Family. Family is so important and we get to see that with every second that Paul Campbell, Andrew Walker, and Tyler Hynes are on the screen. Brothers on the screen and off the screen – the three actors have captivated the audience throughout this franchise. The men have complex lives – but in the chaos of their lives there is one thing that they can always count on.
Each other.
The brothers lives are changing. It’s the holiday season and everything is changing. Lukes wife is pregnant with twins. Stephan is dragging his feet to plan his wedding, but decisions are not something he is good at. Then there is Taylor, who was offered his dream job but that would mean moving to San Francisco.
Family is everything to them, as are traditions. That has never varied. Paul Campbell and Kimberly Sustad always manage to write scripts where you become invested in the characters and their relationships – but they’ve done something special with these three. You not only drool over them, but they show all sides of themselves so you walk away feeling like you’ve watched your best friends.
The men of Three Wisest Men know their worth, but they also know the importance of the women around them. They worship them. Their mother taught them well.
WHAT THEY’VE BEEN UP TO
It’s been a bit since Three Wiser Men and a Boy, and everyone has grown. We open with Luke’s usual morning affirmations, which honestly make me laugh. He’s working hard at being a Dad and making sure that his partner, their son, and the upcoming twins are taken care of. He’s nervous about being a Dad, but that’s part of their charm.
Stephan is still neurotic and unable to make choices. Susie is getting annoyed with him and no one can blame her. Their wedding is fast approaching and she’s worried that they won’t have a wedding if they can’t make choices. He’s nervous that he can’t give her the wedding that she deserves.
Taylor had an interview at a gaming company in Silicon Valley. He’s excited and nervous, but also taken a back when he’s told he would need to move to Silicon Valley for the job.
You can see the pain in Taylors eyes when he is told about moving. He loves his family and moving doesn’t seem like something he can do.
It’s been something over the years watching these brothers find each other and see that they will carry each other through the good and the bad times. They will be there for traditions old and new, families up and downs, and more. Their brotherhood is important.
BEST CHRISTMAS EVER
Stephan’s home has a leaky roof so he has to go stay at his Moms. Not that he’s ever disappointed with that – he loves his Mama. We all know that there is no better Christmas than one with family.
Thomas is the one that brings it to their attention that their childhood home is up for sale. I almost fell out of my chair in shock that they handled it with no tears. I would have expected Stephan at least to have a mental breakdown. But he handled everything at first with such grace.
That was until Susie’s Dad arrives with his bird. The bird likes to talk back.
Bob, Susies Dad, really doesn’t like Stephan and it shows. He’s mean, but Stephan tries to take it all in stride. He wants to bond, but Bob has no desire to bond. Which makes Stephan even more nervous. One that puts him on edge and he lets the bird out.
But they’re all determined that it is going to be the best Christmas ever. Especially Luke.
DAD, BABIES, AND DECISIONS
One thing that I really admire – besides the fact you can tell Kings Hawaiian is definitely contributing to the cost of the movie. Lots of those and it definitely does make me want to get one.
Luke, Stephan, and Taylor are forgetting what it is – Christmas. Their Christmas spirit is missing. Gigi has to call them out and remind them of what they are there for.
There is Braxton Hicks, Luke freaking out, Gigi taking care of things, and intimidating an elf in the line to see Santa. The Brenner brothers are not in their peak form.
We know that as with any movie there has to be some sort of conflict that arises and can be solved in order to move the story forward. I can and did appreciate that here – the fight was with themselves. They all have a conflict to solve and it is within them to do just that.
None of them may know what to do next or what will happen, but getting out of their own way is important.
MIDEVIL CHRISTMAS
I’ve been on a lot of movie and television sets in my life, but nothing looks as fun as what I imagine this set to be. All of these men together – it seems like a party. The way that they have fun and create a safe and fun environment. Well that is apparently until a rodeent is involved.
But in their defense, I love when they just have a great ol’ time and just enjoy the moments. Even when there is chaos and even when there are mishaps – they are going to fix it.
The morning seems to be going well, but it’s when the grownups get wrapped up in their own world that things start going really south. Thomas got into a fight at school and Luke was all ready to punish him without asking the root of the issue.
Thomas felt forgotten. He thought that no one cared about him and had forgotten him. It broke my heart as he said all of these things to Luke and I know it had to have broken his heart to hear his son say this to him.
Miles Marthaller, who plays Thomas, does such a great job. He makes you look to try to find him in any scene that he’s in. Adorable. But he does deliver in this scene with Andrew Walker. Marthaller can go toe to toe with Walker and is hilarious in his scenes with Hynes.
The brothers realize that they need to get back out there and really make it the best Christmas ever.
THE ELF HAS LOST HIS WAY
Remember last movie, when the Brenner brothers did some harm to Thomas school musical? Well the teacher is now the really bad elf at the mall. As the brothers try and piece things back together, they are trying to figure out what Thomas wants for Christmas.
In this franchise it’s the scenes where the brothers work together that shine brighter – because you’re remembering that they are family. And you’re reminded that family is of the utmost importance. They may have destroyed Santas village, but they still manage to come together – with Mark (their neighbor) to find a way into the mall and to getting a Mighty Mech. Until a ball pit fight, but that’s a different story.
Taylor is in the middle of a conversation with his girlfriend when he realizes that he’s gotta hang up and be there for his brothers. All I have to say is that I will never look at ball pits the same. The only thing missing from the experience of them getting put in jail for it – was us getting to see who picked them up.
PIN IN IT
I am mad at Susie. Yes, I said it. Mad. I am mad because Stephan is really trying and she tells him that they should put a pin in the wedding planning and just get through Christmas.
Ummm… rude.
He loves you. It’s been a hard week for him too.
Bob (Susies Dad) is coming over for dinner and he’s just as rude to Stephan as Susie was. But I stood up and clapped with Barbara (aka Gigi, aka Grandma, aka Mom of the Brenner Boys) reads him for filth.
Queue water breaking and a mad dash to the hospital where Bob shows up to apologize. Finally! Someone is seeing Stephans worth. He’s neurotic, yes. But he loves Susie and he wants to give her the world.
It’s when the babies are born (twin girls) that he realizes he needs to live for the moment and the moments are what really matter. There is a wedding, there is peace, and there is the belief in Santa and people getting what they want.
I would tell you that things are wrapped up in a bow, but they aren’t. They are wrapped up with the possibility of new beginnings.
And so that’s what this franchise does – makes you believe in the possibilities but also magic. The Brenner brothers aren’t perfect, but no family is. They are just always there for each other and nothing beats that.
