Cross Country Christmas

One thing that makes this movie different is the fact that the main couple shares practically every scene from beginning to end, starting as childhood acquaintances and slowly growing feelings for each other, a progression that feels too rushed in a lot of movies of this genre but in this case we truly see two people falling in love instead of just saying "I love you" just before the end.

The whole movie is a sequence of the most implausible and random events: usually this level of absurdity takes you away from the story and all you can think of is "What the hell were the writers thinking of!", but in this case I found myself enjoying every moment of it.

Also I loved the main actress, she's absolutely perfect for the genre. I'm happy to find that she's made other Hallmark movies, which I'm definitely going to watch.

I was looking forward to Cross Country Christmas when I saw both Rachael Leigh Cook and Greyston Holt at the top of the bill. I enjoy Cook's Hallmark movies, and I recently saw Holt in A Very Country Christmas this season. Both usually have convincing performances in this genre of film. So, there is no surprise then to read that I enjoyed this one too. Overall, it is a cute, fun, and engaging Christmas movie. The plot is similar to UPtv's 'Dashing Home for Christmas' (another entertaining movie this 2020 season). The story here revolves around Lina (played by Cook) and Max (played by Holt) whose flight home for Christmas is forced to land (far from home) due to a winter storm. And so, Lina and Max team up to find a way home for Christmas. From delivering Christmas trees for a ride to stowaways on a cargo train, their journey is a fun and warm one, as they help each other and the new people they meet along the way. The plot, of course, is predictable and has been done before as some of the other reviewers here have pointed out. That said, I thought the script was strong. More specifically, the dialogue between the leads was engaging, it pulled me in. And in the end, for me, that is what is most important. There was also a distinct difference between the personalities of the two main characters, which worked well, I thought. What made all the above possible was the quality of acting, which was, overall, excellent. Cook had an impressive performance. She had this warm and friendly vibe to her portrayal of Lina (it was quite adorable, as another reviewer described it), which made it easy to connect to her character, to Lina. Holt had a strong performance as well. He did a good job playing the more reserved character of the two, which, again, added some nice contrast. The chemistry between the two was maybe not as strong as some of the other performances this year (Jill Wagner and Lucas Bryant in The Angel House come to mind). To be honest, I did not notice it much while watching the movie. It was only when I came here and read some reviews that I started thinking about it. What was noticeable was that there was no final kiss between the two at the end, a hallmark of Hallmark movies and the TV romance genre more broadly. Finally, the movie does instill a lot of Christmas spirit and cheer; it should get you in the mood, as it were, for the season. All in all, it is a warm and fun Christmas movie (with some quality acting), a nice new edition to Hallmark's 2020 lineup. Highly recommend.

I'm not her biggest fan tbh, but I genuinely liked her character. She was fun and light, quirky but believable. I enjoyed the movie because of that. It was a nice fun Christmas movie. The male lead was good I guess, but if I had my choice I'd have cast another male lead that could play off Rachel Leigh Cook better.

The other user reviews seem to fall into one of two categories: (1) the plot is too improbable to relate to, so the reviewer couldn't enjoy the movie; or (2) recognizing the kind of plot it has, the reviewer enjoyed the funny, touching moments that it brings, and appreciated the good dialogue lines scattered throughout the movie. Count me in the second category! This movie was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed the way the romantic side of the story developed in the context of the lead characters' backstories.

6/10 - Hallmark's take on a Planes, Trains, & Automobiles type flick only works thanks to Rachael Leigh Cook's endless charisma