Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Faith-based Christmas romance is predictable but sweet.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
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The Farmer and the Belle: Saving Santaland
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
THE FARMER AND THE BELLE: SAVING SANTALAND is the story of supermodel Belle Winters (Jenn Gotzon), whose career is in crisis because she's getting too old for the fashion industry. She returns to a special place from her childhood, a family farm in Georgia that puts on a Christmas fair called Santaland every year, hoping to find a bracelet given to her by her grandmother that she lost there. The farm, and Santaland, are now run by Belle's childhood penpal Josh (Jim E. Chandler). Josh is afraid that this year, Santaland's 87th, may be its last because attendance is way down from years past and the farm doesn't make enough money to cover the expenses. As Belle and Josh reconnect and develop feelings for one another, Belle learns to appreciate the real beauty in helping and being kind to others. But when she learns that Josh has been keeping a secret from her about her own past, it looks like Josh could lose both Belle and Santaland forever.
Is It Any Good?
Sure it's kind of corny, and it's pretty predictable, but this faith-based romance is also sweet with some genuine warmth and mild chuckles along the way. The Farmer and the Belle: Saving Santaland drives home its faith-based messages, but they don't hit you over the head with them. Although tying messages about inner beauty to Christmastime is unusual, the familiar story finds a very comfortable path right down the middle and sticks to it all the way to the end.
There's nothing little kids shouldn't see, but the biggest appeal is likely to be for tweens and up thanks to the themes about physical and inner beauty. The romance is between two mature adults, and yes, they're saving Santaland, but Santa himself is only seen very briefly and has no dialog. It's not so much about Christmas as it's set during the Christmas season. There's some diversity in the cast, especially among background actors, and Corbin Bernsen is enjoyable as Gran'Poppy. Fans of faith-based worship music will enjoy a guest appearance by Beckah Shae, and country music fans should enjoy John Schneider's guest appearance, too.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way The Farmer and the Belle: Saving Santaland shows our attitudes toward beauty. How does what we see and hear in media affect our ideas about beauty? What does it mean to say real beauty is on the inside?
How does the movie handle religious beliefs? Do you think it can be enjoyed by anyone, or only by people whose beliefs are similar?
Holiday movies are always popular. What are some of your favorites? How does this one compare?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 17, 2020
- Cast : Jenn Gotzon , Jim E. Chandler , Corbin Bernsen
- Director : Wes Llewellyn
- Studio : Vision Films
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Holidays
- Run time : 91 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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