Holiday Road

I have watching Hallmark channel since it started and can honestly say this is the best holiday movie it has ever produced. Kudos to the writers and entire cast. It was a perfect ten in every way. Finally a great holiday movie from Hallmark. Since I don't want to put in any spoilers. I would like to encourage every one to watch this excellent film. It grabs your interest from the very beginning and keeps you entertained through the entire film. All nine characters have their own story and problems and each character is give his or her complete story. It was so good I am thinking I will watch it again, thank Hallmark for a totally new romance movie!!!

Every element is in this movie from comedy to sadness and it all works well. Yes, there are many characters and it takes a while in the movie to learn about them but it works. Kudos to the actors and production staff for pulling together a quality product. Also, there are very few Hallmarkish elements here which leads to a fresh story. About the only traditional Hallmark thingy I can think of is their avoiding use of Interstates as Hallmark seems to prefer back roads, even when it is silly to do so. But, the movie was fun. Every story line for each character worked and the ending, while fairly predictable, also worked and was uplifting. I hope to see more fresh and original productions like this one.

A heartfelt, well written movie about strangers who are forced by circumstances to travel together to get to Denver in time for Christmas. Done honestly, without silliness and with great heart and soul. The ensemble cast was great, with each story emotionally powerful. It was just lovely. I loved the current trend subplot of the vlogger. What delight. I was surprised and had sych low expectations after so very many silly movies so far this year. I had almost given up hope that we would see a heartfelt movie in the old beloved Hallmark tradition. Definitely a winner! There were even a few sweetbsurprises in the subplots. Watch this one.

I know the romantic leads have to start off disliking each other, but this was too much. I hated Clay so much at first that if I saw him in real life it would not have been pretty. Dana didn't help things. Maybe she was provoked. Clay was ridiculous being entitled ordering his coffee without regard to anyone else, but Dana was pretty rude back. Clay did other things too. Then, miraculously, the animosity goes poof. They fall in love in 2-3 days.

There were a lot of other stories too. Two were married and two more mom and son, so the 9 people broke down to 7 stories, or backstories. Most of the backstories were really hard.

The trip along the way had some mildly interesting stops, but as the movie winds down each of the separate stories has a conclusion that fills in whatever blanks are remaining. A couple were blatant attempts to bring tears, and they kind of worked.

Along the way, the mom traveling alone (I can't keep 9 main characters' names straight) sang a touching rendition of a famous hymn. It left her in tears. When we find out why, it is even more so. Those of you who want to leave God out of these movies will be glad that the reason wasn't religious.

This movie was an unexpected treasure. I love anything Warren Christie is in and he didn't disappoint here. He reluctantly becomes the de facto leader of a group of stranded travelers who each have their reason for trying to get to Denver for Christmas. Along their journey.they are interviewed by the TikTok influencer in their group. What starts out as annoying becomes something much more. There are tears, many many laughs, even Christmas costumes. The characters are an odd assortment, each with a secret. How those are revealed, and worked through, is the heart of this movie. It was surprisingly charming and worth at least another viewing.