Twas the Night Before Christmas (2022 TV Movie) User Reviews

Was it the night before Christmas or was that a lie too?

[adamjohns-42575 · 8/10 · 8 February 2023]

'Twas The Night Before Christmas (2022) -

What a great and fresh concept for a seasonal film. It still had a lot of the traditional motif's and the heart of the usual films, as well as a couple of the typical hammy and cheesy bits and the romance, while not as prominent, was still cute, but it also brought something educational and diverse.

I liked Torrey DeVitto as Madison and I liked Zane Holtz in the role of Connor too. I particularly liked his fantastic chest, which filled the room, let alone his tops, but I really enjoyed the slow build up of their relationship, because it was easy, pleasant and uncomplicated. The drama element was played out in the rest of the film.

I did find it hard to believe that Madison. Would be asked to make, and would achieve, so many changes to a play just ten days before opening night. I thought that it would be very unlikely. Most of that was due to the character of Lena (Sophie Bastelle) and her boyfriend, both of whom were a bit stupid.

In general though, I loved the idea of a play that covered a real trial, one which I was totally unaware of.

I love Christmas in all its forms and it's mythologies, so it was really interesting and enjoyable to discover that the origins of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas' had been in contention. I had always thought it to be written by Clement Clark Moore and I'd had no idea that it might actually have been created by Major Henry Livingston Jr., whom I had never heard of at all.

The point is that they delivered a really clever story here and without compromising any of the other values that are the staples of this genre.

I thought it was great. I look forward to watching it again to pick up anything that I might have missed this time around.

7.5/10.

Something different

[mbiv777 · 7/10 · 19 December 2022]

Ever-gorgeous Torrie DeVitto and Zane Holtz star in a different kind of Hallmark movie. The plot involves actors who have some history between them putting on a play that is a courtroom drama debating the authorship of the Christmas poem, Twas the Night Before Christmas. It's more difficult to say than to watch. Things get interesting when the ghosts show up.

Torrie is always going to be one of my favorites. I haven't seen Holtz before, but their chemistry was good and his performance as a conflicted single dad was very compelling.

The appeal for me was the feeling of being at a play. This is a form of entertainment not everyone has experienced. If you haven't, you must. It's completely different than going to the movies or watching TV. There is an excitement about it that's hard to explain.

All in all, a refreshing effort.

Unique play adds a lot of charm to this holiday Hallmark romance.

[cgvsluis · 7/10 · 21 December 2022]

The leads in this are great but not as great as the unique and interesting concept for their Christmas play...a court case over who actually wrote 'Twas The Night Before Christmas.

'Twas the night before Christmas had a different title and was published anonymously originally, then it was published under the name Clement C. Moore...but some argue that it was really written by a man named Livingston.

Madison Rush is a famous actress, but wants to try her hat at directing. She gathers an old acting friend and single dad, Connor Avery to play the male lead and lawyer. And is forced to use her backer's girlfriend for the female lead...which really stretches her directing chops.

The best thing about this holiday romance is the romantic notion that two ghosts are really fighting to prove that they wrote the now famous poem.

This was fun and unique. I recommend watching if you are a big fan of Christmas movies.

Refreshing and original

[MickyG333 · 7/10 · 9 January 2023]

7.2 stars.

Several movie actors decide to put on a broadway play about a courtroom drama depicting who was the true author of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas'. If you research it, there is question of who really authored it, however it seems pretty clear to me, or at least there is a logical conclusion. But you never know...

This is a fresh new spin on Hallmark stories, the characters are cut from a different cloth so to speak, it's not a Christmas story as much as a testament of what an off Broadway type of production might be like in the real world with a bunch of wannabes and a few of the genuine article. It's an interesting take on it, and I gotta say, I'm sold. It's sparkling with strange humor, and strange personalities, and weird innuendo and obvious Hollywood meets Broadway clashing and whatever else it represents for which I really have no idea, I'm just totally shoveling out a bunch of random words right now, but it sounds good to me. Give it a whirl, you will probably be at least mildly entertained.

I'll watch this again in a few years, maybe twice a decade.

On the 0-Christmas scale this gets "Nose like a cherry!"

[realmenlovehallmark · 6/10 · 5 December 2023]

This film had so much potential and a great plot but in the end it was just...so...disappointing.

A former actress, get this, goes back to her small town and heads up the town's annual Christmas Eve play. I know, super original already. But where things go up a level is that the play is a courtroom production debating who actually authored the poem "A Visit from St. Nick".

This is such a cool concept and the actors were actually really good. Essentially, the spirits of Major Henry Livingston, Jr. (played by Richard Waugh) and Clement Clarke Moore (played by Shaun Austin-Olsen) come back to the court room to argue their cases. They are really good and play their characters admirably. But, there isn't enough of them. They should have been the centerpiece, not the kind of afterthought they ended up as.

Let by Torrey DeVitto playing main character Madison (she looks so much like Mandy Moore to me), the story unfolds with surprising stage twists, turns, and of course, rekindled romance. It will leave a smile on your face and also a puzzled look at the same time. Only because the build up led to a let down at the end. But it was fresh, and original, and sucked you in. Mixed emotions? Yeah, totally. But, still worth a see!

Best Hallmark movie we've seen in days, or maybe weeks

[VetteRanger · 9/10 · 19 December 2022]

Just finished watching "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and I'll have to say it left us with smiles on our faces.

We yearn for stories in these Christmas romances to "break the mold", and boy howdy did these writers ever manage that! I'll forgive them their one huge cliche ... a performer who has to take a major break at the last minute and must be replaced.

As our leads produce a performance of a play which offers a mock trial to prove authorship of the classic poem (between Moore and Livingston) surprises arise, as two men appear who seem to be playing their roles, though the roles are not in the script.

The two actors who play Moore and Livingston steal this movie. Their performances are believable and nuanced.

By the way, if the Livingston theory IS correct, which I doubt, my wife is distantly related to the author of Twas the Night Before Christmas. :-)

Highly recommended, and we'll watch this one again in the future.

Fresh story

[Jackbv123 · 9/10 · 18 December 2022]

This story is totally different from most of the Halmark Christmas romance movies, but it still has some echoes of a few of those romance stories. After all, there is a Christmas performance that brings together two old flames to rekindle their past. But the trial setting with the objective of shedding light on the true authorship of a Christmas iconic tradition is unusual and there is some mysticism thrown in with the appearance of a ghost.

The acting is good. The dialog is sparkling. There are twists and turns. Did anyone predict the outcome of the trial even if the outcome of the relationship was predictable? I did expect one thing involving Madison even if it didn't occur to me how that would happen. That was clever. And the chemistry between Torrey DeVito and Zone Holtz was excellent.

This was a good climax to Hallmark Channel's 2022 lineup.

Great Googly! I loved it (especially Torrey Devitto). Exhibit A in support of the fact that Hallmark movies are NOT all the same

[MichaelByTheSea · 10/10 · 19 December 2022]

Torrey Devitto is fast becoming one of my favorite Hallmark actresses. She's beautiful, talented, and often plays smart, strong, assertive women (loved her move at the very end). I enjoyed watching her in Rip in Time, The Christmas Promise and Write Before Christmas. Hallmark rookie Zane Holtz, who played Connor, was solid too.

I just watched a movie where extreme close-ups just didn't work. But here there is an extreme close-up of Torrey Devitto in an early kitchen scene and she just lights up the screen. In fairness, Holtz nailed his close up too with his line about "our kiss in Christmas Time Cupid was my favorite on screen kiss".

This was directed by Gary Yates who also directed some of my favorite Hallmark movies: Christmas by Starlight; On the 12th Date of Christmas; Once Upon a Christmas Miracle; Pearl in Paradise; A Dream of Christmas; A Bride for Christmas; and Taylor Cole's winter trilogy.

Richard Waugh, with his portrayal of Henry Livingston, Jr., and Shaun Austin-Olsen, with his portrayal of Clement Clark Moore were terrific. Truly outstanding. And the movie actually did a nice job of including a lot of the competing facts regarding the contested authorship of the famous poem (although the writer put his thumb on the scale at the end, presumably due to time constraints).

Amanda Barker is fun as B&B Edna who has a crush on Connor.

Sophie Bastelle did a great job with the thankless task of playing an actress who supposedly can't act (which was reminiscent of the set up in Bullets Over Broadway).

There are a lot of fun lines by writer C. Jay Cox, who also wrote Sweet Home Alabama, last year's great Hallmark movie Love Strikes Twice, and this year's wonderful Rip in Time:

When Conner walks into the theater for the first time, Hayley looks at him and says to Madison: "To what should my wondering eyes appear?" which is taken right from the poem for which the movie is named.

Hayley: "You said you'd let me know what Conner and you find" Madison: "He's helping me do research" Hayley: "Carrying your books to class?" Madison: "Aren't you too busy for misguided innuendo?" Hayley: "One should never be too busy for innuendo" Madison: "Misguided" Hayley: "You have your version, I have mine"

Madison: "I took this play to give myself a challenge, and Lena is a challenge" Hayley: "I admire your affinity for understatement"

Connor: "She doesn't need to be Meryl Streep, she just needs to say her lines and not bump into the furniture"

Hayley: "And that marks the end of my 15 minute human interaction break"

And the exchanges between the "lawyers" and the witnesses were well written and well performed. The mock trial that the movie is based on is called "The Trial Before Christmas". It was written by Duncan Crary and Jack Casey and was first staged in Troy's historic downtown courthouse in 2013, and then again in 2014. But this movie, as with most Hallmark movies, was filmed in Canada.

I grade Hallmark movies on a curve, so this is an easy 10 for me.

Inventive Plot about the beloved poem with so much Christmas History!

[HallmarkJenny · 10/10 · 20 December 2022]

My favorite movie of the 2022 season! This is the most inventive, interest Christmas plot I believe I have ever seen. I love the research and information on Clement Clark Moore and Henry Livingston Jr. And the etymology of the famous poem about St. Nick. The inner workings of the production of a play seemed real life, with producer's opinions, improvisation, missing in action actors, actors struggling with how to act, and the play's longevity. Torrey DeVitto and Zane Holtz are fantastic actors. Their chemistry is beyond explosive!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas Summary Madison is directing a play that she co-wrote debating the authorship of the famous poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. The play, called "The Trial Before Christmas," debates the true authorship of the famous Christmas poem with Connor & Lena playing opposing representation counsels of Clemet C. Moore & Henry Livingston Jr. The play will premiere on Christmas Eve in the very town that the poem was anonymous published back in 1823.

Madison and Connor set off to research even more about the authorship and etymology of the poem's authorship to add layers to the production and encounter the ghosts of Henry Livingston Jr. And Clement Clark Moore, teach them about pursuing their own passions and one another.

"I never wanted a name put to it at all. My poem is a celebration of Christmas magic. I wanted my children, all children, to experience that Christmas magic as if it might come from Saint Nicholas himself." -Major Henry Livingston Jr.

MeetCute Madison and Connor are actors who co-starred and kissed in a movie, Christmastime Cupid.

Connor finds Madison on the Victorian streets dressed as a Victorian man with an accent and Madison is very happy to see him! They are good friends as well as fellow actors.

Fresh, Fun and Original

[cincy-47983 · 10/10 · 20 December 2022]

This movie stepped way outside of Hallmark's normal formula elements from start to end. Great acting, Great Production, Overall excellent quality and just plain fun to watch. Hallmark and their poor competitor GAC often produce movies which are just plain boring and poorly done and this is not one of them. Several original elements here which I won't go into as they would be spoilers.

Only one small complaint, but not enough to lower the rating -- there are several places in the movie where the soundtrack overpowers the actors making it hard to hear. This wasn't the only Hallmark movie to do this. So, whoever does the sound mixing, please be mindful of not overpowering the dialogue.

Definitely a movie to look forward to watching again.

The Best seen on Halmark for some time!

[Drdennypeck · 10/10 · 25 January 2023]

This was not the formula Halmark movie that has become the staple.

The principals were expertly cast as were all the supporting players. Torrey Devito is a pleasure to watch. The two playing Moore and Livingston left you wanting more.

The acting was excellent and the dialogue perfect. This was a totally enjoyable movie to watch and watch again.

There have been a few Hallmark movies that deserved a sequel to see the characters relationship over time. This deserves a sequel to see a more thorough development of who actually wrote the poem with Livingston (the next time) being able to hear his side to the mystery.

Truly one of the best with great twists and turns with no foreshadowing of the end of the trial.

Wonderful movie

[smt_216 · 10/10 · 7 January 2023]

This movie sucked me in right from the start. It was a great story and the actors were very believable in their roles, and the subplot of the unique play was also quite interesting! The introduction of the "ghosts" added a bit of humor, yet it also was special in that if revealed how far back this tradition goes. These are the Christmas movies I love - the ones with an engaging, heartwarming story and the ones that remind you of what makes Christmas such a special time of year. I don't often rewatch Christmas movies because there are SO MANY each year, but I make special exceptions for the ones that really moved me. I think it's safe to say I'll be rewatching this one! Thank you, Hallmark!

Madison Rush (Torrey DeVitto)

[aab874 · 10/10 · 29 December 2022]

Favorite scene with

Madison Rush (Torrey DeVitto) - Questioning Clement Clarke Moore's Ghost on the Stand only to have him Turn the Tables on her, Changing her View regarding the True Author of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas". BTW #1, I Loved this Movie! BTW #2, I Never Knew that there was a Who Wrote "'Twas The Night Before Christmas"? Issue that went to Trial in Real Life!!! Now that I've seen this Movie, I Truly Believe that Clement Clarke Moore wrote it. He may have been a Curmudgeon and Against Smoking, but he Loved his Children Very Much, and Wrote this Very Magical Christmas Poem for them. BTW #3, I Loved, Loved, Loved "The Sound Of Music" Quotes - My Favorite Movie Ever!!!

Set in New York.

Excellent addition to the Hallmark collection

[hallmarkchristmasguy · 10/10 · 4 December 2023]

For those of us who watch a lot of Hallmark (and similar) Christmas movies, it's rare to find one with a fresh concept. 'Twas The Night Before Christmas delivers just that. A local town play centered around a courtroom debate on who actually wrote the famous poem for which the movie is named.

The acting is as good as you'll find in the genre, with both leads playing their roles well. The romantic chemistry between the leads is believable and not over played. The writing and direction are excellent. The set design and musical score are top notch. Even the fake snow (which can be laughably bad in made for TV Christmas movies) looks good.

If you enjoy Hallmark movies or festive light hearted Christmas movies, give this one a chance. It's definitely one of the strongest ones Hallmark has put out recently.