As Christmas in Notting Hill (2023) came to a close and I began thinking about how I would introduce it to you, my instinct was to talk about its similarities to other Hallmark films, or how, yet again, there is no mention of Jesus.  We do not celebrate December 25^th because Taylor Swift released a new album on that day, or because there is a law saying so.  It is the day on which we mark the birth of Jesus, and everything we do should point to that event.  In the Christian world, despite the shared faith, there are various traditions that have developed around the holiday, and I do mean “around” in every sense of the word.  This was the catalyst for what changed my mind about how to draw you into this one.  If nothing else, we get to see almost every English Christmas custom during this time of year.  Yes, the popular greeting card company turned seasonal movie production studio is capitalizing on a far more popular title, Notting Hill (1999).  However, it is the Advent season, so let us be more charitable.  What I realized is that Christmas in Notting Hill, like its cinematic cousins, is actually giving us some lessons in multi-culturalism.  If that is not enough to get you to want to watch this one, I understand.  I am not sure my synopsis will do the trick, either.

The football pitches (soccer fields to us Americans) of London are not far in place and time from Christmas in Notting Hill.  On one of them, the fictional club Newbourne’s star forward, Graham Savoy (William Moseley), suffers a severe knee injury.  On the other side of the Atlantic, far from any of these happenings, is special education teacher Georgia Bright (Sarah Ramos), who also happens to have once played soccer, at least in high school.  I could stop the synopsis here and let your assumptions fill in the rest, and you would probably be right, but let us crack on as the British would say.  She is excited for the approaching Winter Break because she is traveling across the Atlantic to visit her younger sister, Lizzie Bright (Joelle Rae).  Forgive the aside here, but I could not understand why the place of Lizzie’s employment had to be called the Museum of Britain instead of the real-life British Museum.  How could that august institution own the rights to those two words?  Anyway, Lizzie is ecstatic to see Georgia, and has a whole host of English specific holiday activities planned, mainly with her boyfriend’s, Henry (Peter Rothwell), family.  There is no logical way of inserting this fact, so bluntness it is: Graham and Henry are half-brothers, same mother but different fathers.  Yet, because Georgia and Lizzie have been separated by an ocean, Georgia is not entirely up to speed with the fame of Henry’s brother-from-the-same-mother.  Besides, how many regular Americans can identify famous English footballers?  As such, while Georgia wanders around the winter market in the title area of town, she literally bumps into Graham, whose mother, Lynne (Kate O’Toole), runs a booth.  This should all sound familiar if you know about the film from which this one borrows its title.  Unlike the other, though, Georgia has no idea about Graham’s storied career on the pitch.  As they first get to know one another, she is merely curious as to why so many people in the streets are drawn to him.  She is temporarily offput when his identity is revealed by his picture on the side of a bus.  Her disconcertedness is answered by his delight to be treated like anyone else by her.  Still, that would have been the end of their interactions if not for him showing up at events with Henry’s family.  Because she had seen Graham with the ring he had helped Henry pick out for Lizzie, Georgia knows about Henry’s intention to propose.  Things are moving too quickly for Georgia, and she suggests to Lizzie that perhaps she is not ready for marriage.  Lizzie does not take the advice well, and things between them are tense even after the arrival of their father, Michael Bright (Conor Mullen).  Because this is a Hallmark movie, their spat lasts for about ten minutes in movie time and they soon reaffirm their affection for one another.  In turn, Georgia and Graham are also growing close to one another.  They share some things in common besides a love of soccer.  They each have experienced the loss of a parent, and are currently facing a big decision.  For her, she must choose between her dream degree back in the United States, or the opportunity to be a part of a program that will allow her to keep teaching, but doing so around the world.  For him, it is between continuing his athletic career or moving on to something else with his life.  Though they bond over the encouragement they give one another, she becomes scared once more when a local tabloid has a picture of the two of them walking the streets of London.  He tries to reassure her that the puff press means nothing, but suddenly she has an added concern in the form of a lost locket that once belonged to her great-grandmother.  She wants to search for it on her own, not wanting to be around anyone, but he insists on helping her find it.  In the process, he once more shows his worth as a guy and they end up locating the family heirloom.  It is then on to the long-awaited family Christmas where Henry proposes to Lizzie, and Georgia and Graham reveal that they are an item.  One year later and Graham is back with Newbourne with Georgia and the rest cheering him on from the stands.

I must confess that I did not expect Christmas in Notting Hill to end with Graham back playing football, or soccer, or whatever.  The rest, though, lines up with pretty much every other expectation you might have of such material.  Despite the usual plot points being met, my Catholic perspective was pleased by its discussion of fear.  Mind you, this is not your typical Christmas fare, at least thematically.  Jesus came into the world to, among other things, free us from the bondage in which our fears place us.  One can see the prisoners such feelings make of Georgia and Graham.  They agonize over their decisions throughout most of the run-time.  Because this is a Hallmark production, and a Christmas one at that, we do not get the full angst this might cause some.  Still, it robs them just enough of the peace this time of year should bring to make the proceedings almost interesting.  There is a clichéd answer to these issues, a sort of bumper sticker wisdom that says “Know Jesus, know peace.  No Jesus, no peace.”  I have seen different disambiguations of that saying, but I think you get the idea.  Then again, this also applies to the film because there is no hint of Our Savior in it.  What can also be said is that Georgia and Graham are letting their fear rule them.  The conclusion they come to is a good one, that they cannot be afraid of what could happen.  To be fair, they are each talking about doing things that are intrinsic to who they are as people.  Us Catholics refer to that as a vocation, and it is an important decision.  At the same time, if it is at the level of a calling from God, we cannot let possibilities get in the way, even when we have the best of intentions.  Their desire to keep others in mind who, if they are of the right heart and mind, would be supportive of one taking that God leap, can be a hinderance.  When we are so moved, all we can do is trust in Him and jump.

I think you can trust me when I say that there are better films, Christmas or otherwise, than Christmas in Notting Hill.  Indeed, if you are looking for just a romantic comedy, watch the one on which this is based.  It is not terrible, but you have already seen this one.