Podcast in a Pear Tree: Christmas Movie Reviews · Aaron Lee Harvey, Danielle Espino, Samantha Gifford

Mystic Santas, Lopez dimples, and no snacks (yikes)

·28 min·1 clip

Mulled wine, European hot chocolate with Baileys, smoked salmon, German sausages, and pasta on a cheese wheel steal the show.

The episode opens with the three hosts introducing themselves and setting up a weekend outing. They talk about the LA Christmas market and call it very Christmassy instead of a total mess. The market is at Road DTLA, the old American Apparel Factory, and they note that the space has been turned into a nice mall. They mention that the market took over two parking lots and filled them with stalls. Food from around the world and rows of cute shops give them plenty to browse. One host buys Christmas gifts, and they all enjoy running into colleagues from work. Samantha says she was worried it might turn into Christmas Fire Festival, but it did not. She says the European-inspired setup was a pleasant surprise. After that, they pivot to holiday movies and admit there is always too much to watch. They settle on Great American Christmas and Once Upon a Christmas Wish. The movie stars Mario Lopez and his real-life wife, Courtney Lopez, which gets immediate attention. One host gives the plot a quick pass: Mario Lopez plays a small-town mayor whose town is struggling. His grade-school crush returns to visit her grandma and her grandma's inn. A guy wants to build a spa and tries to push through the town. The mayor and the grandma resist, so the town becomes a battle over whether to give in. The hosts keep circling back to the movie's strange dance breaks and musical number. They say they were not sure why any of that needed to happen. Someone explains a possible connection to Mario Lopez's mother and Fred Astaire. Even so, they stay unconvinced that the musical pieces fully earn their place. They also joke about Lopez basically playing himself in everything. His particular walk and easygoing presence become part of the joke. That leads into a running disbelief that he is meant to be the mayor of the town. They notice how hard the movie works to remind viewers that he is, in fact, the mayor. The opening scene apparently drives that point home immediately. The episode closes by teeing up next week's talk about the Finding Mr Christmas finale. They are clearly excited to return to that show and keep the holiday coverage going. It all lands as a loose, friendly panel episode that likes the genre enough to argue with it.

As heard by us

A holiday recap that finds the fun in a movie with strange mayor energy and surprise dance breaks.

Podcast in a Pear Tree splits the episode between the Los Angeles Christmas market and Once Upon a Christmas Wish. The market talk has real texture, with Road DTLA, the old American Apparel Factory, and the stalls and shops giving the setting a lived-in feel.

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Why you'd press play

You want a holiday recap that notices the weirdest parts and keeps going.

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