Stream It or Skip It: ‘Christmas On Windmill Way’ on GAF, in Which a Woman Tries to Save Her Family’s Legacy That’s Threatened By Her Ex

Great American Family is at it again with the wholesome, sexless holiday movies that appeal to Christian values with Christmas on Windmill Way. Starring One Tree Hill‘s Chad Michael Murray alongside Canadian actress and model Christa Taylor Brown, this windmill-centered movie hopes to blow viewers away with its central romance.

CHRISTMAS ON WINDMILL WAY: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Mia Meijer (Christa Taylor Brown) is a craftsperson and acting manager of the mill over on Windmill Way, which has been in her family for the past 90 years. Her parents have passed away, so Mia lives with her grandma/”Oma”, Ann (Marcia Bennett), the owner of a local Dutch bakery, while continuing to carry on her family legacy by keeping operations at the mill alive and well.

All of that family history is threatened, however, when Ann admits that she sold the land deed to the Windmill Way property to secure a financially safe future for Mia. To make matters worse, the new property developer for the mill is Mia’s ex, Brady Schaltz (Chad Michael Murray), who left her going to prom alone and skipped out on town shortly thereafter, making this their first time meeting in years. Brady’s boss wants to tear down the mill for a powerful client who plans to put a luxury resort on the land, leaving Mia determined to do whatever it takes to save the mill, and Brady caught in the middle between his job and his former flame.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The plot of “former high school sweethearts brought back together years later as adults when one with a hotshot job returns to their small town and kicks off an enemies to lovers over Christmastime” can also be seen in the 2018 Hallmark movie Homegrown Christmas.

Performance Worth Watching: Chad Michael Murray’s eyebrows (as seen in the above picture). Those guys deserve their own salary because they are being put to WORK in this movie.

Memorable Dialogue: “Look, what’s this I hear from Lily about you tearing down the mill and opening up a Dutch inn and a resort on Windmill Way?” How many takes do you think it took to squeeze this tongue-twister of a sentence out?

A Holiday Tradition: For 90 years and counting, the town has put up an annual Christmas market, the highlight of which is the big Christmas Market Fest Dutch Bake-Off. Also apparently there’s an annual tradition of playing Christmas cornhole (you know, the game with beanbags). One of the few things in life more thrilling than playing cornhole is watching other people play cornhole.

Does the Title Make Any Sense?: It takes place during Christmastime at Windmill Way, so sure.

Our Take: I’m sorry to say that Christmas on Windmill Way feels longer than its nearly hour and a half run time. The movie lacks the kind of charm, playfulness, and whimsy that tend to make up any quality holiday movie. Honestly, it’s fitting that the action takes place at a mill because many of these performances are quite wooden. There are so many clunky lines full of exposition, you almost can’t believe your ears. Why is the mill so important to the town? They tell us but don’t really show what it does for the townspeople beyond fixing a piece of wood that Brady accidentally broke off of Santa’s chair in the town market.

Additionally, the central romance between Mia and perpetually-furrowed-brow Brady lacked chemistry and was a bit hard to root for, seeing as he kind of abruptly abandoned her in high school with his only explanation being that he asked her to prom but the message got lost in a clog (it’s some sort of communication system in the mill, don’t think too hard about it). It felt like the writers tried to manufacture an enemies-to-lovers vibe by making the two trade quips and barbs, but it ultimately just felt hollow.

Christmas on Windmill Way‘s success stems only from its side characters’ romances, which seemed more healthy and genuine. In particular, the budding relationship between Ann and Mia’s boss, Herb (Michael Copeman) was pretty darn cute, and I would’ve rather that been the focal point of this film than everything with Mia and Brady. What can I say, it’s just nice to see sweet elders find love.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Christmas on Windmill Way is like watching a windmill do its thing. Maybe some people will find it fun, but most will just be bored.