Though predictable and unoriginal, 'Christmas at Castle Hart' is entertaining nonetheless with some beautiful Irish scenery and landscapes, appealing performances, and some lovely Irish dancing and Christmas celebration. At the center of our story is Brooke (played by Lacey Chabert),a thirty-something divorcee who, along with her sister Margo (played by Ali Hardiman),were recently fired from their (waitressing) jobs with one of the most sought after event planners. Margo thinks they should start their own event planning business, but first, what about a trip to Ireland for Christmas to search for their father's Irish roots? They're off. While at an Irish pub, they meet Aiden Hart (played by Stuart Townsend),who offers to give them a personal tour of Castle Hart. While there, they are mistaken for (or rather pose as) the elite event planner they used to work for and are hired to plan a Christmas party at the castle hosted by the Duchess of Abercorn (played by Kate O'Toole). The catch is, they only have 12 days to plan this grand Christmas event. All in all, it is an entertaining story. The writers do a good job of developing the dialogue between the sisters, which made me chuckle a few times. Indeed, the (light) humor is entertaining throughout the movie. I especially like the 'the partridge is still in the pear tree' scene. It made me chuckle. The romance and dialogue between Brooke and Aiden were pretty good, a bit of a soft touch in this one, which I felt worked fine on-screen. The family roots element of the story gets lost a bit in the narrative. However, it does remerge with a twist in a touching scene at the end. Many reviewers took issue with the morality of the movie's message. Of course, I understand the points made regarding the nature of lying and deception in the film. However, if I am being honest, I didn't think much of it while watching the movie. That is, it did not take anything away from my viewing experience. Given that deception/mistaken identity is a very popular plot device used by writers in this genre of film, maybe I have become immune to it and its implications. Or maybe, I don't take Hallmark movies too seriously. It's probably a bit of both. The acting overall was strong. Chabert, a Hallmark regular, had her usual warm performance. Townsend, a well-known Irish actor, was also convincing in his role as Aiden, the Earl of Glaslough. The two had pretty good chemistry as well, which kept me engaged with the story. Hardiman does a good job of portraying the corky, goofy sister Margo. And I can't forget the no-nonsense performance by O'Toole. Well done. From the snow-covered Irish countryside, along with the beautifully decorated castle, to traditional Irish dance and song, the film has a pleasing Christmas feel to it, which most will enjoy. If you are looking for something warm and fun with a touch of Irish holiday cheer, 'Christmas at Castle Hart' might be the Christmas rom-com for you.

Other than Hallmark completest quest sake, my main reason for seeing 'Christmas at Castle Hart' was Lacey Chabert. Really do like her as an actress and while her filmography is variable she rarely disappoints, it's no wonder why she is so popular with Hallmark. Also Ireland is a truly beautiful place. Having said that, out of all the 2021 Hallmark Christmas films 'Christmas at Castle Hart' had one of the most unappealing premises, what is so appealing about a plot that has such major deception playing a big part.

Unfortunately, 'Christmas at Castle Hart' does very little to make this unappealing premise the opposite. There were a few 2021 Hallmark films that had less than tasteful premises on paper that actually turned out very well, the Spring Fever film 'As Luck Would Have It' (also set in Ireland oddly enough) being a primary example of this, but this just didn't work for me in almost every way apart from two or three exceptions. Definitely in the bottom 5 2021 Hallmark Christmas films.

The best thing about the film is the scenery, which is absolutely ravishing and caught in its full glory by the photography.

Also thought that Chabert worked very hard to not make her character unlikeable, was really expecting to hate Brooke reading the synopsis but Chabert manages to bring her usual charm to the role.

However, Ali Hardiman badly overacts and comes over as too goofy. Her character is also one of the most hateful characters of Hallmark's 2021 output, not just because of what she does but also her grating personality. On the other side of acting extremities, Stuart Townsend is incredibly bland as the very underwritten love interest. Felt absolutely no chemistry whatsoever between him and Chabert and thought that their relationship was very under-utilised, and played too much second fiddle to the too heavily focused upon deception.

Which was truly far fetched and blatantly obvious, as well as more mean spirited than well intended. It took far too long to be found out, which was eventually done so via contrived coincidence. Even more far fetched was the ending, which is far too easy. A lot of the 2021 Hallmark Christmas films had too unrealistically easy resolutions, and the one here is one of the most insulting in a situation where what happens in real life is unforgivable. The rest of the cast struggle to do anything as characters that come over more as plot device ciphers than real people.

Furthermore, the script never sounds like normal everyday conversation and is drab, while on top of being heavily unrealistic the story is dully paced and completely charmless. Felt no emotion watching it, other than annoyance how a film could make a less than tasteful premise even more lacking in taste. The direction has no distinction and the music is completely forgettable and sounds like what you hear in many Hallmark films.

Very weak film all in all. 3/10.

5/10 - I love a Lacey Chabert Christmas movie as much (or even more) as the next person, but I felt like her charm was a bit buried in this rather boring 2021 Hallmark Channel offering.