Chabert Watch: Christmas in Rome (2019)

Watched:  06/09/2025

Format:  Hallmark

Viewing:  1.5

Director:  Ernie Barbarash 

Job: Tour Guide

Location of story:  Hallmark Rome

new skill:  Not going off the rails

Man:  Sam Page

Job of Man:  Business Man

Goes to/ Returns to:  Man goes to Rome

Event:  Business Deal

Food:  a bunch of Italian stuff I can't spell and/ or remember

So.  (deep breath)  I believe this is both the last Lacey Chabert Hallmark movie and last Chabert Christmas movie I have to watch during ChabertQuest 2025.  

Please clap.

If you haven't been around, we're nearing the end of watching every live-action movie in which Lacey Chabert appears that we could get legitimate access to.  And we're almost done.  It started in November by accident, became intentional in January, and it has been a journey.  

One of my self-imposed rules was that if I had already seen a movie and written it up, I was allowed to skip said movie.  Which is how I skipped The Tree That Saved Christmas.  But if I had seen it and failed to write it up, I had to re-watch it and post on it.  And, I know I watched a good chunk/ all of Christmas in Rome (2019) just this last Christmas while doing other things.  And then just didn't mention it.  I forgot or something.  

So I put this one off til last and was in no rush to prioritize the movie.

Anyway, this movie stars Chabert and Sam Page, who you may remember as Joan's would-be-doctor husband on Mad Men, a role that I am sure he has mixed feelings about at this juncture.  Page plays a Businessman from New York who is sent to Rome, just before the holidays, to look into acquiring a famed Italian company that handmakes high-end plates and bowls or something.  And because it's Rome, it is also *art*.

Chabert plays an American ex-pat tour guide who has been fired for caring too damn much about showing her clients the REAL Rome.  She has had daffy misadventures which are off-tone to the rest of this movie, but I would have liked to have seen.  However, her misadventures get her fired.

I thought Autumn Reeser had a lock on all things Italy for Hallmark, but she must have been otherwise occupied.  Suck it, Reeser!  Chabert is doing Rome!

As Man arrives in Rome, he runs into Chabert, and basically hires her on the spot to be his guide for the week, in a move Jamie described as having a Pretty Woman vibe.  Chabert is sort of his handler and sherpa through Rome and Roman customs, helping Man deal with the fellow from whom he may buy the company.  

He also sees the sights, eats the food, bakes, makes an ornament.  It's a very full week.  

Chabert's guide maintains all the enthusiasm about Rome of a study abroad student in week four.  In no way jaded, she's still super pumped to still wander around and point at things.  

This is one of the rare Hallmark movies where the business idea pitched - she'll become a high-end personal tour guide - actually seems feasible.  

Man's boss is a hilariously driven woman who is always seen at her desk, and always angry.  She hates what she loves doing.  Or vice-versa.  But, yes, once again, this is a world in which deals are struck on Christmas Eve and some psycho believes that Christmas is the best time to get work done. 

Maybe the oddest part of this movie is that it's not two people coyly circling each other and antagonism becomes love or general friendliness turns into a single dry kiss at the end.  Very early, Man is like "hey, I want to take you out".  But she has a rule about not dating clients, so it's just flirty stuff you figure would end with some hanky panky before he goes home - but instead becomes love.  At least they admit "we've only known each other a week", which feels ground breaking for one of these movies.

This flick is a warm cup of coffee and indicative of the "here's some background noise to put on during the Holidays" vibe Hallmark goes for a lot.  Pleasant scenery, reasonably attractive people, and no real conflicts as things roll along.

The movie keeps telling us how great Rome is.  I've never heard a Hallmark go in so hard on telling us a place is great, rather than just showing and showcasing the place - and they do a lot of Lady Traveling movies.  And I kinda think, as a species, we're largely pre-sold on Rome.  It's a bucket list item, right?

Is it stupid?

I mean, what is stupid?  The plot sorta makes sense.  The characters are blandly fine.  There's almost no tension - even romantically, they're like "we like each other, but ocean".  The bit about saying Rome is great every few minutes is actually key to the plot as Business Man would not seal the deal with the dishes guy until Man also agreed that Rome was great, which he does.  

So, no.  This is a largely plothole-free basic movie that lets you see two working actors in Rome, and asks you to believe Chabert leads tours in 6 inch heels.  

Chabert is fine.  I did pick up on some Chabert-chuckle, something I've not commented upon much, as it seems a late addition to her repertoire.  The Chabert Chuckle is a space filler for her in Hallmark movies where the lines of dialog don't quite match up and she needs to smooth it over, or a scene kinda just ends, and they need to fill the space.  It's incredibly effective.

She's an acting Swiss Army Knife, this Chabert.

Anyway, I have two non-Hallmark movies she did, and then I can wrap this up.  We're in the home stretch, kids.

Also, the red dress at the end is...  something