“Love and Christmas on the same night. Does it get more magical than that?”

Two single parents – one organized, and one creative – team up on a Christmas play. Cadence, the organized one, is working on giving her client the wedding of her dreams while Henry, the creative one, is trying to take his Christmas decoration company to the next level. 

After their children become close friends, Cadence and Henry start feeling some sparks for the first time in a while. It’s the Lifetime movie, “Twinkle All the Way” (2019).

Our Review: Twinkle All the Way

As this movie began, our hopes weren’t high. “Twinkle All the Way” took a while to get going. At first, it felt like we were in for another one of those “organized vs. creative” opposites attract type of romantic comedies.

The problem?

Cadence (Sarah Drew) and Henry (Ryan McPartlin) didn’t seem to have any chemistry – everything them felt really awkward in the beginning of the movie. Plus, Henry came off as a bit doofy. Generally, it was a bit dull and slow going.

But we stuck with it. And boy are we glad we did.

Slowly, the chemistry between Cadence and Henry grew. And the sweet story has so much heart and love – even though the storytelling was distracting on several occasions.

With a bit more attention to detail, a bit more backstory about the main characters, and better writing that relied on less cliched and eye-rolling elements, this easily could have been contender for a top Christmas romance movie of the year.  

Despite its many flaws, somehow, all the writing magic came together when it counted most – at the end. We got one pretty amazing wedding with all the feels. We absolutely loved the wedding. 

Visually, it isn’t nearly as Christmasy as a Hallmark movie.

For example, most of Cadence’s house was not decorated and quite a few other spaces weren’t super decorated. However, they did a good job on the North Pole and at the family’s warehouse of Christmas decorations.

Also, the characters didn’t do many Christmasy activities – as a lot of the time was dedicated to the children’s play. What there was was enjoyable of course, just could have used a bit more.

We saw them make decorations and deck the halls, the kids dressed as elves. There was also the hot chocolate play date and, of course, the Christmas fort the girls built (and the kids were actually pretty cute in “Twinkle All the Way”).

As for the rest? Here’s our breakdown. 

The Nice List

Our Favorite Scene

The wedding scene was just about as perfect as it gets in an imperfect situation. The auditorium was beautiful, Twinkle (Lesley Ann Warren) shined here officiating, the bride got her view thanks to Henry saving the day, and we got the amazingly improvised four-tier ice cream sandwich layer cake. Also, the bells were a great touch.

Plus, it set up the kiss between Cadence and Henry perfectly. And Cadence finally got her “Christmas bumps.” (Oh yeah, they are contagious!)

Speaking of the Christmas bumps – the goosebumps you get from something Christmasy and magical – we really loved the concept! 

Also an honorable mention for Ruthie’s (Cleary Herzlinger), “Go get her, dad!” moment.

Lesley Ann Warren

This shouldn’t shock anyone, but Lesley Ann Warren was great in this movie. That’s pretty typical for her. 

Let’s have more of Lesley next year, please!

You’ll Cry…

When Henry makes “the view” and when he brings out the wedding cake. All the feels! 

The Naughty List

Things Overheard at the Hospital

Cadence overhears Henry talking about how he needs to organize and prioritize, which means no more hot chocolate play dates. This becomes our cliched mixup/misunderstanding that drives Cadence and Henry apart for a short time. 

So why and when did Cadence get over being mad about this? She apparently felt like Henry didn’t want to spend more time with her, so… she why call him when she got stuck in the snow? 

Cadence and Henry never talked about the incident. There was no “I’m sorry” from either one (or both) – so it felt like this was left unresolved.

Unanswered Questions

Why do Henry and Lex (Brian Sills)) call their mother Twinkle, instead of Mom? Are they adopted? Or does she just not believe in having her own sons call her “Mom”? 

Why does the power outage mean everybody drives to the school? On those dangerous, snowy roads? 

The Music

“Twinkle All the Way” could have benefited from better Christmas music – and more of it! The montages and background music was generic most of the time. Disappointing. 

The WORST List

The CGI Snow Blizzard!

On Christmas Eve, it’s snowing. Like a lot.

But the snow is totally CGI. Even though clearly there is barely any snow on the ground, Cadence gets her vehicle stuck in the snow.

Oh, and first runner up was the worst line of the movie: When everyone is at the school, they talk about how they planned for everything. “Just not a snow blizzard.” Who says “snow blizzard?!”

If You Liked “Twinkle All the Way”, You Also Might Like:

  • Christmas in the Air
  • Jingle around the Clock
  • Check Inn to Christmas 
Twinkle All the Way
7/10

Super

“Twinkle All the Way” takes a while to get good and it has a few glaring issues to be sure. But this is definitely one of those movies where your patience will be rewarded with Christmas bumps and all the feels you expect out of a good Christmas movie.

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