Punch Three wise men and a boy (the sequel to 2022 Three wise men and a baby) reunites three of the network’s most popular actors, Paul Campbell, Andrew Walker and Tyler Hines, as the Brenner brothers. In the first film, the men were tasked with caring for a baby named Thomas who was left on the doorstep of the local fire station, and in this new film, Thomas, now adopted by one of the brothers but essentially raised by all three, enters a Christmas pageant that needs to be saved, and his father(s) are just the men to do it. Although it sometimes veers into slapstick silliness, the film owes much of its success to strong performances, notably from Margaret Colin, who plays the mother, and Miles Marthaller, who plays Thomas.

Opening shot: An exhausted-looking man stares into his bathroom mirror, reciting affirmations to himself (“You are strong. Capable. A warrior.” Etc.) before being interrupted by a boy desperately running to become number one. This is just the beginning of Luke Brenner’s downward spiral.

The bottom line: Luke, Stephan and Taylor Brenner (Andrew Walker, Paul Campbell and Tyler Hines) are three brothers whose lives are a little chaotic at the moment. Fire Chief Luke is raising his young son Thomas alone for a week while his wife is on a work trip, and he can barely keep it together, so he asks his brothers for a little help, but they have both having problems with their own. Taylor tries to start a video game development company, but despite his best efforts, he’s stalled and, worse, with no money coming in, he learns he’s going to get kicked out of his apartment. Meanwhile, Stephan’s default setting is “anxious” and on top of that, he has spent the last few years writing a self-help book but neglecting his relationship with his frustrated girlfriend, Susie. by his inattention. Oh, and their mother Barbara (Margaret Colin) has a surprise new boyfriend, a pastor named Roy (Christopher Shyer) who they’re not sure how to respond to because Roy is basically Also perfect and they don’t like the idea of ​​a new father figure in their life.

When Taylor and Stephan visit Thomas during his school Christmas pageant rehearsal, it’s a complete disaster and, in a misstep that leads to a chain reaction of events, they accidentally destroy the entire set and all the costumes, and break the will of the musical director who leaves the series on the spot. As penance, the school principal forces the three brothers to take over, and it is entirely up to the three brothers to ensure that the school competition goes off without a hitch.

The brothers and young performers initially have morale problems, but soon they transform into a ragtag group of scrappy theater people whose determination is undeterred. But even though they are determined to make the series a success, there are still plenty of hiccups along the way. As Luke embarks on the show, he forgets his annual charity fundraiser which takes place the same night as the competition and blames himself for spreading himself too thin. Taylor begins to get closer to the show’s accompanist, Caroline (Erin Karpluk), a musician who definitely has a crush on him, although they argue briefly when she thinks he forgets that it’s a show for children and not to feed your own. ego. Likewise, Stephan and his girlfriend Susie (Fiona Vroom, what a name!) argue when she fears he’s taking the show too seriously. And when the brothers turn on Roy, who has been nothing but nice to them, and basically tell him that they don’t need a new father, both Roy and Barbara are upset by this behavior.

You better believe everything is resolved on pageant night, and along the way, the Brenner brothers realize that maybe they need to start letting go of their expectations and anxiety and just enjoy the Christmas spirit .

What films will this remind you of? Three wise men and a boy is the continuation of Three wise men and a babywhich was obvious Three men and a baby. I guess that makes this sequel a riff on Three men and a little lady?

Our opinion: Hallmark has recently embraced its male protagonists with its recent The groomsmen trilogy event, and now Three wise men and a boyall of which feature a trio of men in the central roles (and all with Tyler Hines, who is quickly rising in my personal ranks as a Hallmark favorite.) While each of Groomsmen films was a romantic film which traced the evolution of the love life of the main character, Three wiser men is less concerned with love and more with family drama. Each of the men has their own problems (and uses Thomas’ assistance as a way to perhaps exert some control over their otherwise uncontrollable lives), which leads to a lot of conflict.

Luckily, the movie has some super cool women to resolve everything. (I may sound facetious, but in reality I’m not.) It takes the wise words of Taylor’s love interest Caroline, a jazz pianist who is one with the universe, to make him understand that life is all about the journey and not the destination. , and it takes a speech from their mother for the brothers to stop thinking only about themselves. As each of these women gives the brothers advice (Stephan’s girlfriend Susie also offers some tough love), they begin to realize that they have become completely lost in the reason for the season. I know Hallmark has resisted using male leads until fairly recently, but I applaud the fact that when we see men like the Brenner brothers (or the cast of The groomsmen) modeling their vulnerabilities and flaws on screen and addressing their anxieties, it’s something to appreciate for the way it normalizes a certain type of man who is sincere and kind and is celebrated for it.

Starting shot: The brothers and Thomas perform a choreographed dance for their family on Christmas Day.

Performances to watch: The fact that Margaret Colin is in this film is not just a nod to Three men and a babywhich she was also in, the woman makes the film better in every way. (Granted, it’s always weird when Hallmark movies feature people who starred in Veep because it’s hard to get their gloriously gross performances from this series out of my head, but it also just shows their versatility, doesn’t it?! This also applies to Diedrich Bader, who recently appeared in Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.)

Colin is the perfect, stylish Gigi/grandma to Thomas, but she also gives a little speech to her boys near the end of the film that is a beautiful little monologue about motherhood, as she begs her boys to see her no only as their mother, but also as someone who is desperate to be known as more than just “mom.”

Memorable dialogues: “They met online. Have you encountered the Internet? It’s all lies,” Taylor says, critical of the man her mother is dating.

Our call: Spread it! I’m going to be real here; The title is ridiculous, right? But it’s also the worst part of the film, which is otherwise a terrific ensemble that brings back a cast of characters with great chemistry for a warm, witty, and fun story.

Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is her time on the game show Chain Reaction.