The Christmas Train

A lower tier Hall of Fame caliber movie, but Hall of Fame worthy none the less. The cast was strong and the main actors well known and respected. Dermot Mulroney and Kimberly Williams Paisley made an attractive and likable couple. I personally find Danny Glover incredibly annoying, but I love Joan Cusack and enjoyed her role in this movie. The setting on the train to California? I loved it, but I'm prejudiced. I was lucky enough as a teen to travel from Chicago to Los Angeles on the El Capitan and The City of Los Angeles and back again during the Christmas Season. The plot was OK and benefited from being based on a David Baldacci book. The twist at the end really saved the story, though. After reading another reviewers comparison to the book, I really am considering reading the book upon which this was based.

Reviewing Hallmark Christmas movies are kind of a stupid hobby of mine, and I like to review the dreadful ones and the enjoyable ones or if I think I have something valuable to point out. I am jotting down a little review of this one because it's a cut above the usual.

I just finished watching the premier of Hallmark Hall of Fame​'s "The Christmas Train". It was a sweet story, with a well crafted script. The main 4 leads were perfectly cast. Joan Cusack, while always a little bit corky, had me smiling throughout the whole film. The back and forth between the films love interests (Kimberly and Dermot) was quite charming. It was fun to watch how Danny Glover brought out the best in his co-stars. While the parallel side mystery, kept me engaged.

The only real issue I had, was that this film had a tendency to cut short quite a few scenes. Which also gave way to a few pacing issues. There were a couple times I found myself wondering, "did I miss something?" and "how did we get here?" Yet, even with these flaws, I still found "The Christmas Train" to be an enjoyable ride!

The film is full of some great actors, most of whom usually play a supporting part and in an ensemble piece like this they are perfect.

It has everything you could need, romance, comedy, mystery and twists as well as snow and Christmas Carol's. It's well put together and a very interesting story that is really quite different from most films with the word Christmas in their title.

It's perfect for watching on a Sunday afternoon during the festive season, with a hot chocolate and a blanket and someone you love. It has an appeal that isn't necessarily restricted to the usual follower of the Christmas film. Heck even my Gruncle liked it.

A Christmas story on a train!

If any movie is 'the worst ever', where every line of dialogue and every plot point is terrible and watching this movie will have you hating all Christmas movies I have just one question. How could anyone who honestly feels this way sit through the entire film? I join most all reviews that find this Hallmark Christmas movie a fun, good natured, good hearted effort with a better then average cast and a unique setting. I like Dermot Mulroney who plays Tom and thought there was good chemistry between his 'Tom' and Kimberly Williams-Paisley who played his lost love Eleanor. Danny Glover had a major low key role which he easily delivered. Joan Cusack and the 'fortune' teller added some needed humor and a tad of mystery.

The finale added an interesting, appreciated twist. The setting, aboard a snow bound train was welcome. So tired of car breaks down, fish out of water stuck in small town plots. Overall, this was an above average, pleasant train ride

This was billed continuously leading up to the premiere as a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. It wasn't Hall of Fame worthy for me.

Take how deeply I felt about it. I have watched literally dozens of Christmas movies this season and in a good percentage, still dozens of movies, I had tears in my eyes ranging from in one movie tears start to finish to other movies at least a couple times, and everywhere in between. For this movie, I had no tears, at all. Neither joy nor sadness.

Take enjoyment. I sat through virtually the entire movie waiting to enjoy it. I think a big part of my problem was I couldn't get invested in the romantic leads. Is that because of their respective ages? I think it was more than that. Now I was attracted to Kimberly Williams-Paisley and her character, but not enough to make the whole movie fun for me.

Take production and sets. There were lots of shots of model toy trains in the snow. One scene with everyone staring out the window at the leads had a totally cheesy appearance. All the outdoor sets were bad and the snow was fake.

Take acting. OK here at least are a couple pluses. Danny Glover and Joan Cusack both did their parts very well. I already mentioned Williams-Paisley, but overall her acting was just OK. Dermot Mulroney lacked spark.

Take story. This is the biggest plus. For being a story on a train, there was a surprising amount going on. And the ending was truly interesting!!! On the other hand, the climax wasn't that great and the rest after that was not all that inspiring. Yes, it was the usual Hallmark kind of ending, but not with as much impact as I'd expect.

Was this movie watchable. Yes, I think so. I was just expecting so much more due to the buildup. The true measure is will I watch it again. I don't think so.