The Christmas Card

A good Christmas TV movies for all the family. Well directed and acted. Nice to see a movie focusing on soldiers serving overseas. It's soppy, but just what you need at Christmas.

If you are familiar with other Hallmark holiday romances, this one is different than most. Neither of the main characters has a bubbly, festive personality. This might be considered a more serious film. And there is a reason for that.

The main character is Cody Cullen (John Newton), an American soldier stationed in Afghanistan. Through a community outreach program, he receives a letter from a small town named Nevada City. When he is sent stateside to deliver the dog tags of a fallen soldier to the widow, he decides to travel to Nevada City.

Through a series of coincidences, he connects with a family that runs a lumber mill. The daughter is Faith (Alice Evans). She might be interested in him if she didn't already have a steady boyfriend.

One of the best aspects of this film is Ed Asner, who plays Faith's father with positivity and mirth.

The film hits all the right emotional buttons for many who watch the Hallmark offerings, with scenes that reinforce the values of hard work, patriotism, prayer, small-towns, the family dinner table, and nature's beauty.

An emotional pay-off comes at the end of the film, but the ending is too abrupt, as many other reviewers have written.

I loved everything about this movie. I do wish that the ending had been drawn out just a bit more. Perhaps a sequel. Cody had been through so much and thought all was lost. He deserved just a minute more to bask in the moment. I was not familiar with John Newton or Alice Evans prior to this movie but I will watch for their work in the future. I am hooked. They are captivating. Excellent cast. Wonderful story of hope and how the smallest act of kindness can have a profound impact on our lives. The military theme was so well timed. The movie location was breathtaking. Thanks Hallmark for wonderful inspiring movies such as this one. I will look forward to the movie being released on DVD.

We need more shows depicting life in the rural areas, depicting prayer, family, and love.

Ed Asner does a wonderful job as a Dad who wants his daughter to be happy with someone that respects her wishes. Great scenery, good story, and good family show.

The bond between soldiers may be overstated, but we should all respect our troops, whether we believe our leadership is doing the right thing overseas, or not.

The show also demonstrates how all the individuals respect each other, and how hard work can build a good life.

Love begins with respect, and dies without it. To me, that is what this story is all about.

This plays out like a good drama . I was so engrossed in the story, I kept forgetting it was a Hallmark movie - that's how good it is ! The 2 main leads Alice Evans(Faith) & John Newton (Sgt Cody Cullen, the strong silent type) do a good job, as does the team of supporting actors, especially Peter Jason as Faith's Uncle. However, the tour-de-force belongs to Ed Asner who plays Faith's Dad, Luke. He's so good, so believable and has loads of good lines to deliver. The story itself is best left to others to describe, but it just conveys a love for Family , honour and tradition that tugs at the heart. It's a feel-good film - way better than you were expecting, I'll bet !