'Miracles of Christmas' movie review: 'Nostalgic Christmas'

For a movie about woman finding her way back home, the romantic drama “Nostalgic Christmas” (premiering Oct. 31 as part of the Hallmark’s Miracles of Christmas) kinda loses its way - yet, still manages to warm the heart.

In short: Manhattan toy buyer Anne (Brooke D'Orsay) returns home to help her father close his beloved small-town toy store, when she's drafted to help plan a holiday event with widower Keith (Trevor Donovan).

Plenty of Hallmark movies involve trying to save a cherished business, but "Nostalgic" doubles down with the leading pair trying to salvage two businesses: the toy store Anne grew up playing in and Keith trying to stop the town's mill from shutting its doors. The story opens with the closure of the store and mill being a foregone conclusion, but it's pretty clear keeping them open for business is a huge plot point and important to the town.

This is where "Nostalgic" loses its focus: the business angle is backburnered in favor of Anne and Keith laser focused on event planning. The movie get a bit cluttered as it forces Anne and Keith to work together to organize the town's big holiday event. The gimmick used to get them to "volunteer" to run the event is forced, which is disappointing because better Hallmark films find more elegant ways to get the leads together after their mute-cute. The middle chunk of "Nostalgic" is mostly Anne and Keith stumbling through the logistics of finding a tree or managing recital practice. By the time imminent closures finally bear down on the story, a random and one-dimensional third wheel passively competes for Anne's attention - but he's just a plot tool.

Theoretically "Nostalgic" is about a woman coming back home and remembering what she loved so much about her hometown, and a guy trying to preserve and protect the livelihoods of his neighbors and co-workers. But that warm undercurrent is cluttered up by some "we have to plan the big party" hijinks, a flat love triangle and competing "it will be sad when this business closes" stories.

Thankfully the always rock-solid D'Orsay and dependable Donovan share a natural chemistry that keeps their dynamic lovely. It just makes sense they would click once they get to know each other. Anne has a genuine ease, a sophistication and casual charm that makes it a clear the heart of a small-town girl lives beats in the big city dweller. Their heartfelt and diligent characters keep "Nostalgic" anchored in the story's message of remembering what's important to Anne and Keith.

Final verdict: "Nostalgic" has a genuinely heartfelt sentiment about what it means to be home - but the story has a few too many threads that get a bit tangled.

Score: 3 french hens (out of 5)

"Nostalgic Christmas" is rated TV-G and has a running time of 90 minutes. The movie premieres on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on Oct. 31.