Honestly, most Hallmark movies follow a pretty rigid blueprint. You know the one: big-city girl goes home, bumps into a guy in a flannel shirt, and they save a festival. But when Five Star Christmas dropped in 2020, it felt... different. A lot of that comes down to the ensemble. The cast of Five Star Christmas didn't just play a family; they actually felt like one, which is surprisingly rare even in the "Countdown to Christmas" universe.
The plot basically follows Lucy Ralston as she returns home to find her dad has turned their family house into a Bed & Breakfast. When a famous travel critic is rumored to be in town, the entire Ralston clan decides to pose as fake guests to help the B&B get a five-star review. Chaos, obviously, ensues.
The Core Duo: Bethany Joy Lenz and Victor Webster
At the center of the storm is Bethany Joy Lenz as Lucy Ralston. If you grew up in the early 2000s, she’s forever Haley James Scott from One Tree Hill to you. But in the world of holiday TV, she’s become a bit of a heavy hitter. She has this specific way of playing "stressed but capable" that makes Lucy feel relatable rather than just a caricature of a perfectionist.
Then you’ve got Victor Webster playing Jake Finlay. Now, Victor has been everywhere. He was the second Nicholas Alamain on Days of Our Lives, he was in Mutant X, and he's been a Hallmark staple for years. In this movie, he plays the "incognito" travel writer. The chemistry here isn't that typical "polite Hallmark" vibe. It's got more of a screwball comedy energy. They actually look like they’re having fun, which makes a world of difference when you're on your tenth Christmas movie of the week.
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The Ralston Family: Not Your Average Supporting Characters
The movie really lives or dies on the family dynamic. It’s a big cast, and if they didn't click, the whole "pretending to be guests" gag would have fallen flat on its face.
- Robert Wisden (Ted Ralston): He plays the dad, Ted. You might recognize him from Smallville or The X-Files. He plays the "well-meaning but slightly overwhelmed" father role perfectly. He’s the reason the whole family is in this mess, and Wisden brings enough warmth that you don't actually want to yell at him for his terrible business plan.
- Laura Soltis (Beth Thompson): She plays the love interest for Ted. She's a veteran actress who brings a nice, grounded balance to the more frantic energy of the Ralston kids.
- Jay Brazeau and Paula Shaw: These two are the secret weapons. Jay plays Walter and Paula plays Margo. Jay Brazeau is basically Canadian acting royalty—he’s been in everything from Watchmen to Stargate SG-1. Having actors with that much experience playing the grandparents gives the movie a layer of legitimacy. Their comedic timing is sharp.
- Grace Beedie (Amber Ralston) and Blair Penner (Will Ralston): The siblings. Grace Beedie actually went on to lead her own Netflix series, Zero Chill, shortly after this. They play the sibling rivalry/loyalty dynamic in a way that feels authentic. They tease each other, they're annoyed by the plan, but they show up.
Why the Casting Worked So Well
Most people don't realize that Five Star Christmas was filmed in Vancouver during the height of the 2020 filming restrictions. This meant the cast was essentially in a "bubble" together. Victor Webster has mentioned in interviews that the collaborative nature of the set, led by director Christie Will Wolf, allowed them to improvise a lot of the comedy.
That’s why the dialogue feels snappier. It wasn't just actors hitting marks; they were building those family rhythms in real-time. Christie Will Wolf has a background in acting herself, which usually means she gives her performers more room to breathe. You can see it in the "Peppermint Pop Quiz" scenes and the general frantic energy of the dinner table moments.
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A Closer Look at the Supporting Players
It’s easy to overlook the smaller roles, but in a farce like this, they matter. Barbara Patrick plays Suzanne, and Sarah Edmondson appears as Annie. If Sarah Edmondson’s name sounds familiar for reasons outside of Hallmark, it’s likely because of her high-profile involvement in whistleblowing against the NXIVM cult—a heavy contrast to the lighthearted halls of a Christmas B&B, but it speaks to the caliber of seasoned professionals Hallmark pulls into these Vancouver-based productions.
Even the role of Mr. Donahue, played by Tom Pickett, adds to the small-town texture that makes the setting feel lived-in.
What to Watch Next if You Loved the Cast
If you’re a fan of the specific energy this group brought, you don’t have to stop at this one movie. The Hallmark ecosystem is basically a giant game of musical chairs.
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- For more Bethany Joy Lenz: Check out A Biltmore Christmas (2023). It’s widely considered one of the best Hallmark movies of the last decade, involving a time-travel element and some incredible period costumes.
- For more Victor Webster: He’s great in the MatchMaker Mysteries series alongside Danica McKellar. It shows off more of that leading-man charm but with a procedural twist.
- For the Director's Style: Christie Will Wolf also directed A Valentine's Match, which features Bethany Joy Lenz as well. You'll notice a similar focus on character-driven humor over pure sentimentality.
The cast of Five Star Christmas managed to turn a standard holiday premise into something that genuinely holds up on a rewatch. They traded the usual "slow-motion gazing" for actual jokes and a frantic pace that feels more like a 1940s comedy than a modern TV movie.
If you're planning a rewatch, pay attention to the background during the "guest" scenes. The way the family members try to avoid breaking character while the "critic" is watching is where the real gold is hidden. It's a masterclass in ensemble comedy within the constraints of a cable holiday movie.
To get the most out of your holiday viewing, you can find Five Star Christmas streaming on Hallmark Movies Now or catch it during the annual "Countdown to Christmas" marathons. Keep an eye out for the chemistry between the "siblings"—it's the glue that makes the whole fake-guest plot actually believable.