Christmas Pen Pals Review: Sarah Drew Brings a Spark to Her Lifetime Christmas Movie
I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Sarah Drew, the star of one of Lifetime’s newest holiday movies, Christmas Pen Pals, a couple of times for different reasons. She has a genuine spirit about her; an authenticity, focus, and professionalism that’s rare in any industry, especially Hollywood.
I won’t lie. When I heard she was doing a Christmas movie, I was skeptical. TV Christmas movies don’t exactly have a reputation for quality. But I know her talent.
So, when the opportunity to review the movie came up, I took it, even though I’ve never watched a TV Christmas movie before this year.
To prepare, I added every Christmas movie that interested me to my DVR, and took other review assignments before this one. I know Christmas movies now. I can say with certainty that Christmas Pen Pals is at least a few steps above every other film I’ve seen in the genre.
I’m not trying to give it a fast pass to the Emmys or anything. But a little bit of depth goes a long way in a Christmas movie. I’m constantly hoping for it, and sometimes even scream at my TV about it. This movie finally delivers some.
It’s not just a romantic comedy about a woman who returns to her small town and falls in love with her high school sweetheart again without realizing it.
I mean, that’s exactly what it is — but it’s more than that.
Society’s reliance on technology is explored through Drew’s Hannah Morris, a dating app developer who has no problem letting a robot make her coffee every morning. That seems pretty unnecessary, right? But then, why are we so quick to let algorithms tell us who we are romantically compatible with?
It’s a bit jarring to think about. I’m single and petrified of dating apps. But I can’t wrap my mind around falling in love with a stranger via hand-written letters, either.
The reason why it generally works here is that Hannah and Sam (Niall Matter) are not strangers, even though they don’t know that at first. They have history. Real history.
It’s pretty funny and simple to get Hannah from Seattle back to her hometown in large part because her robot friend Marvin mistakes the word “Chad” for “Dad.” But the reason she’s been avoiding home is not simple at all… It’s grief.
Drew does angst really well. In my favorite scene, Hannah is triggered by seeing her nephew putting the star on top of the tree. This used to be her mom’s job. That small trigger is such an authentic way to show grief.
Hannah makes herself vulnerable to grief by coming home. Sometimes she’s confronted with her mom’s death when she’s decorating a tree with her family, and Sam can make her feel better. Other times, just looking at Sam reminds her that he left her to grieve her mother’s death alone and she’s enraged by the sight of him.
It’s pretty deep stuff for a Christmas movie; and downright amazing that Drew makes it all feel so raw. See the image below for proof via her tear-soaked face.
Sam is a slightly less grumpy Luke Danes of Gilmore Girls. The character himself doesn’t have too much depth. No male leads in Christmas movies do. But Matter’s mysterious vibe makes him a perfect leading man in the genre.
He tells me his parents are snowbirds, alive and well. But in my head, I still concoct a tragic car accident that killed his entire family to explain why he’s shy and quietly pines for Hannah. Morbid, but that’s just the feeling I get from the character sometimes.
Sarah Drew could probably make me believe she had chemistry with a doorknob. She and Matter have some, especially when they’re bantering with each other or flat-out fighting.
I believe the romance too, but that’s in large part to a genius piece of storytelling we have to discuss. They kiss twice.
That happens sometimes in Christmas movies. But believe me when I say it’s rare.
Sam and Hannah’s history gives them an edge on every other couple who gets caught under the mistletoe for that first kiss in a movie.
They can like it. Even though they pull away. Even though they’re both pushing the spark away. They don’t have to bump heads and awkwardly snort/laugh because “OMG, I just kissed this stranger I’m stranded in a cabin with.”
Nope. These two aren’t strangers. So, they might be surprised by it and denying a spark, but they like that kiss. And I like the bar scene better than the last minute of the movie.
The build-up to Hannah and Sam expressing their feelings to each other is wonderful. I love that he plans to reveal himself by having the book and she is wearing the scavenger hunt Christmas Star earrings.
As a writer, I felt a bit of an extra kinship to the story. I kind of wish “Perfect Pen Pals” were a real company and I could curl up in my bean bag chair right now and write a letter to someone matchmakers think might like me.
Sam having the quirk where he puts “e’s” before “i’s” sometimes makes me cringe. But, it’s a cute way to expose your high school sweetheart as your pen pal. It’s a slightly more nuanced start to the resolution than usually happens in the genre.
Sliding the note under the door, and shedding “Stardust” for “Hannah” to sign off is simple and classic. Sweet, but not too sweet. Still, the words Sam says to tell her he loves her don’t quite have the payoff I’m always hoping for in that moment.
It’s a small criticism, but because I’m talking about the last scene, it matters more than if I didn’t feel what I was hoping to during a random scene in the middle. It feels like the spark builds and builds so well throughout the entire movie. But then when it’s Sam’s turn to confess is exactly the moment the spark starts to dull.
I struggle with my feelings about this. It wouldn’t be in character for Sam to confess his love in icing on gingerbread cookies or anything like that. I’d be complaining it’s too sugary sweet. Literally.
He’s not a man of many words, or in any way flashy. So, in a way, the ending honors the characters more than the viewers’ expectations of them. That deserves respect.
Christmas Pen Pals isn’t perfect. I’m longing for a scene with Hannah and Lucy baking their mom’s apple pie. They sure do talk about it enough. Characters allude to baking, but we don’t actually see much happening. I love one good baking scene per Christmas movie, so this stings.
The stickler for detail in me cringes because Hannah gets a pretty big gash on her palm while skating but only wears a band-aid for one scene.
Sam should know Hannah is Stardust earlier than he does.
So, no. It’s not perfect. But it’s pretty close.
I’ve saved the best part for last. Even though one part of the ending doesn’t land well for me, another, more unspoken detail of the ending makes it about as empowering as Christmas movies get for women.
Hannah saves her business. She walks into Sam’s cafe and tells him he’s her future. They confess love. But there’s no proposal. No flash forward a year to a baby. There’s not even a promise one of them will move. There’s just “Merry Christmas” and a kiss.
Christmas movies actually provide women with plenty of opportunities for leadership. But as a genre, the stories need to do better. Often, the story underestimates the talent. I was worried, but that doesn’t happen here.
Christmas Pen Pals is proof that marriage doesn’t have to be the solution. Women can be tech moguls in big cities at the end. No one has to move their entire life to a small snowy town in 90 minutes to make a Merry damn Christmas movie.
Not to be dramatic, but the whole creative team literally made one of my Christmas wishes come true.
Sarah Drew certainly knows how to pick her holiday movie roles. This one is truly unique.
What did you think of Christmas Pen Pals? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Christmas Pen Pals will continue to air throughout the holiday season on Lifetime.
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Esme Mazzeo
Esme Mazzeo is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist from Long Island. When she's not writing for work, she's writing for fun, or searching for something to satisfy her sweet tooth. She thinks rainy days are the best kind of days. Certified night owl.
7 comments
It was a cute movie. But why is Sam’s pen name Hutch?
Thanks
I thought it was because of Starsky and Hutch but then, if Martha was setting people up and Hannah and her dad were the last people to sign up out of the whole town, that wouldn’t make any sense.
Is the book “A Christmas Star” a real book? If so, who is the author?
Hannah writes to Hutch that her mother read them a story, The Christmas Star, an old book from the 40’s. Ace Collins wrote a book placed during WWII. It might be that one.
WHY did Sam choose the pen name “Hutch”??? We waited the whole 2 hours to find OUT, and were never TOLD!!! MADDENING!
The hutch question makes me hopeful there might be a sequel. As it is maddening that they don’t answer that mystery.
They probably did answer the mystery of why he called himself Hutch at some point in the movie, but then that explanation was left on the cutting room floor during editing.