I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised with 'A Very Merry Bridesmaid'. There was no time-traveling train, no over-the-top Christmas contest, or no mistaken identity plot device used in this one. Instead, it is a low-key, or rather, a slow-paced romance, a romance with a genuine and authentic feel to it, which makes it stand out among the crowded room of Christmas movies this season. From the grounded script and superb acting to the surprisingly appealing cinematography, it is a nice new edition to Hallmark's 2021 Christmas movie line-up. The story centers on Leah (played by Emily Osment),owner of a shop called Worldly Charm. This Christmas Leah is quite busy. In addition to running her shop and worrying about her father's health, her brother Paul (played by Patch May) is getting married on Christmas Eve at home (and she is a bridesmaid, of course),which happens to be Leah's 30th birthday (yes, she has a Christmas Eve birthday). The good news is that Leah's childhood crush Drew (played by Casey Deidrick) has returned home from abroad to act as the best man in the wedding and sort out his late grandmother's estate. Drew, who is determined to make Leah's 30th birthday special, starts spending time with Leah, helping her with this busy season. Will they develop a romantic connection before Drew leaves town for another adventure and journey abroad? At the heart of this story is the relationship that develops between Drew and Leah. The writers do a splendid job of developing the relationship thru the dialogue and interaction between the two. It feels real, it feels grounded. Given that the story/movie spends a significant amount of time developing this relationship, the viewer can actually watch it develop and grow on-screen, which is something many of the 84 minute Christmas rom-coms/romances lack. This also allows the writers to spend time developing these two characters and their backstories, which makes it easier to engage with the story and connect with the characters. Naturally, what makes this all work on-screen is the acting, which, overall, is very good. Osment has an impressive performance in this one. She brings so much warmth and feeling to the role of Leah. At the same time, she does a brilliant job of capturing Leah's disappointments and acceptance of how things are thru a touch of melancholy in her performance. The combination makes Leah's character quite loveable, I felt. Similarly, Deidrick's portrayal of Drew has a warm, gentle, and caring vibe to it, which is appealing on-screen. The chemistry between the two is very strong. You could feel the emotion and connection between them. Plus, there is a pretty hot and heavy kissing scene, if you had any doubts. Finally, the movie has a nice Christmas feel to it, and there is even a little history/trivia on the Christmas Eve flower, the poinsettia. All in all, 'A Very Merry Bridesmaid' is a warm and sweet Christmas romance with two very charming leads. I highly recommend it for those looking for a bit of (slow-paced) romance this holiday season.

5/10 - the Young & Hungry fan in me is always happy to see Emily Osment take the lead in a projected but unfortunately this one lacked any kind of originality for me to remember it come next Christmas.

Leah's "milestone" 30th birthday is coming up on Christmas Eve, the same day her brother is getting married. She is a little down because she thought that by now, she would have made more of a success of her life like the rest of her family. In particular she has never acted on her life long dream of travel. In addition, she has a feeling that her family is going to forget this most important birthday because of all of the excitement over her brothers wedding. Holy Molly Ringwald in Sweet Sixteen!

When she confides in her childhood friend and former crush, Drew, who is also visiting town, he decides to do something special with her almost daily to help her celebrate. In the background we learn that the reason why she hasn't done more with her life is that she is afraid to leave her Dad, who has had a few health scares. The airline has lost her brother's fiance's wedding dress, sending it to all the wrong destinations. "Her dress is better traveled than I am!". The fiancé is a type A personality and though nice, is a little picky and difficult. Her brother has decided to "surprise" her by buying back her beloved childhood home and changing the wedding venue to there from Leah's parent's home behind her back. So there's some cloak and dagger going on while the fiancé is getting more and more anxious that her wedding won't be perfect and something is being kept from her. Also, Drew has decided to sell his Nana's home because he no longer has ties to the community and that makes everyone sad, including Drew.

In summarizing the plot, it sounds like there is a lot going on, but there really isn't. This one doesn't aim for high comedy or drama. It is gentle and low-key, yet I wasn't bored. There were a lot of layers to the story and doesn't always take the obvious path. Drew and Leah's love story takes center stage and it is sweet. It develops slowly and tentatively but was engaging and romantic. The chemistry ended up being very strong. I felt the uncertainty and the emotion. The climax is touching and I loved the ending which wound everything up in a creative and upbeat way instead of with a lone chaste kiss. I must add, parenthetically, that Hallmark and the clones have really jazzed up the kisses this year.