Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel dives back into the world of Debbie Macomber’s Mrs. Miracle with its latest ‘Countdown to Christmas’ movie, Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle. Macomber has written four books in the Mrs. Miracle series and Hallmark has now produced four movies … but this latest one seems to have no relation to any of the original novels, despite Macomber’s name in the title, as the first two movies in 2009 and 2010 did (they at least shared the titles of the first two books). A third movie came along in 2021 with Caroline Rhea taking of the title role from Doris Roberts, and now we have Rachel Boston stepping in for Rhea (is Hallmark looking to go younger with the role in order to produce more movies with Boston?).
In Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle, the Moorhouse family is dealing with the loss of their grandmother, who was the leader of the family’s company and raised three siblings after their parents died. The adult grandchildren — Charlotte, Henry and Benedict — return to their old home to sort through their grandmother’s possessions and must come to a unanimous agreement by midnight of December 25 about who will fill their grandmother’s seat on the board, or else the board will vote on a replacement from the current members. Naturally this will not be an easy decision since they all believe it should be them, and making it even more difficult are the personal issues they have with each other, particularly with Henry who is the ‘bad boy’ of the bunch and who apparently owes a lot of money to a local mob boss (which he assures the man he will get once he’s got that seat on the board). Benedict had moved to London but a seat on the board would give him an excuse to move back to the US, bringing his British girlfriend Portia with him. Charlotte doesn’t like to return home because it brings up too many memories of her parents, and she has a son who may be on the spectrum that she puts most of her attention on.
Out of the blue arrives a bubbly woman named Annie Merkel, driving up in a car that looks exactly like the one their parents (or grandparents) had. Merkel claims to be an estate planner and she has the paperwork to show that the Moorhouse matriarch previously enlisted her help to group and assess the artwork and such from the house to donate, keep or sell at auction (the paperwork she had was handwritten but had a recognizable signature so the siblings accept it as valid). Merkel connects immediately with young Cody, bringing him out of his shell a bit, and she seems to have a bottomless purse from which she pulls everything from papers to a toolbelt … and no one bats an eye. She also seems to be in the right place at the right time to dole out some bits of wisdom to help the Moorhouse siblings along in their decision-making process, and rekindles a former teenage romance between Charlotte and Austin, who had returned to the home after Grandma Moorhouse took in his father after he became ill and was unable to work, putting his own skills with the horses to good use. Austin also bonds with Cody, and when Charlotte is stunned by Cody’s fearlessness around a stranger and large horses, Austin tells her about a therapy program that employs horses to help children like Cody. While it seems like all of the pieces of the Moorhouse siblings’ personal lives are beginning to fall into place, there is still a looming decision to be made and a Christmas party to be help that is family tradition (and to honor their late grammy). Can they all come to a consensus before it’s too late?
If you’re a newbie to the Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, you are probably going to be completely baffled by Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle, mainly because there is no explanation of who Annie Merkel is. You are expected to know, so for this viewer it was a completely oddball movie. Is Annie Merkel like Mary Poppins, Nanny McPhee or Nanny from Nanny and the Professor, a woman with some kind of supernatural power who shows up to help people in need? The bottomless purse certainly suggests this, and her penchant for knowing a lot about the Moorhouse family (and slipping up when talking about something that happened in the 1800s) makes her even more curious, but perhaps Cody can see her for who she truly is … an angel. A guardian angel specifically, and reading between the lines it seems that perhaps she was sent by Granny Moorhouse to gently nudge her grandchildren into actually growing up and making the right adult decision, one that serves them all as well as the family legacy. Okay, but coming into this completely cold just makes this a frustratingly weird movie, especially when no one questions who this woman is or tries to take a look in her purse when she isn’t hanging on to it. You’d think one of the three, especially Henry, would have tried to get a peek inside to see exactly what is going on, but no, they just act like all of this is completely normal. They all just let this woman box up their valuable artwork and put it up for auction, even though none of the family lawyers has any idea who she is. And it also isn’t clear if the Moorhouse siblings are keeping the house or selling it as well, but it seems like they are keeping it when they announce the annual Christmas party will continue … so why are they getting rid of the artwork and antiques?!? There’s a lot to question here.
Hallmark Channel
I can’t speak to how Roberts or Rhea played Mrs. Miracle, but Rachel Boston plays her as a bit goofy and scatterbrained at times, as someone who offers pearls of wisdom like a grandmother (many times I assumed she was Grandma Moorhouse in a different form), and someone who knows exactly how to connect with Cody. There are a couple of references to angels that try to lead us into accepting that’s what she is, and Boston does a fine job of being wacky and deeply caring at the same time. Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes is very good as Charlotte, having to go through a range of emotions dealing with loss, and her devotion to Cody, but also remembering what she had with Austin when they were kids. She makes Charlotte strong but vulnerable, while also showing that she is the one sibling most on the ball and most deserving of her grandmother’s seat on the board. But will it work out that way?
Matthew James Dowden’s Benedict isn’t all that likable. He plays the character with a lot of arrogance, certainly believing he is the only one deserving of the seat (and suggesting Charlotte is not because … she’s a woman), and always on Henry’s case, feeling the need to chaperon or supervise him at every turn. That’s how the character is written and Dowden certainly plays him as the ‘villain’ of the story. Lloyd-Jones is perfect as the troublesome younger brother, looking out for himself and keeping secrets from the others. Tanner Novlan, whom you may recognize as the ‘Liberty Bibberty’ guy, is a natural as Austin. He truly wears his heart on his sleeve, he’s compassionate and faithful and grateful due to how his father was cared for. His feelings for Charlotte feel real and his connection with Cody comes naturally, all making the viewers root for Austin and Charlotte to make it work.
Peter Benson directs the film perhaps a bit too matter-of-factly, ignoring some of the more whimsical or supernatural elements of the story, but occasionally employing a filter in close-ups of Boston to give her a hint of etherealness. Otherwise it all plays out in a fairly realistic manner. The script could have done something more to give newcomers to the series just a bit of explanation about Mrs. Miracle, but it is what it is. You know or you don’t and that’s that, so for that reason I’d have to rate this as just fair for the uninitiated. Fans of the series of films may get more enjoyment out of it, or they may be confused as to why Rhea didn’t return in the role. The story is heartwarming and shows the value of family, but the execution just leaves too many questions.
The Joyful Mrs. Miracle has a run time of 1 hour 24 minutes, and is rated TV-G. The film is available On Demand and is streaming on Peacock.
Preview – Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle
Hallmark Channel
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