I'll start by saying I don't Love a good road trip movie! It's one of my favorite tropes if done well. However, I'm SO over the annoying millennial influencer speak/character "IRL" and on screen. Please stop. I love everything Sara Canning so I'm always excited to see her in a Hallmark movie or anything for that matter. I was a bit nervous they were going to a very dark place with her character but it took another direction that I'm still not completely satisfied with but more on that another time. She was as wonderful as always. I loved her quick-witted and playful quips and liked how it started off the movie on a fun note. I enjoyed that her perspective of life didn't change throughout the journey as the rest of theirs did. The Asian couple (the Lings) and was uncomfortably stereotypical and their fluctuating understanding of the English language was confusing. Far too many inconsistencies. That said, I loved them. The karaoke (again awkwardly stereotypical) was fun and cute & their story was touching and culturally believable. The elf games were fun, but who paid for the costumes and where did they get them? How did they afford everything in general? Especially the cash-strapped single Mom. Speaking of which - What did she do with the cash exactly? Did she show up with a wad of cash, wave it at her ex and he suddenly decides she's a good Mom, doesn't want the child support and to release her daughter? It was messy. (Of course, it's in the land of Hallmark where they never pay for anything and the hot cocoa is always flowing! :D) It was also predictable that the man she robbed (the grumpy white-bearded Santa-looking guy) would eventually give her the money. Also, where did all that money come from? Who carries a duffel of wrapped cash? Is he really Santa? (He's not). I also think it grew pretty apparent the mom and son were traveling to meet his bio mother, though I didn't mind it. I think it would have been nice if she was claustrophobic, had anxiety AND was nervous about meeting her, but that's coming from the perspective of a claustrophobic with anxiety who longs for proper representation in movies. The relationship between her and her son felt very realistic. I loved that this was an open adoption, not a tragic story of a painful closed adoption or hidden one and I think it unfolded beautifully.
The romance was a nice side story and the chemistry was there, but like another film I saw this year, the idea of leaving behind what was possibly a perfectly lovely girlfriend, at Christmas no less isn't just questionable, it's a little cruel in the real world. I've excused it in movies with other circumstances and emotional cheating in holiday films hasn't bothered me enough in movies in the past not to overlook it. In, fact one of my favorite movies includes this theme. I've given it a pass in movies with the villainous partner or even a mutual situation, but something about this one isn't sitting right. Couldn't we flash forward to them even a month later? I don't know if it's that I'm getting older or if my expectations and standards are increasing as I watch these with a more critical eye than I did in the past, but whatever it is, it's just not sitting the same as it used to. I also thought his character had the least substance.
What I liked about this movie were the deep vulnerable moments. Brittany Willacy's tearful rendition of Amazing Grace had me in tears. I loved all the emotional drop-offs and the bond they all developed. I felt connected to them and their journey. By the end of the movie, I was really hoping they'd wrap it up with a surprise visit the their "friend" who was now alone at Christmas and I got exactly what I needed. I think this one got 3 or 4 tearful moments out of me. My mom raised me with her only set criteria in a movie that is "If made you cry, it must be good." So, taking that into consideration I gave it an extra half star. It had the potential to be higher had they tamed the early annoyances & plot holes. I leave with this- HOW IS THIS NOT A Hallmark Movies and Mysteries movie? It's the thing I've been very vocal about the past couple of years. There are so many miscategorized. The trailers are also misleading, much like this one. It had Haul Out the Holly and The Santa Summit vibes when, although it had a moment like that, it was just a small bit of a big emotional plot that would have been much more appropriate for their sister network.
All and all, I found it to be an enjoyable enough experience for a possible re-watch.
The romance was a nice side story and the chemistry was there, but like another film I saw this year, the idea of leaving behind what was possibly a perfectly lovely girlfriend, at Christmas no less isn't just questionable, it's a little cruel in the real world. I've excused it in movies with other circumstances and emotional cheating in holiday films hasn't bothered me enough in movies in the past not to overlook it. In, fact one of my favorite movies includes this theme. I've given it a pass in movies with the villainous partner or even a mutual situation, but something about this one isn't sitting right. Couldn't we flash forward to them even a month later? I don't know if it's that I'm getting older or if my expectations and standards are increasing as I watch these with a more critical eye than I did in the past, but whatever it is, it's just not sitting the same as it used to. I also thought his character had the least substance.
What I liked about this movie were the deep vulnerable moments. Brittany Willacy's tearful rendition of Amazing Grace had me in tears. I loved all the emotional drop-offs and the bond they all developed. I felt connected to them and their journey. By the end of the movie, I was really hoping they'd wrap it up with a surprise visit the their "friend" who was now alone at Christmas and I got exactly what I needed. I think this one got 3 or 4 tearful moments out of me. My mom raised me with her only set criteria in a movie that is "If made you cry, it must be good." So, taking that into consideration I gave it an extra half star. It had the potential to be higher had they tamed the early annoyances & plot holes. I leave with this- HOW IS THIS NOT A Hallmark Movies and Mysteries movie? It's the thing I've been very vocal about the past couple of years. There are so many miscategorized. The trailers are also misleading, much like this one. It had Haul Out the Holly and The Santa Summit vibes when, although it had a moment like that, it was just a small bit of a big emotional plot that would have been much more appropriate for their sister network.
All and all, I found it to be an enjoyable enough experience for a possible re-watch.