Naman Shrestha
The Peter Benson directorial, Hallmark’s ‘The More the Merrier,’ follows an emergency room doctor named Alice, who is employed at a small hospital in a rural town. Every year, she volunteers to work through the Christmas Eve overnight shift, but this year, she and the rest of the staff, along with the patients, get stuck inside the hospital due to a sudden snowstorm. On top of that, she must join forces with a newly hired top-rated cardiologist named Brian as three women go into labor simultaneously.
The duo successfully brings three little bundles of joy into the world at the most beautiful time of the year, while the rest of the hospital staff tend to other patients. Despite having differences when it comes to medicine and life in general, Alice and Brian are romantically drawn to each other by the end of their overnight shift. The wholesome tale of the Christmas romantic drama movie primarily unfolds in a small town hospital, which serves as an additional character that helps bring the two doctors together and make the holidays merry for their patients.
Where Was The More the Merrier Filmed?
The shooting for ‘The More the Merrier’ primarily took place in British Columbia, particularly in and around Vancouver. Meanwhile, another set of cast and crew members also shot a few portions in the Buffalo metropolitan area in the State of New York. From what we can tell, principal photography for the holiday film was carried out in the month of September 2025 over the course of a few weeks.
Vancouver, British Columbia
Almost the entirety of ‘The More the Merrier’ was shot in Vancouver in British Columbia. Since Alice and Brian’s story is set in a community hospital on Christmas Eve, the production team decided to tape the majority of the film inside a real hospital. In an interview, lead actress Rachel Boston spilled some insights into the filming process, shedding light on the challenges the team faced while creating the visual aesthetic of a Christmas-themed movie in the warm months of August/September. Sharing her experience of filming in a location transformed to double as a snowy winter setting, she stated, “Normally, what’s so interesting about these movies, as you drive – and I will know: I’ll drive by a street and I’m like, ‘Oh, I guess we’re filming there,’ because there’s a big Christmas tree (laughs).”
Highlighting the contrast, Rachel continued, “You see all the Christmas decorations in June or July on a city street. That’s always really fun.” Naturally, to complement the backdrop of a few outdoor sequences, the team visited a Christmas tree farm. Just seeing how much work goes into adding the snow and turning a town into Christmas while it’s still summer.” Therefore, although the cast and crew faced their fair share of ups and downs while recreating the holiday spirit in September, the contribution and cooperation from each member ensured that everything was done smoothly in the end. The versatility of Vancouver makes it a favorable location to serve as a convincing stand-in for numerous national and international locations, as well as replicate a wide variety of settings.
Buffalo Metropolitan Area, New York
While the filming was ongoing in the port city of Vancouver in the westernmost province of British Columbia, a portion was being taped simultaneously in the US. To be specific, the shooting of a minor segment took place in the Buffalo Metropolitan Area of New York. The Highmark Stadium at 1 Bills Drive in Orchard Park hosted the filming of a few sequences of the Hallmark production. Interestingly, they roped in Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin for a cameo, which was taped in the stadium. After surviving a sudden cardiac arrest, the pro football player became a heart health advocate and began serving as an ambassador for Abbott HeartMates, a supportive community for people living with heart conditions.
The sequence features Damar (as himself) checking in on a video call with David. Alongside the athlete, the segment also features five real-life young heroes, including Zeke Mankins — whose story reportedly inspired the conception of the character David — who have overcome various health challenges with the aid of the Abbott HeartMates program. Adding to the aforementioned interview, Rachel continued, “I was in Vancouver while you all were at the stadium filming. You guys filmed the morning of our shoot. Basically, I think it was 6 a.m. Vancouver time, 9 a.m. your time. And then as soon as they wrapped the Buffalo Bills segment, that came to our set in Vancouver, and I got to see all of your footage and hear about the shoot. So, it was really amazing to know that there was a production going on in Buffalo while we were still filming in Vancouver, Canada.”
The More the Merrier Cast Details
The cast of ‘The More the Merrier’ is led by the impressive performances of Rachel Boston and Brendan Penny. The former was just 17 years old when she moved to the Big Apple to pursue her dreams of becoming an actor. Since then, she hasn’t only cemented herself as a talented actor but also served as an executive producer for TV films like ‘The Last Bridesmaid,’ ‘Christmas in Angel Falls,’ ‘A Gift of Miracles,’ ‘Check Inn to Christmas,’ and more. Besides acting in movies and shows, Brendan has also served as a presenter at ‘The 9th Annual Leo Awards’ and ‘The 16th Annual Leo Awards.’
Rachel Boston as Alice
In ‘The More the Merrier,’ Rachel Boston portrays Alice, the emergency room doctor in the small town hospital. Widely recognized for her portrayals of Alison in ‘500 Days of Summer’ and Deena the Bridesmaid in ‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,’ Rachel also stars in ‘Witches of East End’ as Ingrid Beauchamp and ‘American Dreams’ as Beth Mason. Her other film and TV show credits include ‘Adventures in Love & Birding,’ ‘The More Love Grows,’ ‘A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe,’ ‘SEAL Team,’ ‘Hearts of Stars,’ and ‘In Plain Sight.’
Brendan Penny as Brian
Brendan Penny essays the role of Brian, the competent cardiologist and Alice’s love interest, in the Hallmark production. You might recognize him from ‘John Tucker Must Die,’ ‘The A-Team,’ ‘The Wedding Cottage,’ ‘I Love You, Beth Cooper,’ and ‘Tooth Fairy.’ He stars as AJ Varland in ‘Whistler,’ Kevin O’Brien in ‘Chesapeake Shores,’ Wyatt Jackson in ‘BH90210,’ Sergeant Brian Lucas in ‘Motive,’ and Calvin Hepburn in ‘The True Heroines.’
Interestingly, the Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin also stars in the movie as himself. Other talented actors featuring in the wholesome film include Marlie Collins as Natalie, Cai Holm as Zoe, Jecca Beauchamp as Katie, Peter Benson as Jim, AJ Kostynick as Charlie, and Lucia Walters as Catherine.
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