Twinkle All The Way Review: Sarah Drew’s Lifetime Christmas Movie Is Three, Two, One, Magic

If I had to describe Twinkle All The Way in a phrase, it would be “mature whimsical.” 

Besides one completely absent father and one dead mother whose image doesn’t appear in the film, there isn’t much angst at all. It’s the story of two adults who make other people’s dreams come true by working together and possibly finding a dream to share.

There is nothing cheesy about the whimsy of this movie, though early on Henry Harrison gives off subtle “Buddy The Elf” vibes.

He’s awkward and he’s definitely enthusiastic about Christmas. But if I can handle it, anyone can because Elf makes me so uncomfortable I can’t watch it (don’t @ me). 

Twinkle All The Way is elevated fun and the perfect movie to curl up on the couch with. Just don’t forget the cup of creamy, dreamy hot chocolate at your side.

Everything is perfectly adequate — from the plot to the performances to the pacing to the touches of romance — and then it’s sprinkled with secret stardust that this movie must possess to make it shine just a little bit more than every other TV Christmas movie.

Twinkle All The Way has a clear A and B plot, and they merge pretty effortlessly at the end.

This movie’s biggest problem is that the time spent on each plot is not quite split equally. Strangely, we’ve seen more about Henry and Ruthie’s lives by the end of the film than Cadence and Mary’s. Cadence’s biggest personal dilemma is that she’s self-reliant to the point of loneliness.

She implies as much in the scene at the hospital when she pushes Henry away because getting to know someone she might fall in love with is more work to check off on one of her beloved lists. We don’t ever see that on screen, though. 

Twinkle All The Way‘s hole isn’t exactly a big one. It’s just in a very weird spot because ladies are usually the leads in these movies. There are examples of the couple’s stories being fairly equal, like Marla Sockoloff’s The Road Home For Christmas. 

But these plots are just ever so slightly off balance. It’s awkward to notice, like a small secret I know that I wish I could forget.

Sarah Drew leads the film and does so well. It’s not an execution problem on anyone’s part, but there is a small piece missing at the heart of the puzzle. It might’ve been fixed by just extending the last scene of act one by about 30 seconds.

After Cadence looks out her window and doesn’t get “Christmas bumps” looking at Henry’s light display next door, let viewers watch her pour a glass of wine and take it into the living room, sigh and take a sip before opening up her laptop to “organize and prioritize” Avery’s wedding some more. 

That’s all Drew would need to show us who Cadence is and what she feels without her lists. Drew has managed to turn bad writing almost good on-screen by caring about her craft. This movie is written wonderfully. Sacrificing 30 seconds from anyone else and giving it to Cadance is necessary though. I need it too badly to ignore the hole in an otherwise lovely story.

The movie gets major points for teaching a more important lesson than “everyone falls in love at Christmas time” or “you can have a job and love, too!” 

Everyone needs help. It’s a simple but hard message to absorb, and it’s a perfect one to show in a movie. The story doesn’t go to any extremes to relay that, because they don’t have to. 

Cadence gets stuck in the snow and only has Henry to ask for help. She realizes she even likes what he does to help her. He’s damn good at the helping thing. The painted mountains are cool and all but did you see that ice cream sandwich cake? Genius. 

I do disagree with Henry’s quote about asking for help though. He says, “Sometimes asking for help isn’t a weakness, sometimes it’s the strongest thing you can do”. Asking for help if you need it is never weak, it’s always strong. But he’s awkwardly charming so I’ll let it go.  

The movie gets romance so right! I wish there were a way to stage dropping paint on a guy’s shirt, having him teach me to paint trees on it, and then hint that he should get it framed for me. It’s the perfect gift. Plus, I thought every Christmas movie needed a baking scene until I saw a “making hot chocolate from scratch” scene. It’s the perfect time for Cadence to open up to Henry a little bit.

But speaking of the hot chocolate playdate, the girls who play Ruthie and Mary are the sweetest part of the film.  

Kudos to whoever decided to define their relationship as just a sweet friendship and not any kind of rivalry because of the play. Their hugs are so pure. 

Cleary Herzlinger’s parents wrote Twinkle All The Way together and her dad is the director. But if I have a kid who is that adorable I’m going to cast them in all of my Christmas movies, too. 

Isla Elizabeth Grimes is making her acting debut. She’s perfect in the scene where Cadence is freaking out about the snow on Avery’s wedding day and Mary is delighted, unwilling to grasp why her mom would be upset even though she’s old enough to.

I want to visit that magical fort their characters make and maybe live there forever. 

Technically, this movie could end with Mary covering Ruthie’s eyes as their parents kiss in the school gym at Avery and Sam’s makeshift wedding.

The final scene would be completely unnecessary if not for the fact that I’m almost certain it makes history for cable TV Christmas movies by showing Lex kissing his husband. 

Holiday In Handcuffs features a gay character that comes out but that’s different than normalizing a same-sex marriage on screen and showing husbands kissing even if it’s quick. (If my information is wrong, kindly leave the cable TV network name — not streaming site — and movie title in the comments.)

As of 2018, Hallmark had not featured any gay characters on screen in a Christmas movie, though they have cast out actor Luke Macfarlane in leading roles as straight characters.

As a Latina and a wheelchair user, I know that people in marginalized groups wish it weren’t a big deal when the media normalizes the fact that we exist on a screen.

But right now it is important to recognize when it happens because representation is too scarce, but it matters — even in TV Christmas movies. 

It’s kind of cool that if I ever get to see a Christmas movie I write with a wheelchair user as the lead, drinking coquito (it’s egg nog, but better) at an awkward family party I’ll have Twinkle All The Way to thank in part for featuring Lex and Danny’s kiss. 

The fact that the people who made this movie cared about representation positively affected this rating. It’s a small part of what makes Twinkle All The Way so magical.

Moments That Gave Me Christmas Bumps:

• Cadence’s wardrobe is brilliant often. Who else gets “sophisticated Cher Horowitz” vibes from the hospital scene outfit? 
• Anyone, please find the dress she wears to the play for me just so I can see it in full, probably can’t afford it. It’s art.
• Lesley Ann Warren is brilliant as Twinkle. She’s so quirky and difficult to grasp, it’s perfect. 
• On a sad note, whose idea was it to make Sarah Drew say “Sam” and “Avery” so much? Japril fans will never be ready for it, it’s unkind.
• “My hero in heels” is such a good line.
• Watching this movie made me wonder how specific scripts get into certain actors’ hands. I understand the basics, but this one seems so well cast, I just wonder how it all came together.

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Twinkle All The Way will air throughout the holiday season on Lifetime.

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