Home for Christmas Day

This was a bit different from the Christmas movies of which I have seen so many. It was not all warm and fuzzy hot chocolate and Santa Claus.

This is a story about a woman, played by Catherine Bell, who has some deep scars because she lost her soldier husband not long after she was married. Bell does a great job showing an independent woman who is trying to teach her daughter all the good things, but meanwhile is struggling not just with the loss of her husband, but also the impending empty next when her daughter goes to college. My son is 32 and I know that you never stop worrying about them.

Jane's life becomes more intense when her daughter meets Tyler, a soldier from the local base. The two young people fall in love and all the emotions step up a notch as Jane struggles not to stifle her daughter, but wanting to protect her from the same kinds of hurt she suffered.

This is only the beginning of the emotions the movie takes us through and saying more would be spoilers. The story is excellent.

I've already mentioned Bell's performance. Matreya Fedor and Anthony Konechny do a good job as the young couple, especially Fedor who displays some deep emotions as well. Victor Webster is solid, but despite Jackson's love interest with Jane, his character is secondary to the other three.

For quality of the movie in the Christmas genre, I'd make this about 9-1/2. My final rating is personal enjoyment and while I am glad I watched this, I probably will not want to do repeats.

Until you go through a real soldier being deployed you have no idea of what families go through. This film portrayed it pretty well. From the family of a soldier deployed several times to the middle east.

...and maybe, more. because it is a realistic portrait of family, relations, love and insecure feelings. because it has few nuances defining it as different by many Hallmark Christmas films. and, not the last, it is a good picture of the fears, dreams and hope at different ages, after different experiences of life. so, after the final credits, few scenes are more present in memory. about options, solutions, reactions. and this does it a good support of reflection. sure, it is not original and predictable. but few nuances are enough for defining it as different. or special. or, only, a decent Christmas film.

Like mother, like daughter this so called Christmas themed romance film has little to do with Christmas other than the movie title is the biggest "Spoiler" of all time. The writer, producer and director were certainly all on the same page as they had both mother and daughter in a depressed state at Christmas and I have never seen two worse Debbie Downer's than this mother and daughter pair.

The mom, Jane McKendrick (Catherine Bell) constantly speaks in whispers throughout the film as if we have to hang on to every single word she is saying. Jane is hiding a secret from her male friend Jackson Hart (Victor Webster) and from us the audience and she is overly protective of her daughter Betsy McKendrick (Matreya Fedor) who is in a new relationship with a young man named Tyler Sloane (Anthony Konechny) who is destined for an overseas tour of duty just before Christmas. The positive side of this film is the realistic behaviours of the two young ones deeply in love with one another Tyler and Betsy.

It's an okay time waster but the movie title is misleading as the film has next to nothing to do with the holidays other than it takes place around the holiday season and provides the biggest spoiler alert ever!

I give it a 5 out of 10 IMDB rating.

Hallmark.. are you trying to kill me? My heart can't take this type of movies!