Christmas Homecoming

I first saw this film a couple of Christmases ago and have since watched it again and I think it's pretty good. Granted, it's not the greatest film ever made but the leads give likable performances and I found the story believable and entertaining.

The main reason for writing this is in response to those saying the leads are too old for the parts they are playing.

Michael shanks was 46/47 when he made this film and Julie Benz was 44/45.

From what I was able to find out it appears the average age of a US Army Master Sergeant is 46.

Looks like they are both just the right age for their parts.

Is it me, or are all the Hallmark movies getting some uplifting, better funding and improvements? The quality of them seem to be improving, which might have something to do with momentum and the crowd that watches these kind of sappy, predictable 'love dramas' is what I call them. But I keep watching them nonetheless because I'm a dreamer and I want to be hopeful that love can come to anyone and everyone at some point. But about the movie, I'm retired US Navy, so I kind of like the 'realistic' kind of military stories of today. It sucks to bring back deployment memories, but it's just a movie and it is enjoyable for a new Hallmark movie this year! I've watched it on 3-4 different occasions, but I seem to get distracted a lot with doing other things, so the last time I watched it was the time I saw it all the way through. I have to watch them at 11 pm to not be distracted that much and I live with my senior citizen mom. That's all. Enjoy your holidays and enjoy this movie!

I hope I never become as cynical as most reviewers on this website. This is a beautiful story of loss and healing. The comments that the actors are too old for their parts are absurd. Not everyone is some shallow twenty-something.

Julie Benz and Michael Shanks take a well-written script and give nicely memorable performances in this story of two people with personal issues that they strive to resolve during the Christmas season. Benz is particularly believable and interesting as a military widow struggling with the loss of her husband while encountering (by chance) a soldier (played by Shanks) struggling with the loss of his comrades. This is not your cookie-cutter Hallmark Christmas couple, but rather, two intelligent characters whose emotions are sincerely felt and discussed. Nice pairing of these two very good performers. Supporting cast does well, too, particularly Jordana Largy as Lily, the newly widowed wife of a vet who had a connection with the soldier played by Shanks. The "One Year Later" sequence that is tacked on at the end is a little contrived but it doesn't detract from the charm of the story. We watch this one every year.

I thought this was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I absolutely love Michael Shanks and thought he was fantastic. I think the one that played Amanda was beautiful and played her part very well