Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
So the romance was weak in this wine-themed film, but a lot of other ingredients make this familiar sounding tale an interesting holiday watch. Josh Swickard plays wealthy brat Carter Baldwyn, who wastes away his time with women, contributes little to a successful family business, and has his mother saved as “The Bank” on his phone. So when his mom sends him on a mission to find out details of a vineyard sale, he hides his identity and finds himself falling for Valentina Espinoza (Sol Rodriguez), who is trying to keep the vineyard out of the hands of big businesses like Baldwyn Wines.
Directed by Alex Ranarivelo, written by Cecilia Franco and David Zanardi, the 2023 Christmas movie “Holiday in the Vineyards” follows a very predictable trajectory, but is made cute by charming performances and some fun to watch onscreen friendships. In-fact, despite being a romantic holiday film, the love story is its weakest link. The cinematography simple, and the sets aren’t too Christmas-y, although the second-half does have a bright festive mood due to a wine fair.
Sol Rodriguez is instantly likable as widower Valentina Espinoza, who has two kids. Sol brought an easy casual vibe to her character, and has a warm open smile and reminded me of a young Salma Hayek in a few scenes. Carly Jibson plays Valentina’s flirty best-friend Cindy and their “girl talk” banter were some of the sweetest moments in “Holiday in the Vineyards”, like a scene where the women are curled up with wine on a sofa, discussing love, loss and giving life second chances.
Valentina’s kids are Santiago (Carlos Solórzano), the younger one who struggles with making friends and still misses his dad, while the older Fernando (Julian Rangel) is a lot more confident and content. The way playboy Carter Baldwyn wins over the Espinoza family was very clichéd and unconvincing, his character’s growth unfolds like a sudden multiple-personality-disorder switch instead of a genuine change of heart. Instead, his newfound friendship with local shop owner Moe Walker (Omar Gooding), who likes to make wine in his garage, was more entertaining to watch. Omar Gooding is jovial as the friendly Moe, representative of the kind of people who still don’t mind lending a hand to strangers in town. Moe’s character is like a fresh reminder on the existence of helpful kindred folks.
“Holiday in the Vineyards” is a feel-good film which bats for small businesses, new friendships and community spirit. For a film tagged under the “romance” genre, the lead couple don’t have a lot of scenes or cozy moments, so there isn’t much chemistry between them. So keep that in mind before you decide to watch the film.
Rating: 6 on 10. It’s available to stream on Netflix.
Read Next: Candy Cane Lane Review – Sweet-ish, Then Gets Sour
Also Read: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Review (Audio Version Below)