Holiday Movie Review: Solve Christmas – Lily’s Destiny

Is it too early to dive into Christmas in July? This week, the Hallmark Channel brings us Solve Christmas: Lily’s Destiny, the third installment in the Unlock Christmas series. It revolves around four friends managing a gift shop, each navigating their own romantic escapades during the holiday season. Here’s how it stacks up against its predecessors.

Opening Scene: We’re greeted with a picturesque winter scene—think snowy houses, festive wreaths, and twinkling lights. Lily (Ashley Newblue) is at home, glued to her laptop, watching her father’s old Christmas home movie.

Key Points: This time of year is bittersweet for Lily, as she lost her father last year. Perhaps that’s why she’s not decorating the tree assigned to her by her overly ambitious neighbor, Whitney. While Whitney’s tree outshines Lily’s, our protagonist is juggling quite a bit. She co-owns a busy gift shop with her three best friends, mentors a business student named Kenzie (Martina Ortiz Lewis), and is set to be interviewed by a writer named Shawn (Torrance Combes) for a local magazine. Oh, and she also has a date with the town’s most eligible bachelor, Owen Mansfield.

Lily’s horoscope predicts something exciting is on the horizon, which she hopes is linked to her upcoming date with Owen. But honestly? Owen turns out to be pretty self-centered. The real connection, as it seems, is with Shawn.

There’s definitely a spark with Sean, but Lily reluctantly accepts a second date with Owen to see if he’s as bad as he seems. However, during dinner, she spots Sean with another woman. Throughout the film, misunderstandings abound, leaving Lily and Sean tangled in assumptions about each other’s romantic lives.

Their paths finally converge at Whitney’s Tree Festival, where they help each other with decorations. During this time, they clear up their misconceptions and realize that maybe they are just meant to be together after all.

Our Take: I found Lily’s Destiny enjoyable. Ashley New Blue plays her role convincingly, bringing a delightful charm to the film. Toran Combs is likable, and their chemistry feels genuine. However, the storyline felt somewhat thin, as if there could’ve been more substance to it. Compared to the previous two films, which focused on preparing for a big charity gala, this one seems to struggle under the weight of its own plot. The holiday spirit gets weighed down by misunderstandings, making it feel like I had to work a bit harder to get to the anticipated happy ending.

Final Scene: At the grand Christmas gala, Sean and Lily share a dance. He suggests they spend New Year’s Eve together, and they share a kiss, with Kenzie playfully capturing the moment on Lily’s old camcorder.

Notable Performance: Franco Law Presty shines as Owen. He embodies the self-absorbed jerk quite well.

Memorable Line: After her breakup with Owen, Lily realizes, “There will always be next year.”

Our Call: Despite some captivating performances, I wanted to like Solve Christmas: Lily’s Destiny more than I did. It doesn’t quite rise to the level of classic holiday films. Maybe give it a skip.