‘Sappy Holiday’ Blu-Ray Review – Christmas Romance Cannot Surpass Basic Cable Expectations

When a hard-working but uninspired sous chef accidentally discovers her boyfriend is going to propose to her on Christmas Eve, she begins doubting their future together — especially when a handsome maple farmer rescues her from a snowstorm.

For thoughts on Sappy Holiday, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/GklBQOIHPaE?t=3761]

Video Quality

Sappy Holiday comes to Blu-Ray in an AVC encoded transfer courtesy of FilmRise and MVD Entertainment that is very pleasing for what it is. While the cinematography of the film may be very basic and uninspired, these environments really shine in high definition. The presentation provides natural looking skin tones and textural details render cleanly. There are hues in certain outfits that add a bit of vibrancy to the frame. This presentation is quite pleasing and offers a consistent image quality throughout. There is no trace of compression artifacts or other digital nuisances outside a very minor bit in the highlights. You really could not ask for much better from this type of film. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 track that delivers a very gentle experience for this story. This film is largely subdued, but the track does prove to be robust when it comes to the environmental sounds. The dialogue comes through perfectly clear without ever being overshadowed by any other sounds. The sound design is precise when it comes to directionality with all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. Activity in the low end is very sparse, which fits with the narrative, but a few moments add a bit of texture. This audio presentation is just as capable of the video side of things. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided. 

Special Features

• Photo Gallery: A collection of stills from the film. 

• Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Sappy Holiday is a film brought into this world by a better-than-average production company, but the quality remains at the level you would expect from a Lifetime or Hallmark holiday film, if not a bit worse. There is a quality that can be heartwarming and gently appreciated by the films that do it well, but the execution here is so average that it cannot stand apart from the avalanche of forgettable films that air nonstop every holiday season. MVD Entertainment and FilmRise have released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation but not much in the way of supplemental features. Unless you are a devotee of the genre, I cannot see needing to own this. 

Sappy Holiday is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: MVD Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.