Operation Christmas

This movie tried to hit the target but missed it by a mile. I was in the military and while you can ship out anytime the ways its portrayed in this movie is so far off base. Also they show a lifestyle for a sergeant that is way out of their pay range. I just didn't like it. I hate when they try to do movies about military life but don't fully do research. That or they just change it to fit their so called "vision". Also you don't deploy one day and come back the next. That just doesn't happen. When deployed its for a while not just 24 hours. They fact that everyone is oh its the military life we love it its great is false. Also they make the lady the bad person because she has concerns. Sorry but she had a valid point.

I saw this movie in pretty bad conditions: it was airing on French TV, and, as basically all Hallmark movies, it was targeted at middle-aged housewives, who are supposed not to be able to speak English at all and to want everything in French. So no English version available, only dubbed in French, and therefore with rewritten dialog. And for this kind of movie, let's say the writers and the dubbing actors are rarely encouraged to do their best...

So it took me a bit of time to get into it, the beginning feeling a bit awkward with the actors speaking in a voice that isn't theirs and having sometimes cheesy lines of rewritten dialog. But from when Olivia and Scott meet for the second time and the "Operation Christmas" actually starts to get prepared, I got hooked. No Santa Claus or so-called "Christmas magic" here: it's a story of real people in quite a difficult situation who are just trying to get their little share of happiness in this supposedly joyful time of the year. This is the kind of movie that relies a lot on the actors, and I guess that for such a film often considered "minor", some would just "do the job" and hurry back home for dinner. Here, the whole cast is great and does an excellent work. But one of them especially shines, and that's Tricia Helfer: she gives everything she's got to her character, and really makes you feel for this woman, torn between the excitement of a starting romance she thought would no more happen, and her high doubts about herself being able to cope with the kind of life you get with a man in the military. And let me be honest: mostly because of her performance and in spite of the awkward French dubbing, I ended up with my eyes not completely dry.

So of course, there are probably some factual inaccuracies and the ending is quite cliché. Well now, as someone else has pointed out: this is a Hallmark movie, it has to have a cliché ending. But all in all, this is one of the best Christmas movies I've seen, and if it ever reaches my side of the Atlantic as a DVD, I'll definitely buy it - and probably get another weird look from my wife for getting this kind of "girly" stuff...

I rate it a good but not great movie. The lead actress and actor were OK in their roles but did not quite make it superb. The story especially at the beginning had some surprise in it, but then faded a little when the "Operation Christmas" got started. The issue of separation of husband and wife for these military Ranger Units was brought out and this brought about the main struggle for the lead actress. The movie did not pull off this struggle in a compelling way, but the ending was well done. The little girl in "A Heavenly Christmas" was also in this movie and pulled an emotional "I love you" which added to the drama. I would say the movie was more of a drama than romance. It passed the doze test (no one fell asleep) and I would probably not watch it again.

Hallmark are very variable when it comes to their output, especially their Christmas films, the best being very good and the worst being absolutely awful. While they tend to follow one formula and use it frequently with not much variation, there are times where they have a more mature story with more serious themes meaning that they are very capable with doing things differently to usual. That is the case with their military-themed Christmas films.

'Operation Christmas' is one of those films, and although 'Christmas Homecoming' and 'Holiday for Heroes' represent the military with more respect and accuracy (so if anybody prefers those films that's fair enough), when it comes to the performances, the lead chemistry and the emotion 'Operation Christmas' is the best faring of the three in my view. Though it is actually overall quality-wise a close call. While it is far from perfect and not my definition of a great film, it is proof that Hallmark should not be immediately written off and compares favourably when it comes to ranking their work.

Is 'Operation Christmas' flawless? No. It is a bit of a slow starter, with the film taking a while to get going in terms of pace (some sluggish moments here) and story progression (quite uneventful and predictable to begin with).

The portrayal of the military in 'Christmas Homecoming' and 'Holiday for Heroes' was also more realistic and human, it's somewhat too over-idealised here. The dialogue could have flowed better early on.

Conversely, Tricia Helfer is a likeable and heartfelt leading lady. Although Marc Blucas was a little better in 'Holiday for Heroes', the subtlety he has in his performance matches Helfer beautifully. Their chemistry actually felt warm and genuine, and the way it blossoms when it develops is not too sudden or feels too long to get there. Lisa Durupt and Gabrielle Rose sparkle in their supporting roles, particularly Durupt who has the most personality of the cast.

Furthermore, 'Operation Christmas' is a pleasant looking film with the scenery standing out in particular, while the soundtrack matches the spirit of the holiday and the film's themes very well. The script is neither too corny or over-serious, and doesn't come over as muddled tonally. Really liked its sincerity and heart. The story is very heart-warming and moving, its good intentions too admirable. The characters didn't come over as caricatures or one-dimensional, but instead came over as not too perfect or overly flawed real people.

Summarising, good if not great. 7/10.

I saw this one for the first time this year and wasn't sure if I would like it for some reason. But I was pleasantly surprised. Emotions are up and down but overall it's a feel good movie with a tearjerker ending. I'm not sure how it happened but these two lead actors were new to me but WOW Tricia and Marc were great together. I have since seen them each in other movies and they have both become favorites.