a totally seasonally appropriate outdoor Christmas wedding a year later. Somewhat predictably, Rick and Julie aren’t the only ones breaking the rules in a cross-family romance as Bear and Holly are found having a (family-friendly) fumble behind the hay bales.

Gradually the audience finds out what the two male tree farm owners Dave Spruce, (Ken Cheeseman) and James Pine (Tom Kemp) decades old dispute is about.John Stimpson, 2017) — also known by the less Bardtastic title The Spruces and the Pines — is a classic made-for-TV Christmas Movie. Summary [ ] This page about a Christmas special or an episode from a television series with a Christmas theme is in need of a longer synopsis. The festively-named Holly (Sarah Fischer) stands in for Benvolio, whilst the strong and dependable Bear (John MacGregor) plays an equivalent role for Julie (the opportunity for an ‘exit pursued by’ joke was sadly missed). I absolutely loved this film and it even made me shed a tear or two about three quarters of the way through.

In the Capulet corner we have James Pine (Tom Kemp), recently widowed and just about holding it together. It naturally centres on "Christmas", because of the seasonal setting of the rival Christmas tree farms, but not for what Christmas is really about, such as, the Nativity, and/or Santa Claus.

Wikipedia's article on "Pine" tells us: "A tea made by steeping young, green pine needles in boiling water (known as tallstrunt in Sweden) is high in vitamins A and C". I know that this is primarily a love story but it would have been so much better to have a stronger resolve and make it a two-story film. Julie (Jonna Walsh) and Rick (Nick Ballard) fall in love despite being on opposite sides of feuding Christmas-tree-farm families. When they realise they each come from different sides of the bitter Pine-Spruce feud, Julie initially rejects Rick.