Stream It or Skip It: ‘A Maple Valley Christmas’ on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Casts Peyton List as a Syrup Rancher

A Maple Valley Christmas takes us out to the largest maple syrup farm in Montana for a holiday romance. But this being a Hallmark Movies and Mysteries presentation, you know it’s gonna deliver the drama too. Is A Maple Valley Christmas too sappy for our tastes, or does this family drama have the right amount of sweetness?

A MAPLE VALLEY CHRISTMAS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Peyton List stars as Erica, the latest in a long line of syrup ranchers (which is not what they’re called, but absolutely what they should be called). She runs the Holden family ranch with her mother Ina (Frances Flanagan) and sister Heidi (Ella Cannon) — but there’s a change blowin’ in the wind. Not only is the ranch next door offering to sell back the land they bought from the Holdens decades ago, but Mama Holden’s moving out of the country to be with her Italian boyfriend (Francisco Trujillo)!

At least Erica can buy back the land and make her family’s ranch whole for the first time in generations — well, she could if real estate developers weren’t stock villains in Hallmark movies. Instead, the cutthroat Steve Davenport (Paul Jarrett) wants that ranch and he sends his hot son Aaron (Andrew Walker) to Montana to scope out the land. Making matters even worse for Erica: her sister Heidi doesn’t want the land back! Can’t a beautiful syrup rancher catch a break? Erica: you’re gonna catch a break, and his name is “Andrew.” He’s hunky, knows how to ride a horse, and just may be willing to cut ties with his dad for you. The big question is, will he?

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Y’know those ’90s romantic dramas that were always set at a ranch, or at least had a horse on the VHS cover? It’s giving me that, but Hallmark.

Performance Worth Watching: The whole cast is solid, but I enjoyed Paul Jarrett’s turn as Aaron’s emotionally unavailable father Steve. You know he’s up to no good because he has a goatee. That’s the facial hair of evil twins!

Memorable Dialogue: At the end of one of the ranch’s maple tree tours, Erica gives them all a piece of advice: “When I’m feeling sappy, I like to remind myself that patience and hard work beget sweetness” To be fair, Erica warns the tourists that the advice is full of bad puns.

A Holiday Tradition: The maple farm hosts an annual tree lighting event, offers photos with Santa Claus and gives Christmas-themed horseback ride (complete with an Elf reference). They also sell maple-flavored everything a the Maple Christmas Fair every year. And there’s also the “prime rib sleigh ride dinner,” which either follows or precedes the Maple Valley Christmas sleigh ride. Probably better to eat prime rib after dashing through the snow?

Two Turtle Doves: This is the first of two Hallmark movies starring Andrew Walker this season. The next one is Three Wise Men and a Baby (Nov. 19), which teams Walker up with two of Hallmark’s other leading men: Tyler Hynes and Paul Campbell. And there’s also Sappy Holiday on UPtv (Dec. 17), which is another movie about a family’s maple farm.

Does the Title Make Any Sense?: It does, and I have the urge to give them extra credit for not working “sappy” into the movie title.

Our Take: Maybe this is a sign that I know too much about the Hallmark brand, but I’m always a tiny bit more excited to watch a Movies & Mysteries holiday movie. That’s because while regular Hallmark’s holiday movies follow a formula, the M&M ones can — and frequently do — go to unexpected places (see: Holly & Ivy and One December Night). And now that even Hallmark Hallmark’s movies are starting to veer off the beaten path (a movie with three leading men? What in the world is Three Wise Men and a Baby going to be like?!), Movies & Mysteries can truly pop off.

I write all that to say — A Maple Valley Christmas doesn’t go as hard as M&M movies can go. That’s not a dig! I just felt the need to explain the difference between Hallmark and Hallmark Xtra. That’s not to say that A Maple Valley Christmas doesn’t take the Hallmark feels into new territory. It absolutely does, from the complicated family dynamics (the Holden sisters have some issues to sort through) to all of the conflicting motivations to sell/buy/pass on the property that’s opening up over yonder.

A Maple Valley Christmas does offer something new in its cinematography, though. The film opens up in the middle of the forest, with snow-covered trees all with a bucket affixed to them. It’s a surprisingly striking sight, and a sign of visuals to come. Like, the first time Erica sees Aaron, he’s emerging from the woods on horseback like a damn Disney prince. And throughout, the film has a silvery, midnight blue undertone to it that just makes the whole thing feel a little… fancier. It’s looks a little more elevated than what we’re used to seeing.

While the plot may drag a little bit in the last act, the performances are always spot-on. Would you expect anything less from Andrew Walker, Hallmark’s most reliable mainstay? And good job Hallmark for getting Peyton List on the team. She’s such a natural in this genre, and she brings a lot of dramatic weight to the role. Here’s hoping she comes back ’round these parts every holiday season.

Our Call: STREAM IT. It may not be as emotionally adventurous as previous Movies & Mysteries movies, but it’s a darn sweet film.