The Farmer and the Belle Review: A Supermodel, a Pig Farmer, and a Lost Bracelet
My Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.6/5
A New York supermodel worried about getting older.
A lost bracelet from her grandmother.
A small Southern town with a Christmas festival in trouble.
And a pig farmer who used to be her childhood pen pal.
Welcome to our The Farmer and the Belle Review. The full title is The Farmer and the Belle: Saving Santaland, a 2020 family Christmas romance starring Jenn Gotzon and Jim E. Chandler. Corbin Bernsen, John Schneider, and Natasha Bure join the fun.
This is a sweet, faith filled holiday movie with a big message. True beauty comes from the inside, not from a pretty face.
It has small town charm, gentle humor, farm life, and plenty of Christmas spirit. It is also one of the most sincere holiday movies Kilroy has watched in a long time.
And here in Southwest Iowa, a love story starring a pig farmer feels right at home.
This The Farmer and the Belle Review stays spoiler free. Whether Santaland gets saved is yours to discover.
The Farmer and the Belle Review: Finding Beauty in Santaland
Belle Winters is a famous New York City supermodel. She has the magazine covers, the fashion shoots, and the glamorous life. But she is starting to worry about aging out of the industry.
Belle has been taught her whole life that her looks are what matter most. That lesson came from her mother, and it has followed her into adulthood.
But there was someone who taught her differently. When Belle was a little girl, her beloved Grammy gave her a special bracelet. It carried inspirational messages about true beauty, the kind that comes from the inside.
Years ago, Belle lost that bracelet at a place called Santaland, in a small town in Georgia.
Now, feeling lost herself, Belle decides she needs to find it. So she heads south to Santaland for the holidays.
There, she reconnects with Josh Carpenter, her childhood pen pal. Josh is now a pig farmer with a young daughter and a deep, steady faith.
Belle soon learns that Santaland itself is in danger. The town’s beloved Christmas festival may not survive the season.
As Belle and Josh work to save Santaland, sparks begin to fly. Along the way, Belle starts to discover what real beauty looks like.
How it all turns out stays wrapped under the tree.
A Love Story Built on Old Fashioned Charm
At its heart, The Farmer and the Belle is a holiday romance with an old fashioned feel.
The setup is classic. A big city woman lands in a small town and meets a down to earth man who lives a completely different life. But the movie adds a few sweet twists.
Belle and Josh are not strangers. They were childhood pen pals, so their story starts with a shared history. That gives the romance a warm, nostalgic glow.
The title itself comes from a lovely detail. Belle’s father used to read her the nursery rhyme The Farmer in the Dell. He would playfully change the words to The Farmer and the Belle.
That small touch sets the tone for the whole film. It is gentle, playful, and full of family love.
The romance never rushes. It grows slowly through shared work, honest conversations, and small moments of kindness. It is the kind of love story you can watch with the whole family.
And there is real chemistry here. That makes sense, because Jenn Gotzon and Jim E. Chandler are married in real life.
A Message About True Beauty
What sets this movie apart is its message.
Many holiday romances are sweet but forgettable. The Farmer and the Belle has something real to say, and it says it with heart.
The film asks a simple question. What happens when a little girl grows up believing her beauty is the only thing that matters?
Belle is a woman trapped by that lie. She is successful and admired, but she is also anxious and empty. Her world rewards her looks, and it is slowly wearing her down.
Grammy’s bracelet represents the truth she has forgotten. Real beauty is about how you love and how you serve others.
Jenn Gotzon has said she built the story around this idea. She wanted to reach the many women who learned as children that they had to be beautiful to be worthy of love.
The movie’s tagline sums it up well. Real love is not found in how you look, but by how you love.
The film draws a clear line between two voices in Belle’s life. Her mother taught her that looks are everything. Her Grammy taught her that love and service matter most.
Watching Belle slowly choose Grammy’s wisdom is the real journey of the movie. The romance is sweet, but Belle’s change of heart is the true Christmas miracle.
Gotzon has said the idea came together when she thought of The Farmer in the Dell and swapped in the word belle. It is a simple play on words with a lot of meaning behind it.
That message gives the film real emotional weight. It is a Christmas story with a purpose.
Faith at the Center of Christmas
The Farmer and the Belle is a faith based holiday movie, and it wears that proudly.
Josh is a man of quiet faith. His values shape the way he raises his daughter, runs his farm, and treats the people around him.
The film includes a Christmas nativity performance, complete with the carol “Silent Night.” It is a touching reminder of the deeper meaning of the season.
Best of all, the faith never feels heavy handed. The characters live out their beliefs through kindness and service rather than long speeches.
The filmmakers have said that Hallmark, Lifetime, and Netflix all passed on the movie. They believed its faith message did not fit the usual holiday movie mold.
That makes the finished film feel even more personal. It is a movie made by people who believed in its message enough to bring it to the screen themselves.
For families looking for a Christmas movie with values at its core, this one delivers.
The Cast: Familiar Faces and a Real Life Family
The cast mixes faith film favorites with some well known TV faces.
Jenn Gotzon plays Belle Winters, the supermodel searching for something deeper. Gotzon is often called the Queen of Faith Film, and this story was her passion project.
Jim E. Chandler plays Josh Carpenter, the pig farmer with a big heart. Chandler also served as a producer on the film.
Adele Chandler makes her screen debut as Josh’s young daughter.
Corbin Bernsen plays Gran’Poppy. Bernsen is best known for the baseball comedy Major League. He brings plenty of warmth and humor to the role.
John Schneider appears as himself. Schneider is forever Bo Duke from The Dukes of Hazzard to classic TV fans. He even sings a Christmas song called “The Spirit of Christmas.”
Natasha Bure plays Cassidy. Bure is a singer and actress who appeared on Fuller House and competed on The Voice.
Robert Amaya plays Vinnie Scavo. Faith film fans know Amaya from Courageous and October Baby.
The cast also includes Delilah, the nationally syndicated radio host, along with Jeff Rose as Belle’s father and Livi Birch as young Belle.
It is a fun group, and everyone seems to be having a good time.
Pig Farming and Small Town Life
Here is where the movie really won over Kilroy.
Josh is not a cowboy or a rancher. He is a pig farmer. That is something you do not often see in a Christmas romance.
Here in Iowa, we know pig farmers well. Pig farming is part of our communities, our economy, and our way of life.
Seeing a pig farmer as a romantic hero is a real treat. The movie treats farm life with respect and affection rather than making fun of it.
Belle’s first experiences on the farm bring some of the film’s biggest laughs. A New York supermodel in a pig pen is comedy gold.
And yes, at one point, Belle ends up dressing a pig in a Christmas outfit. It is exactly as charming as it sounds.
The small town setting adds plenty of warmth, too. Neighbors look out for each other, families gather, and the whole community rallies around Santaland.
For anyone who grew up in a rural town, the film feels like a love letter to home.
Behind the Scenes of a Labor of Love
The Farmer and the Belle: Saving Santaland was directed by Wes Llewellyn.
The movie was very much a family project. Jenn Gotzon and Jim E. Chandler starred in it and helped bring it to life. Young Adele Chandler also made her acting debut in the film.
The project took about four years to go from development to script to screen.
Most of the movie was filmed on location in Walker County, Georgia, in 2019. The area around Chickamauga provided the small town backdrop for Santaland.
James Covell composed the music. The film also features original songs, including John Schneider’s “The Spirit of Christmas.”
Mill Creek Entertainment released the movie on DVD and video on demand on November 17, 2020. It is rated PG and runs about an hour and a half.
The movie also picked up three award wins and four nominations along the way.
Holiday Traditions in Santaland
Santaland itself is a big part of the movie’s charm.
The festival is the heart of the town’s Christmas season. Families gather, children visit, and the whole community comes together.
Losing it would mean losing a piece of the town’s identity. That gives the story real stakes.
The movie is filled with cozy holiday touches. There are Christmas decorations, a barn full of happy faces, music, and the nativity performance.
It captures the feeling of a small town Christmas, where traditions matter and everyone pitches in.
Many towns across the Midwest and South have their own version of Santaland. Holiday festivals, light displays, and community celebrations bring people together every December.
Watching the people of Santaland fight for their festival may remind you of the traditions in your own hometown.
Where It Stumbles
The Farmer and the Belle is lovely, but it is not perfect.
The production is modest. Some scenes show the limits of an independent budget.
The story follows a familiar holiday formula. A big city woman visits a small town, falls for a local, and helps save a beloved tradition. You can see some turns coming.
A few performances are uneven, and some supporting characters are thinly drawn.
One plot point hinges on a secret that damages trust between two characters. It works, but it feels a bit forced.
And viewers looking for a purely secular holiday romance may find the faith elements more than they expected.
Still, these are minor issues. The movie’s heart and message carry it beautifully.
Is The Farmer and the Belle Worth Watching?
Yes, especially if you love sweet, family friendly Christmas movies.
Families will enjoy the gentle humor, the farm animals, and the clean romance. It is a movie parents can watch with kids of any age.
Faith film fans will appreciate its sincere message and its respect for Christian values.
Anyone who loves small town stories will feel right at home in Santaland. And if you grew up on a farm, you will smile at every pig pen scene.
It is also a great pick for mothers and daughters. The message about true beauty is one every young girl should hear.
The Kilroy Verdict on The Farmer and the Belle
The Farmer and the Belle: Saving Santaland is a delightful, heartfelt Christmas romance with a remarkable message.
What works best is the story’s heart. The message about true beauty is sincere and moving. The faith elements feel natural, and the small town setting is warm and welcoming.
Jenn Gotzon and Jim E. Chandler make a charming couple. Corbin Bernsen and John Schneider add fun and star power.
The pig farm adds humor and a refreshing rural flavor.
What could have been better? A bigger budget, a less predictable plot, and stronger supporting characters would have pushed it even higher.
Still, the recommendation is easy. Gather the family, pour the cocoa, and spend a Christmas evening in Santaland.
Final Thoughts 4.6/5
This one earns a 4.6 out of 5 from Kilroy. Wrapping up this The Farmer and the Belle Review, it is a reminder that the best holiday movies have something meaningful to say. This one says it with warmth, humor, and faith.
“A delightful, faith filled Christmas romance with real heart and a wonderful message.”
ML Lamp, Kilroy Was Here Shop
It celebrates small towns, farm life, family, and the kind of beauty that never fades.
In a season full of glossy holiday romances, this one stands out for its sincerity.
So this Christmas, look past the makeup and the magazine covers. The real beauty might be standing in a pig pen.
