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Hallmark Review: 'The Wishing Tree'

A troubled professor and his students forge a bond in this surprisingly tearjerking Christmas flick.

By Trevor WellsPublished 4 years ago 5 min read
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For Evan Farnsworth (Jason Gedrick), a professor at the exclusive St. Mark's Academy, Christmas is a hard time of year for him since the passing of his wife. Things become even more difficult when he finds himself becoming the supervisor for St. Mark's "Christmas Orphans"--students staying at the academy over Christmas vacation. Among these students is Andrew Breen (Richard Harmon), the son of the wealthy Breen family and a well-known troublemaker. With Evan dealing with his own troubles, it appears that this holiday season will be a tough one for everyone.

But after Andrew gets arrested for causing trouble at the town's annual charity event, The Wishing Tree, Evan bails him out and begins to work to bring him and the other Christmas Orphans--Juliet Espinoza and Albert Nevins (Emmalyn Estrada and Amitai Marmorstein)--together as a makeshift holiday family. But just as things begin to turn around, trouble arises that threatens both Evan's job and Andrew's place at St. Mark's. Will it take a little Christmas magic to set things right?

As my final Christmas review of the year, The Wishing Tree proved to be a strong film to end December on. From the surprisingly emotional tone of the film to the cast that excellently handled that tone and the subject matters present within the film, The Wishing Tree is sure to tug at the heartstrings of many--particularly when it comes to the struggles of its main protagonist. The Wishing Tree proves to be an anomaly when it comes to the tropes of Hallmark in two distinct ways: the primary protagonist is a man, and the film is not primarily focused on a romance. Instead, The Wishing Tree focuses mainly on Evan's attempts to move on from the death of his wife and his efforts to help Andrew and the other students he's tasked with taking care of for the holiday break.

In addition to being a welcome change in story, the plot is carried well by Jason Gedrick and the young performers that make up the teen trio. In Gedrick's hands, Evan Farnsworth is heartwarmingly authentic as a teacher whose unconventionality and sternness are offset by the deep care he shows for his students, with Gedrick playing well off all three of his younger co-stars. Gedrick truly shines, however, when it's shown that for all the inspiration he provides for his students, Evan has his own share of troubles plaguing him in the form of his grief for his deceased wife. Through the pair of scenes Evan shares with visions of the late Elizabeth (played by Erica Carroll), Gedrick brings palpable emotion to his grief and desperate desire to have Elizabeth back, while Carroll brings a warmth to Elizabeth as she encourages her husband to move on. The second scene makes for a tearjerking exchange between the two, which segues into the film's uplifting conclusion.

As for the three teens that Evan acts as a mentor to over the course of the film, they all bring likability and charm to their characters. While Andrew Breen is a standard "Troubled Rich Teen with Family Problems" character, Richard Harmon brings empathy to Andrew both before and after his character growth; even during his worst moments as an angsty troublemaker, Harmon allows for Andrew's vulnerable, broken side to shine through. In a nice twist on tropes, the film doesn't have Andrew revert back to his old ways when the third act obstacle arises, nor do Albert or Juliet turn against him for this indirect role in these developments--instead, they all pull together to try and set things right.

Amitai Marmorstein proves to be a surprise gem as Albert Nevins, bringing an instant charm to the adorkably shy brainiac. A notably heartwarming quality about Albert is that, despite Andrew being nothing but rude and dismissive of him in the first act, he's still the one to extend an olive branch to him as a fellow "Christmas Orphan"--which in turn provides the final spark to kickstart Andrew's character growth arc. Emmalyn Estrada (in her first credited acting role) proved similarly charming as Juliet, and additionally showed off her beautiful singing voice--one she would use to pursue a music career a few years after this film--through Juliet's two music numbers. Harmon, Marmorstein, and Estrada all share a strong chemistry among themselves that brings a sincerity to the camaraderie that forms between the teens, with Harmon and Estrada sharing a few memorably sweet moments together.

In side performances, John Innes brings the same warmth to Headmaster Fitz that he brought to his character in A Dash of Love, and Teryl Rothery brings a surprising amount of weight to her small handful of scenes as Madelyn Guthrie. Carrie Genzel brings the same emotional energy to her arc as Andrew's mother Amanda, and while her character never really develops beyond "Manic Pixie Dream Girl"-esque territory, Erica Cerra is sweet and shares solid chemistry with Gedrick as fellow St. Mark's professor Clarissa.

While the highly emotional tone and occasionally too-slow pacing may not be to everyone's taste, The Wishing Tree emerges as a heartfelt film with characters you grow to care for played by actors who bring them to life. With its focus being on love among friends, family, and a group of friends who become a family of choice rather than romantic love, The Wishing Tree stands out among Hallmark's other holiday offerings and is thus a fitting movie to cap off 2019 with.

Score: 8 out of 10 Isadora Duncan references.

review
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About the Creator

Trevor Wells

Aspiring writer and film lover: Lifetime, Hallmark, indie, and anything else that strikes my interest. He/him.

Link to Facebook

Twitter: @TrevorWells98

Instagram: @trevorwells_16

Email: [email protected]

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