Three Wisest Men 2025 Movie Review
The ‘Countdown to Christmas’ continues on Hallmark Channel, and in the series of major holiday movies they have on the slate this year, including a new football-themed romance and one set at the Grand Ole Opry (with an original song to boot), a return to the ‘Three Wise Men’ franchise is right up there with them. Who doesn’t love a trilogy, right? But is this third movie in the franchise truly the end of the series? Have we seen the last of the Brenner boys?
Three Wisest Men brings back Paul Campbell, Andrew Walker and Tyler Hynes as Stephan, Luke and Taylor, respectively, along with mom Barbara (Margaret Colin), son Thomas (Miles Marthaller), Luke’s wife Sophie (Nicole Major), Taylor’s girlfriend Caroline (Erin Karpluk), Stephan’s fiancée Susie (Fiona Vroom), and a few familiar faces from the past. The story picks up at least nine months after the events of Three Wise Men and a Boy as Luke and Sophie are awaiting the arrival of twins at any minute, Stephan and Susie are attempting to plan for their April wedding … with Stephan’s neuroses getting in the way, and Taylor has a major job offer at a video game company … in San Francisco, which complicates his life entirely. Also complicating things is the fact that Taylor’s ex-girlfriend Fiona (Ali Liebert, returning from Three Wise Men and a Baby) recommended him for the job after she left Chicago for the ‘greener pastures’ of San Francisco. How is he going to explain that to Caroline? Things get complicated for Stephan when he learns Susie’s father Bob will be joining them for the holidays … and Stephan is pretty sure Bob does not like him, which only amps up his anxiety. Luke’s life is complicated enough with twins on the way, but as he’s being pulled in several different directions, his son Thomas is feeling ignored and begins acting out to get attention. Barbara throws a monkey wrench into the holiday festivities when she announces to the boys that she’s selling the house they all grew up in because it’s just too much house for one person (even though Taylor still lives in the basement). But in true Brenner brothers fashion, they strive to make this the best Christmas ever.
Except after Luke and Sophie attend a class for new parents of twins, the instructor makes it sound like this is going to be the worst experience he could imagine, and Thomas’ behavior is only making his insecurities of being a dad to three children explode. Stephan tries to be on his best behavior so as not to rub Bob the wrong way, but Bob brought along an unexpected guest — his cockatiel Jerry — who, as they were leaving the house to do some shopping, appears to drop dead in front of Stephan. Trying to revive the bird with some fresh air by opening the window and the cage door, he soon learns that Jerry is famous for playing dead to get out of his cage, and the next thing Stephan knows Jerry is taking flight from the open window, forcing him to pretend he has no idea what happened to the bird. Taylor is really interested in the job offer, but he didn’t know it would require him to move to San Francisco, and he feels a bit weird about it because his ex put him up for the job and will be working there as well. She also does an unannounced pop-in at the Brenner family home, which forces him to spill all the beans to Caroline about the job, which she is actually excited about because it will get him out of his mom’s basement and give them the new start they’ve been wanting for their relationship. But with Fiona and the sale of the family home, it’s all making him more resistant to change. As Christmas approaches, they are not getting anything accomplished on their Best Christmas Ever list, and Luke doesn’t even know what Thomas wants for Christmas. Only the mall Santa knows so the brothers — who got kicked out of the mall after their first visit to Santa — have to sneak back in and confront Santa’s Elf to find out what Thomas asked for. They get more than they bargained for when they discover who exactly is under that elf beard, but they may have an unlikely ally when old nemesis Mark LaClark shows up, now on a mission to get the exact toy Thomas wants … which sells out the minute it goes on the store shelf. It’s going to take a good talking to from Barbara to get her boys back on track, and to let Bob know that this family is chaotic and he needs to lighten up because Stephan loves his daughter more than anything. Can the last Brenner family Christmas be saved?
Three Wisest Men does manage to put a nice cap on the series, even if it isn’t quite as strong as the second movie. It is a bit chaotic as the story by Paul Campbell and Kimberly Sustad, written by Sustad and Russell Hainline, has to juggle the three brothers’ stories, giving them equal time while also allowing them moments to come together like the Three Musketeers … which often ends in some sort of hilarious disaster (as they managed to destroy a Christmas pageant in the last movie, they manage to destroy Santa’s village at the mall this time, and later a toy store which lands them in jail). With all of the mayhem surrounding them, mom Barbara remains the anchor of the family, managing to calm things down before they go completely off the rails. The addition of Bob and Jerry to the story actually helps Stephan grow a bit, while the return of Fiona was, perhaps, an unnecessary distraction but if this is the last movie in the series, it was nice to bring Ali Liebert back. What her appearance did do was solidify the relationship between Taylor and Caroline, setting them up for the future once Taylor decides what’s best for him and them (and Caroline is completely on board with moving and starting anew, so his reticence does drive the smallest of wedges between them for a brief moment). If the story falters a bit, it’s in turning Thomas into a little brat because he’s not getting the attention he’s used to, or rather, promises that are made are being broken because things are happening that he doesn’t quite understand (although he is concerned about having a room at his grandma’s new place). The script never allows Luke or Sophie to just have a nice one-on-one sit down with the kid to listen to his concerns and fears and assure him everything will be okay. Luke does, finally, at one point remind Thomas that he is the first child and will always be loved even with two more on the way. There is also a bit of nonsense at the fire station when Luke offers to watch over Hernandez’s three kids when a call comes in, and the second Hernandez leaves the kids turn into uncontrollable monsters. Like literally the second he’s out of sight, and that only contributes to Luke’s frustration with Thomas as he gets into altercation at school. While the other two brothers have more time with their significant others, it feels like the story leaves Luke to flounder with only a little input from Sophie (in fact, he gets more support from Barbara and his brothers). Jerry’s escape adds some comedy to the story as Stephan tries to keep it on the down low that he accidentally let the bird out of the cage, and one-by-one more people are privy to the secret, causing him to panic that Bob will find out and that will completely ruin any chance he has at forging a relationship with the man who may — or may not — become his father-in-law. There are some hits and misses along the way, but the movie is still some fun holiday entertainment.
The cast, of course, makes it all work. Even though he has the least appealing storyline of the movie, Andrew Walker manages to rise to the occasion and elevate what he’s been given, no matter how silly it is, whether it’s getting a ‘makeover’ by Hernandez’s kids or battling shoppers for the toy Thomas wants, he makes Luke the most responsible of the three brothers. Paul Campbell is fun as he puts Stephan’s neuroses on full display, from not being able to make a decision about silverware or wedding cake to attempting to cover-up his actions in Jerry’s disappearance. He does his best to appear calm and level-headed around Bob — giving us a really funny moment when he tries to hug the man the first time they meet — and he shows some growth and actual calmness by the end of the movie, throwing caution to the wind and making an out-of-character spur-of-the-moment decision that will change his and Susie’s lives forever (in the best way possible). Tyler Hynes, the self-described ‘worst brother’, starts out the story already having shown some growth from the last time we saw him. He’s now ready to take a leap on a major career move, but his strong family bond, and the reappearance of Fiona, complicates any decision he should make, forcing him to procrastinate endlessly about his decision … until a deadline of Christmas Day is forced on him. His indecision causes some difficulties in his relationship, but since Caroline is completely fine with moving it should help him say yes, but moving far from family is always a tough decision for anyone and he makes Taylor’s angst feel real. Margaret Colin is magnificent as Barbara, and the best moments of the movie are when she gets to have some monologues trying to get her boys to focus on Christmas and block out all the noise around them. There is one moment near the end when she sits the three of them down to offer some real motherly advice that just shows how good her performance is. She really is the rock upon which the story is built, she anchors everyone, and she does it with wonderfully gentle authority, never coddling her boys but always letting them know she is there to support them no matter what. Colin is just wonderful.
Other regulars in the series also do some good work. Erin Karpluk has a wonderful banter with Hynes, and she makes Caroline’s excitement about the potential move feel real, although she does go a little over-the-top which perhaps is why Taylor has such a tough time making a decision. She’s got everything all planned out and he hasn’t even said yes, but she understands when to pull back and not put so much pressure on him. Karpluk is just totally grounded with her performance, and she makes Caroline a perfect match to Hynes’ performance. Fiona Vroom is also excellent as Susie, having to have the patience of a saint with Campbell’s neurotic Stephan, always acting as a calming influence, and also willing to make a tough decision when it comes to their wedding. She has to balance the love Fiona has for Stephan with her love for Bob, trying hard not to choose one over the other no matter how difficult Stephan makes it. Vroom really does exert a calming influence over Campbell’s often chaotic performance, and it works so well. Miles Marthaller is tasked with making sweet Thomas a bit of a monster, at times able to show that he’s just feeling left out, and other times just acting out unnecessarily … as kids do. But under it all, he still shows that Thomas is a sweet kid deep down. Matt Hamilton shows up again briefly as Mark LaClark, bringing his snarky energy to the proceedings but actually stepping up to help the brothers this time, pulling off one final surprise at the end. Kurt Long makes a surprise appearance as former drama teacher Mr. B, still holding a massive grudge against the brothers for destroying his Christmas pageant. The one person missing, without any explanation, is Barbara’s boyfriend from the previous movie, Roy. She does mention at one point that she wishes he was there, but we have no idea where he is. Did they break up between movies? Never fear though, because Christopher Shyer does make an appearance at the eleventh hour for a pivotal scene.
Ali Liebert’s Fiona returns to complicate Taylor’s life, leaving us to wonder if there is more to her being there than just recommending Taylor for a job. She could not know at that point that he’s in a relationship, and it’s a little odd that she just travels from San Francisco to Seattle to pop in on the Brenners, but she has a nice moment with Hynes as he tells her that Taylor has a good thing going with Caroline and he doesn’t want the job, or Fiona, to mess that up. Thankfully she isn’t here to come between them, because the audience surely would have hated that. Lochlyn Munro is very good as Susie’s uptight father, showing more attention to that bird than he does any human, but he also clearly has Susie’s best interest in mind. Munro plays Bob as a completely straight-laced man set in his way, unable to cope with the chaotic Brenners, but finally loosens up enough to see that Susie and Stephan are meant for each other (and another wonderful moment from Colin as she lovingly dresses everyone down at dinner helps set him straight). Neil Webb is perfect as tech bro Noah, offering Taylor the world, doing all he can to entice him to make that move to San Francisco. There is also a little cameo appearance from Kimberly Sustad as Dr. MacLaren, which is kind of funny since she played a doctor in Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper!. It’s a shame these two stories are set on opposite coasts, because it would have been fun if she was playing the same character, joining the two movie universes together.
Overall, Three Wisest Men is charming holiday entertainment, not quite as strong as the previous movie, but it still does what it needs to do and pretty much caps off everyone’s journeys in satisfying ways. You should note that the version of the movie now streaming on Hallmark+ is an extended version that, among the additions, expands on the scene when the brothers are in jail and explains how they got bailed out (in the broadcast version we just see them behind bars for a moment and in the next scene they are home), and the extended version adds a final scene that actually makes no sense, contradicting the events of the final moments of the broadcast version, so it was wisely removed. It probably should have remained ‘on the cutting room floor.’ But, if you enjoy Walker, Hynes, and Campbell getting up to their usual holiday antics, Three Wisest Men will not disappoint. If this is the final movie in the series, it ends on a satisfying note for Luke, Stephan and Taylor, giving the fans some closure to their stories while allowing us to imagine what life may hold for them beyond the holidays.
