Review of Movie: Tis the Season for Setups Starring Amanda Schull and Victor Webster

The Plot

The opening scene finds Lexi shopping with her mom at the store (a cozy boutique of course!) for a Christmas sweater for daughter Piper (who is adorable by the way.)

Lexi and mom June clash in a sort of cute mother-daughter dynamic. Lexi is somewhat of a stick-in-the mud. Well, it’s the truth, sorry! She is a workaholic who finds no time for fun. While her mom, June is usually off on an African safari during the holidays, but not this year. Something about the chimps…

They arrive home to find Piper ready to let loose and dance with grandma…Only Lexi isn’t having it. She gets on the phone with her event-planning-business partner.

In the mean time, June is scheming to help her granddaughter Piper realize a dream ski trip and get Lexi out of the big city (Denver I think) and off to the ski lodge for a family vacation…

The Actors

Lexi is played magnificently by Amanda Schull who you might remember as Katrina Bennett on the long running series “Suits.” She is a former ballet dancer. Maybe that is where this dynamic actress gets those physical comedy chops.

Love struck Ridge (Victor Webster) has appeared in a number of Hallmark shows and movies. You might remember him in Matchmaker Mysteries or Wedding Veil Legacy. This multi-talented actor also holds a black belt in tae kwon do.

I’m sorry, but my favorite character in the entire movie is free-spirited June, played brilliantly by Barbara Niven. She adds some spice and warmth to the role of Lexi’s mother. When I say free-spirited, I mean it! June is usually on some adventurous trek through Africa over the holidays. But thank goodness for Lexi (and us) she is firmly planted in Colorado (or actually Canada where the movie is likely filmed) for the Christmas festivities.

Barbara Niven didn’t get started acting until she was almost 30. At the time, the business owner was attending her high school reunion and someone asked her whether she had accomplished everything she wanted.

The answer was no. And thus beginning the career that brought her to our screens.

My Thoughts on this Movie

At first I thought, what a tired trope. But then, when I witnessed the chemistry between Lexi and June in the opening scene, I got it. The movie is turning the tables on traditional conflicts where parents set up their kids much to their adult child’s chagrin.

In this case, Lexi and Ridge are doing the match making for their parents! And that is where the hijinks ensue!

I love the scene toward the end when Lexi confesses to her mom about why she became a stick-in-the-mud (she used different terms.)

I also really enjoyed June’s interactions with her granddaughter Piper. To me, family relationships are what make Hallmark movies unique. (And of course the photography.)

Favorite Lines from this Movie

When June and Lexi are having a heart-t0-heart conversation, and June admits, “You had to be a little adult because I was an overgrown kid.”

June, you go ahead and keep those child-like qualities. I love your adventurous, free-spirited nature!

When Ridge is discussing the future of the ski lodge with his dad, Dan tells his son, “This is a business, not a brand.” Amen.

I would give “Tis the Season for Setups” four out of five stars. Yes, the story was a little slow moving at some points, but I realize no one is watching Hallmark movies for the action. The delicate relationships between these characters made all the difference. And family dynamics are what it’s all about during the holidays.