Christmas Comes to Willow Creek

This was a charming Christmas movie that I believe was made for TV. It was nice to see John Schneider and Tom Wopat of Dukes of Hazard fame working together again. Just a nice feel good, family Christmas story about a trucker helping out a small town up north.

This is the story about a small one industry Alaskan town named Willow Creek. Unfortunately, the cannery has been closed and this impacts everyone. It is looking like a bleak Christmas for the Willow Creek residents when many miles away in California Al, a former resident, is filling up a truck to play Santa to the Willow Creek residents. When Al's health takes a turn for the worse he convinces two of his employees to make the run in his stead. Pete and Ray are truck driving brothers who had a bit of a dispute over a girl which has put them on the outs. Pete's son ends up making the run to Alaska with them and through a series of flashbacks you learn what is at the heart of the brothers' dispute. Along the way they pick up an additional passenger, get into a few fights...both with each other and others, and in a true Christmas miracle a baby is birthed by a shepherd. The real question is will the brothers get the truckload of supplies to Willow Creek in time to save Christmas?

The brothers are played by none other than Dukes of Hazard alumnus John Schneider and Tom Wopat, who played wonderfully off each other as fighting siblings. The music was unique and one song of note that got me chuckling was "Barstools and babies don't mix, now I'm home by six."

I was happy to see Homer get his true Christmas miracle before he froze in his Santa suit!

This is an unusual Christmas movie to say the least, but it is filled with brotherly love, neighbor helping neighbor, and the spirit of Christmas. So, if you are looking for a non-mainstream Christmas film or are a huge Dukes of Hazard fan, this might be the Christmas movie for you.

For me this was a watch and delete, but I did enjoy it for it's uniqueness while it was on.

Tom Wopat and John Schneider team up again -- post-Dukes of Hazzard -- for this made-for-TV movie. This time they play feuding brothers who both work for the same trucking company.

The owner of the company is a native of the small Alaska town of Willow Creek and each year he sends a truck of presents back to the folks at home. This year he plans on making the trip himself, but his health keeps him bedridden in sunny California. Ray (Schneider) is already scheduled to make the run with him, but the owner insists that Pete (Wopat) go along too.

Along the way the two face many obstacles that force them to think over their differences. Pete is the older, dependable, sensible one (think Luke Duke), while Ray is the younger, undependable, irresponsible one (think Bo Duke). Finally they work their differences out in time to bring the Christmas spirit to Willow Creek.

Wopat and Schneider fall easily into their roles and turn out admirable performances. Schneider is at his best as his character grapples with giving up the carefree, reckless life for doting fatherhood. Notice the dramatic turnaround his character has made by the end of the movie. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the rest of the cast, especially the Willow Creek townspeople. Their characters are underdeveloped and overacted, bringing the movie down with them. The story is a good one, but the miserable performances of the supporting cast destroy the impact the movie could have achieved.

Still this movie is a must for any die-hard Dukes of Hazzard fan. It is the only project Wopat and Schneider have done together that isn't related to The Dukes. And it is a good family film. It has the nice happy ending, with the re-affirmation of the importance of family that makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy.

This is one of those Christmas movies about modern day redemption and reconciliation. The plot of "Christmas Comes to Willow Creek," is good. The script, acting and direction are just fair. Improvements in any of these areas would lift the rating of the film a notch or two. John Schneider and Tom Wopat of "The Dukes of Hazzard" TV fame are two brothers on the outs over a woman. The plot jumps between the brothers in California at the trucking firm they drive for, headed by Hoyt Axton as Al; and Al's hometown, Willow Creek, Alaska.

I enjoyed the scenic shots, especially once Ray and Pete hit the road, with Pete's son, Michael, in tow. The incidents they get into on the trip add some zest to the movie. The northern end of the trip was filmed in the Yukon Territory. All in all, this is an OK movie that most will enjoy. Those who remember watching The Dukes of Hazard on TV may think they're watching scenes from that series – in some of the skirmishes Ray gets into. Minus Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco Coltrane, of course.

I remember well when this came out. The moral of this movie depicts that there are more important things in life instead of ourselves. The filming locations are more than Canada. Definitely quite a few California locations. The oceanside scene looks to be in Ventura County, California.