MOVIE REVIEW
Movie: The Spirit of Christmas
Network: Lifetime
Original Air Date: December 19, 2015
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| Movie Images via: Marvista |
CAST:
Jen Lilley ... Kate Jordan
Thomas Beaudoin ... Daniel Forsythe
Kati Salowsky
Robert Walsh
Joanna Herrington
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| Jen Lilley image via: Talent Monthly |
PLOT:
While brokering the sale of Hollygrove Inn, Kate discovers Daniel and agrees to help solve his murder, unexpectedly falling in love along the way.
More...
Ambitious attorney Kate Jordan is sent to Vermont twelve days before Christmas to broker the sale of Hollygrove Inn. Upon her arrival, she is told that her appraiser has left and probably did so because of the ghost. Not to be dissuaded, she decides to stay at the inn, and it is not long before she meets Daniel Forsythe, a man who mysteriously died 95 years ago. Wanting his solitude, Daniel asks Kate to leave. She of course refuses, so the two strike a deal—if she can help him discover the truth behind his death and why he is cursed to return to the inn for Christmas each year, he will leave Hollygrove and allow her to finish her job. But as they work together, Kate can’t help but fall for this dashing Christmas spirit from another time, and a romance develops that will alter the course of both their lives.
Movie Review:
Coming...
Please Note: This movie sounds like it has a Supernatural element, perhaps like "Hello, It's Me", "The Edge of the Garden", or "Lake House".
See or Skip:
Coming...
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Finally, a Lifetime movie I'm actually looking forward to watching.
ReplyDeleteMisty
I can see what you mean about the “supernatural element.” From what I read, it sounds like a Christmas version of “Somewhere in Time” or “Portrait of Jennie.”
ReplyDeleteI am excited for this. Jen Lilley is a great actress.
ReplyDeleteThe trailer is available here: http://marvista.net/Details.aspx?id=5b6ebd7f-49ae-e411-8748-d4ae527c3b65&cname=features
ReplyDelete(there are also some other upcoming Christmas movie trailers on this company's website, as well as some movies we have already seen on Hallmark and such).
It reminds me of Edge of the Garden a lot, and I loved that one, so looking forward to this one too.
Literally can't wait for this movie. Airs at 8/7c on Lifetime.
ReplyDeleteJen Lilley, Thomas Beaudoin, Bates Wilder, Kati Salowsky, & Brett Leigh
12/2/15 - I'm watching this at the moment in Scotland. It's not due to come out in the US until 12/19. I won't give away any spoilers, but with 20 minutes to go, it's been a great movie. I came here to find out where it was filmed, as I am originally from Maine and the Inn is gorgeous!! Very well done - not as predictable and "canned" as most Christmas movies.
ReplyDeleteI too am watching this movie in England 12/3/2015 on Christmas24 channel. It's an excellent story very well scripted and acted and the location is perfect. I hope they show it many more times and release it on DVD as it's a great movie to keep for those special times. Merry Xmas everyone.
DeleteI just watched this too, it was lovely, really touching.
DeleteIt is filmed in Barre MA. At the Harding estate. This town is beautiful and right next door to me!
DeleteActually, the majority of #TheSpiritofChristmas was filmed at the Proctor Mansion Inn in Wrentham MA. Little known fact is that the script called for a long distance shot of the front of the Inn. Since the Proctor Mansion Inn is in the heart of Wrentham's town center, the Harding Estate exterior was used for the distance shot (plus a garden scene and the bar). All the other shots- ball room, stain glass doors, grand stair case, bedrooms, kitchen, dinning room, parlor, front porches, etc etc are the Proctor Mansion Inn. Check us out facebook.com/proctormansioninn & twitter.com @proctormansion . We have a special #LightsCameraActionPackage for an overnight stay, tour and presentation about making the movie!
DeleteThank you! I saw the movie last night and fell in love with the location! It's so romantic!
DeleteMisty
It was filmed at the Proctor Mansion Inn in Wrentham, Massachusetts. Beautiful isn't it?
DeleteI grew up in Wrentham and knew the Minken family who lived there before it was sold and renovated into the Inn. It was a beautiful home.
DeleteTina
Great film - really enjoyed it. The hot male lead helped!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to watch .. Love Jen Lilley as a actress. Just not the characters she portrayed but she is amazing so excited to see this . She is beautiful.
ReplyDeletecant wait that long ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ ill be 👻 by then 😜 ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
ReplyDeleteI loved it and can't wait until it comes out on dvd for me to buy.
ReplyDeleteThis was an excellent movie! I absolutely adore the entire cast! I certainly hope it will be released on DVD! I must have it for my collection!
ReplyDeleteJust finished watching it. Loved it! I hope they release it on DVD as I would actually buy this one.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely amazing movie. How do i buy this? Would watch over and over again.
ReplyDeleteAmazing movie...I'm so glad I recorded it on DVR... The movie really makes me want to know more I'd love to follow their story definitely makes you want more.
ReplyDeleteThe main filming location for #TheSpiritofChristmas was the Proctor Mansion Inn in Wrentham MA. It was filmed in January and February 2015 during the historic snow storms of New England USA! The snow fall broke historic records and a state of emergency was called in the end. The shots in the front lawn and on the porches of the Proctor Mansion Inn were done in -6degree weather and 5 foot snow piles! Despite the weather the cast and crew were amazing! Jen Lilley (as Kate), Thomas Beaudoin (as Daniel), David Jackson (director) & Michael Negrin (Director of Photography) stayed at the Proctor Mansion Inn during the weeks of filming. facebook.com/proctormansioninn , twitter @proctormansion.
DeleteHow does it end?? My DVR cut off the ending. :( and it hasn't been back on.
ReplyDeleteIt was a happy ending. :)
DeleteMisty
Thank you for sharing! I was afraid to watch it thinking it wasn't possible to have a happy ending and I don't watch sad movies around the holidays...
DeleteHappy Ending? I don't believe in falling in love with ghosts. Not a great movie, in my opinion.
DeleteMake this movie available for purchase so I may make it a new yearly Christmas tradition.
ReplyDeleteWill there be an part two? It's an amazing movie!
ReplyDeleteWho played Lilly, Daniel's girlfriend from the spirit world?
ReplyDeleteAccording to IMDB, the actress who portrayed Lilly in "The Spirit of Christmas" was Kati Salowsky.
DeleteMy DVR also cut off the end of the movie. Kate was walking out of the front door of the inn, saw Daniel, and started to run towards him. What happened next? Did they just kiss? Was there any indication that Daniel would be "allowed" to permanently stay with Kate? (Lesson learned -- Don't trust a Dish DVR!). Can someone please fill my wife and I in on the final scene?
ReplyDeleteKate walks out of the Inn and sees a figure walking toward her through deep snow, wearing a coat, gloves, hat (a clue that he is mortal and can feel cold). They run to each other. She says something like "you came back" and he replies "12 days is not long enough with you" and they kiss. We know h can stay because he arrives outside his ghostly allowed boundaries of the property.
DeleteI suppose im the last one to watch. just finished watching the movie. loved it!! the ending was confusing though. as in has he turned into a human or is he still a ghost?
DeletePlease please does anyone in Nys know when thus movie The Spirit of Christmas will air again on Lifetime?
ReplyDeleteLifetime from what I can tell only aired this movie one night and I think I know why. It was awful. Who wants to watch a girl who is lousy about picking men in the first place being controlled and manipulated into doing something by another man, who just happens to be a dead ghost. He threatens her into making him figure out who murdered him before he will leave the house alone. Nice guy. Or, ghost, whatever. Come on. She's cray cray. Who would seriously stay and put up with that. But of course she has to fall in love with said ghost. Please. And, with no explanation he returns to her in the end. Come on. Not good, not good at all.
DeleteAgree Melanie! This movie was not good. It was EVIL! How could anyone think this was a nice love story or Christmas movie?
DeleteOoh, glad to see I'm not alone in the absolutely-loving-this department. I was complaining a little bit about the movies this year, not getting as many favorites as I normally do, and what a great surprise was to have this on the last weekend. So glad I recorded it - this is definitely one to rewatch.
ReplyDeleteBut just to answer the question above - the final scene happens AFTER his time has ended, and he's still there, means that he's allowed to stay. What I wasn't sure and need to rewatch again is whether the forest is within the area he was restricted to before or if he was there in the morning because he could finally move beyond where he was physically stuck until now.
My sister and I watched this movie on Christmas Eve and we loved it! "The Spirit of Christmas" is my favorite movie from this Christmas season! Lifetime did such an excellent job with putting together this fantastic movie. I think that if any Christmas movie deserves a nomination for the 2016 It's a Wonderful Movie Family Movie Awards, "The Spirit of Christmas" is that movie. While I was watching this movie, I kept thinking to myself, "Wouldn't it be great if Thomas Beaudoin were on "When Calls the Heart" portraying a new character?" As a fan of the show, I'm hoping that someone from "When Calls the Heart" saw Thomas Beaudoin's performance in this movie and thought, "This guy would make a great addition to the cast".
DeleteTo answer Shae's question, I was given the impression that the forest was beyond the grounds of the inn, meaning that Daniel could move as freely as he wanted.
Watched this movie and was completely disgusted by the idea of this woman falling in love with this man who threatened her into doing what he wanted. How does a murdered ghost come back to life anyway?
DeleteThreatened her into doing what he wanted?? Sounds a little extreme there.
DeleteThought it was great, just want to know if he is still a ghost lol.
I loved this movie! Reminded me of The Ghost & Mrs Muir meets Somewhere in Time. I'm not usually a big romance movie fan, but I've watched it twice thanks to DVR. Only wish ending would have been a bit longer. Great job on this movie!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't get this one. Too strange for me. A girl falls in love with a ghost who was murdered about a hundred year ago? Sorry, but it just doesn't seem like the ideal Christmas movie to me.
ReplyDeleteAgree with anonymous. Also too strange for me.
DeleteAnonymous #2
I'm not surprised many like this movie, due to it being mysterious and romantic, but this kind of story never appealed to me. You have two people, or rather one person and a murdered ghost, no less, interacting between two spirit worlds, crossing time dimensions, and in the end the power of their love brings them together. Sorry, not appealing to me.
DeleteIf you have Comcast On Demand, The Spirit of Christmas is available to watch for Free.
ReplyDeleteWOW, great news. I can't wait to buy the DVD, but the Comcast On Demand will fill the gap. Wish I could record it. Thanks for the information.
DeleteLove the movie, would buy it when it release, but the ending had me confuse, was he alive, or still a ghost? How did he get to come back? Lost.
ReplyDeleteHis "miracle" is that he is able to choose a life now, not walk into the afterlife with Lily. He is seen walking in the snow on day 13 , meaning, he is no longer restricted by his "curse".
DeleteI was confused too. I read your reply and now I get it. Thank you!
DeleteWatched this movie in 2018, a couple of years after this was first posted. Loved this movie. Thank you Mary Fentress for your analysis of the ending. I wasn't sure what happened exactly but what you said makes perfect sense. Thank you!
DeleteThe end is my favorite part. You can tell he was allowed to come back on day 13 not as a ghost because he is walking in the same spot as when he was killed, like it never happened. Wonderful movie!!!
DeleteLove the movie, would buy when release, but am confused by the ending, was he alive or a ghost, and how long does he get to stay this time.Did not make sense the ending.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful movie...romance, mystery with a little of fantasy and syfy. And, the actors were terrific. How can you not love a handsome ghost (played magnificently) and a beautiful love lost girl. One of the best Christmas movies this year.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of chatter on this movie being such a great love story and that part of it was good, but I just couldn't get myself to love the girl (Kate) falling in love with the ghost (Daniel) idea. Don't you think she is unrealistically not scared of him? I mean this woman is all alone in this house and this ghost appears, they spar, and she agrees to help him discover how he was murdered. I don't think any rational person would stay or agree to this. Unrealistic. I wanted to love the love story but I just couldn't. Epic fail for me.
ReplyDeleteI actually thought this was a beautiful movie. All the movies this year were kinda terrible and this one was really wonderful! I have actually not stopped watching it on Lifetimes app because I love it so much! The location first off...wow! Can I live or at least come and stay at the flawless Proctor Mansion Inn please?! Right away they had me visually hooked and interested in watching. The Music score was also lovely and very calming! Now for the story, this movie was like a novel. I, for whatever reason, really cared about Kate & Daniel and was left wanting a sequel! I loved Kate, Played by Jen Lilley. She was a funny, charming and determined and I disagree with the readers comments above that she was threatened into doing what the spirit (Daniel) wanted her to do. She actually did what she wanted to do against what other characters wanted; And made her own plans and decisions throughout the story. I also loved Daniel. They wrote him very well! I didn't find him threatening at all and I felt for him and cared about his story from the beginning. He, like Kate, was very charming and funny and caring. He really gave off the feeling that he was an old soul. And I also understand why Kate fell in love with him. To be clear, Daniel was not really a spirit in this movie. He was human, but only for 12 days. So to say Kate fell in love with a ghost is actually kinda wrong. But, who wouldn't fall for Thomas Beaudoin? I mean really. And I think he really did fall for Kate too and didn't want to act because it would be unfair to her to only be able to spend 12 days with her. I do believe that he became human at the end of the film and that was the miracle. Because when the clock turned 12 and he was still there and he asked Lilly what this means she said "You're free." and told him the choice was his to make. I think, in my head, he was free to choose to move on or stay. I'm pretty sure he comes up from past the property line, which is another sign he is real. I actually was upset because I thought he may have moved on but then, got so excited that he stayed. The dialogue at the end was so simple and beautiful! Just like the movie itself. There are scenes in the film that were cut due to air-time i think because on lifetimes movie app there are scenes in the film on there that were not on my dvr recording from that night. One of Kate & Daniel, And another one too, after Kate & Daniel have the fight about Lilly and his Rum-running the night of molly's little get together, Walter and Kate have a really sweet conversation where Kate tells him that she forgot that this is actually Daniel's life, not just some mystery story and that he seems so alive. To which Walter replies, "He is alive. Just not in the traditional way" and that when Kate thinks that she should leave, Walter tells her he is sure Daniel wants her to stay and also that it's been a while since he has gotten to have the pleasure to have a fight with a beautiful women. It was a really nice and sweet scene and I wish they would have kept it cause it makes you like Walter, and even more see Kate starting to understand Daniel in a personal way. Also the scene when she is leaving to go back to Boston was cut a little as she is driving away. I'm PRAYING that this goes on dvd or iTunes because I have, as you may know by now, fallen in love and would watch this movie all year long, not just at Christmas. To my great heartbreak though, this movie is going to expire on lifetimes app on January 1st. So we have to watch it in its full form while we can until it comes to dvd or itunes. I give this film a 20 out of 10 and a full five star rating! ★★★★★ I'm not one to buy movies, but I would pay for this one!
ReplyDeleteYou're in luck, it's on Netflix!
DeleteI love love love this movie. I'm so glad I was able to Tivo it. I've been watching the version aired on Lifetime repeatedly since it came out. I hope it does get released on DVD especially with the missing/extended scenes that was shown on the OnDemand version that were mentioned by others. I don't have OnDemand so I would like to see what I missed.
ReplyDeleteI would love a sequel to see their (Kate/Daniel) continuing story.
Oh, one thing I'm confused about is why is he "free". He repeated 95 years of this cycle in solitude except for the times he encountered Walter, I supposed. What part of all the events happenning this year released him from this "curse/miracle"? Was it the solved murder? Was it the fact that Kate was willing to wait for him for many years? Was it the fact that he was giving Kate a gift of love and permission to find another? Or something else? The conversation Charles had with Lily was that Daniel always put himself first and Lily replied was that he would learn. So I'm leaning toward Daniel letting Kate go and give her permission to love again which showed that he put her first that give him the freedom but I'm not sure. Even after multiple watch that's the thing that's still not clear to me.
ReplyDeleteMy DVR didn't tape it! Any chance of a re-air?
ReplyDeleteThank goodness it's on Netflix that's the only way I even heard of it. Def my favorite movie EVER
DeleteI loved, loved, loved this movie. I would like to download or purchase it!
ReplyDeletePretty sure its on Amazon
DeleteI need this movie! Where can I buy it?
ReplyDeleteI am hoping this movie becomes available on DVD!!! I sooooo much want to purchase it and it is a wonderful, addicting story that I want to watch over and over all year long!!!
ReplyDeleteThis movie is so good, I went into it with no expectations and I was happily surprised! It is definitely one of my favorites and I hope it will come out on DVD so I can buy it!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWHEN will this wonderful movie be available to purchase?!
ReplyDeleteCute movie but a lot of things did not make sense!!! No explanation either!!!!
ReplyDelete1) The sheriff's sister was talking about the history of the inn and the rumors about Daniel's life. Did she not see the picture of daniel and the article about his death hanging on the wall and thought "hey DJ looks exactly like him!" Or use google and looked up this haunted inn's history and I'm sure Daniel's picture would've popped up.
2) Why was no one else including Kate able to see the cousin or the Lily's ghost while they were downstairs at the party. But then Kate was able to talk to the cousin's ghost upstairs but not see Lily'a ghost standing in the doorway?!?
3) The inn keeper and the sheriff's sister bought the inn together when they just started dating? Really?
4)Why didn't the cousin or Lily show themselves before during any of the other 12 days. (If I died and I knew my man was still here because of me I would rather be with him chilling than trying to teach him lesson and being a creeper for 95 years)
5)Why would he decide to stay with Kate when he finally has Lily back knowing she didn't betray him and she is the mother of his child and that they can move on together? (They only known each other for 2 weeks?
6) Why they hell would Kate fall asleep right at midnight knowing that he would disappear soon? She didn't even look sleepy and wouldn't she want to spend every last minute with him especially since she won't be able to see him until next year? He didn't even disappear at midnight he walked out normally and I'm sure it took him more than a minute to walk to the edge of the inn.
6) So is he alive now? How is that possible? Why would lily let him choose? (I'd be like you better come with me! I'm the love of your life and your baby mama!)
OMG!!!!! So many Plotholes!!!!!!!
Hi I have watch this movie over and over I just love Daniel and Kate wondering if their will be a part two to this Christmas romance
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved this movie too. Didn't see it in 2015 only this year. Have recorded it as could watch it over and over again.
ReplyDeleteI am confused. Was Daniel still a ghost and allowed more than 12 days towards the end? Or he was a traditional mortal now, ready to live out his life with Kate?
ReplyDeleteIt always entertains me that people get so invested in stories/movies/shows. If you don't like it or understand the ending, then use your imagination and change it. It is just a story after all.
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say....WOW ! This movie blew me away. It had everything I was looking for in a Christmas movie: love, comedy, mystery, and Christmas of course! Daniel and Kate had such amazing chemistry on screen it just warmed my heart. I really hope there will be a sequel to this delightful movie.
ReplyDeleteAmazing movie
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love this movie. Such an amazing story and I LOVE the ending! Please tell me their will be a sequal??? Thank goodness for Netflix or I might never have seen or heard of this movie and it is def my favorite.
ReplyDelete