A Sweet Christmas Romance Review: A Holiday Tale That’s As Sticky and Sweet As Sticky Toffee Pudding
I was drawn to A Sweet Christmas Romance by the promise of Loretta Devine as a small-town baker savvy enough to think of the concept of “12 days of Christmas” desserts.
It’s genius, and every person with a huge sweet tooth probably wishes along with me that they had a similar bakery in their town — especially around the holidays.
I wrongly assumed that the story would revolve around her son battling Adelaide Kane’s character Holly for ownership of the bakery. Instead, the local baker she’s battling for ownership is a random white guy named Brad (Greyston Holt).
Mrs. Rose’s son, Carson (Hamza Fouad), is relegated to the B- and C-plots. He’s the tough judge who has the right to refuse to sell the bakery if none of the bakers prove to be as talented as his mother.
And he’s the secret object of clumsy bakery worker Loretta’s (Samantha Cole) affection.
Where the romance in this movie is concerned, I find myself rooting for Carson and Loretta more than Holly and Brad.
But if you get past that very sticky spot, A Sweet Christmas Romance is as sweet as a sugar cookie.
In every other aspect of the story, Holly is the type of protagonist worth fiercely rooting for.
A food stylist who cannot bake at all loving her town bakery so much that she enters a baking contest to try and save it, odds be damned?
A Christmas movie heroine who actually loves her town throughout the entire 85 minutes of the film and doesn’t need Winter Storm Meghan (every Lifetime storm seems to be named Meghan) to strand her there in order to convince her?
Loving Mrs. Rose’s Bakery (though not her baking — everyone loves that) more than Mrs. Rose’s own son does? What’s not to love about all of that?
Of course, Holly gets her dream position at a magazine right before the finals of the competition (with the state of editorial jobs right now, and considering that she can’t really bake, she should literally run back to New York).
Holly asks Mrs. Rose to fix the competition so Brad wins right before he asks Mrs. Rose to fix the competition so Holly wins.
It’s a classic (if slightly basic) plot. Yet, it happens far less than you think in this genre.
Usually, it takes someone until the very end of the movie to realize they’re in love, or potential lovers have to make up after a tiff and accept that they love each other before they actually kiss.
Or someone has to break up with an egomaniacal spouse before they can brave Winter Storm Meghan to kiss their true love.
Holly just has to realize how sweet Brad is, which happens early in the movie when he sneaks the missing egg into her gingerbread batter.
Her biggest battle for the rest of the movie is learning how to bake, and Brad is an eager teacher — though of course there are weak protests that their various outings are certainly not dates.
A Sweet Christmas Romance reaches the perfect compromise at the end when Brad and Holly realize they’re in love and Mrs. Rose and Carson sell them both the bakery (with Holly as the food decorator).
The best Christmas movies have holiday magic in them that this one lacks a little bit, no matter how much Holly tries to find it. “The perfect compromise” is a very un-magical phrase, but it’s the one that fits the resolution best.
However, it’s the perfect companion to a glass of milk and a plate of shortbread cookies.
What did you think of A Sweet Christmas Romance? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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A Sweet Christmas Romance will 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.