A snowy resort, family matchmaking, and a familiar Hallmark cast create a promising Christmas setup that never quite finds the emotional connection it needs.
Courtesy of Hallmark Media
Written by Christopher L. Antie
Hallmark Channel enters the holiday season with ’Tis the Season for Setups, starring Amanda Schull, Victor Webster, and Barbara Niven. The film premieres October 16 on Hallmark Channel and streams the following day on Hallmark+.
On paper, the ingredients are there for a charming Christmas romance. Lexi, a highly organized single mother and professional party planner, arrives at a ski resort to organize its annual holiday celebration. There she meets Ridge, a laid-back ski instructor whose personality is meant to challenge her structured approach to life. As the two become involved in a little holiday matchmaking of their own, their plans repeatedly take unexpected turns.
It is a playful premise, and there are moments when you can see the movie it wants to become.
Unfortunately, Will and I never completely felt the connection between Lexi and Ridge. Their relationship begins with the traditional Hallmark opposites-attract setup, but the chemistry remained awkward for us rather than naturally developing as the story progressed. The direction of the romance becomes fairly easy to predict, yet the film does not spend enough time building the emotional foundation needed to make that journey feel completely earned.
Amanda Schull gives Lexi the rigid, organized personality the character requires, but we wanted the movie to explore more of what makes her tick. Her career as a party planner could have provided a strong storyline of its own, particularly with the resort’s major Christmas celebration looming in the background. Instead, that element often feels introduced and then pushed aside. We wanted more of the planning, pressure, creative decisions, and execution that might have helped define Lexi beyond the romance.
Victor Webster’s Ridge is intended to be her free-spirited counterbalance, but the character never felt completely developed for us. There were opportunities for their opposing personalities to influence one another in meaningful ways, yet much of that growth remains underexplored.
Barbara Niven, meanwhile, brings welcome warmth and humor to June. Her free-spirited personality offers a pleasant contrast to Lexi’s need for organization, and some of the film’s more enjoyable moments come from watching the different generations interact. Still, we would have liked more depth across those family relationships.
That is perhaps the film’s biggest challenge: there are several good ideas competing for too little development.
Lexi is a single mother, but her relationship with daughter Piper never becomes as meaningful as it could have been. The movie presents three generations of women, yet their family dynamic often remains at the surface. A few deeper conversations between Lexi, June, and Piper could have given the story more emotional grounding.
Visually, there are some pleasant holiday moments. The ski resort provides an appropriately seasonal backdrop, and the lodge decorations offer glimpses of the traditional Hallmark Christmas atmosphere viewers expect. Our favorite visual moment was a Christmas tree discovered in the forest—a simple scene that carried the kind of holiday wonder we wished had appeared more often throughout the film.
The production itself feels more television-oriented than cinematic, although the editing is clean and quieter scenes are given enough room to breathe. Christmas music and decorations are present, but the holiday atmosphere feels moderate rather than completely immersive.
The pacing also becomes somewhat uneven. Storylines are introduced, moved aside, and occasionally left without enough development. The annual holiday party should arguably be one of Lexi’s defining moments, yet viewers see relatively little of the event after so much of the premise is built around her organizing it.
That does not mean there is nothing to enjoy.
Niven adds personality whenever she appears, the resort setting has seasonal appeal, and viewers who enjoy straightforward Hallmark matchmaking stories may find comfort in the familiarity of the formula. There is something naturally appealing about watching people become so focused on someone else’s happiness that they begin reconsidering parts of their own lives.
For Will and me, however, the movie needed more connection—between the characters, within the family relationships, and among the various pieces of the story itself.
Chris & Will give ’Tis the Season for Setups 4 out of 10 smiles*.
The film has the framework for a warm Christmas romance, but predictable storytelling, limited chemistry, and underdeveloped relationships kept us from becoming fully invested.
Still, every viewer brings something different to a Hallmark movie, and this one may connect more strongly with those looking for an easygoing holiday escape.
’Tis the Season for Setups premieres October 16 on Hallmark Channel and streams the next day on Hallmark+.
Source: ChrisWill Media
About the Authors: Christopher L. Antie and William Antie are podcast journalists and media personalities covering entertainment, travel, culture, events, and stories from across a wide range of industries. Together, they bring a conversational and experience-driven approach to the stories they share. Follow more from Chris & Will through their podcast, What About Our Life?, on iHeartRadio and at chrisandwill.com.