B&B Merry Review – Pretty But Cold
“You can travel more if you travel wisely!” is the chirpy tagline of travel blogger Tracy Wise, who gets invited to review a cozy B&B in Vermont and meets the handsome Graham. Tracy also chooses to review the only rival property of the B&B in Vermont for a magazine, which leads to some conflict. The rest of the story of the Christmas romance “B&B Merry” writes itself, so within the first fifteen minutes, you know what’s going to happen and how things are going to end. However, the predictability of the plot isn’t even the movie’s primary problem; it’s the lack of warmth in Jen Lilley’s portrayal of Tracy Wise and also the zero chemistry between the lead pair. Even though Jesse Hutch, as the tall and handsome Graham, makes a worthy romantic hero, watching Tracy Wise and Graham’s interactions is like watching a couple dance, where one of them is fluid and smooth, while the other has two left feet.
Director by Paula Elle and written by Hayley Carr & Guy Yosub, “B&B Merry” shines best in its beautiful Christmas settings. So, it’s a very pretty looking movie, with lots of festive cheer in the visuals, but any sense of joie de vivre is completely missing from the romantic plot. ShellyLyn Williams plays Graham’s mother Barbara, who runs the B&B and is often helped by her sister Saraha (Kate Twa). The older actors as cheery nosy ladies who try to set up Graham with Tracy are a lot more fun to watch and made me wish this was a simple-sweet movie about two sisters running a bed-and-breakfast with the help of their handsome young son/nephew, instead of the more boring “travel blogger falls in love with local” plot.
The character Tracy White doesn’t possess the casual confidence of an avid travel blogger who is used to facing the camera, instead she is stiff and looks more like a corporate businesswoman. Laura Yenga plays Tracy’s best-friend Annie, and even their interactions feel staged, there’s no bestie energy to their conversations. So, well, it wasn’t very surprising to see a lack of spark between Tracy and Graham too, and everybody else exclaiming how great they are doesn’t really make things better. Overall, “B&B Merry” is a pretty looking film, but there’s very little Christmas charm or warmth in the story.
Rating: 4 on 10. You can stream the film on Netflix.
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