USS Christmas

Pleasant viewing.

'USS Christmas' isn't anything extraordinary, but it produces what it intended to - a cutesy Xmas story. It's well set up, with the naval surroundings adding a touch of freshness to the usual festive film formula. Jen Lilley and Trevor Donovan have satisfactory chemistry, with the likes of Brett Rice and Keith Flippen support adequately.

Although he starts out quite gruff at the beginning, it's easy to see how he mellows throughout the film, thus proving that Trevor Donovan is not only gorgeous, but a good actor too. I've seen a lot of these films lately and quite often the actors haven't been able or directed to get this change from "Grinch" to "Santa" to flow naturally and as a result they have seemed highly unlikely to have that crucial change of heart that the formula of every Made For TV Christmas Film demands and some of them are just downright horrible. She annoyed me a bit though, I'd have dragged him off to a room alone somewhere after the first meeting.

It's a cute story, although it is just a variation on the theme, but it is nice to see a different setting this time, even if they do still end up in New York. The idea of a Navy ship was clever and they didn't go over the top with the "We must honour our troops" thing.

I may be biased because Trevor looked so good in uniform and in Black Tie, but I did like this one and I look forward to watching it again next Christmas preferably before February, but there are so many to watch aren't there.

6/10 - following the new trend of mixing a new and old romance, this Hallmark flick is pleasing if forgettable

There are some typical themes in this story but also some fresh angles. An investigative reporter has a dream to do a human interest story so we have a fairly usual quest for the story. But the setting is a Navy carrier and her personal backstory as a Navy brat folds into the larger story. There are echoes of the earlier Christmas movie "Operation Christmas" which is one of my all time favorite Christmas movies. Maddie faces similar concerns as Olivia did in the other movie, but for Maddie the concerns are more first hand.

Jen Lilly and Trevor Donavan have chemistry from the first wine spill. Even as each of their characters hesitates, they are still comfortable with each other. The obligatory sparring is never mean spirited. Maddie and Billy's relationship is fun as they chase a mystery together.

The mystery is never really one for the viewer to solve because the details have to be pursued by the reporter and her helpers. But that story folds into Maddie and Billy's story in a heartwarming way. There are several other heartwarming moments even before we learn the outcome of the story.

A little like the old JAG TV show, military honor and service are idealized, but not overly so.

Please, if you found discrepancies in military protocol or other factual issues, remember that this is not a documentary and it doesn't seem like rigid accuracy was the goal of the people making the movie. These movies are only a few steps removed from Fantasy or SciFi in terms of realism.

This is a warm and gentle Christmas movie. It is a bit slow at times, but, overall, a decent film. It is a romance, mystery movie, which makes sense as it is a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel original. The plot has been done often before: i.e., the lead or leads find love letters, photos, a ring, or some other object from a past great love, which they then try to solve. That said, there is a unique element to this story: the movie is set on an aircraft carrier (which I enjoyed). There are some very nice shots of the crafts and ship; I especially like the ship lit up in Christmas lights. I did not know what a Tiger cruise was; it is a very nice concept. Hallmark always has at least one military-focused Christmas movie each year; I read in the news that they have a good standing relationship with the military, meaning, I think, they got to use their ship in this one. As another reviewer on here discussed, this one has some similarities to those past military-focused Christmas films. The acting was good. Jen Lilley, a Hallmark regular, performs well in this genre of film. She had a very convincing performance here as Maddie. Trevor Donovan's portrayal of Lt. Billy Jenkins (aka the Grinch) was decent. To be honest, I sometimes find his performances to a bit stiff. That said, he has had some very good performances in, e.g., Love on a Limb and Love, Fall & Order. Here he was a bit stiff as well, but his character was a military man with the call-sign the Grinch. So, it worked for me. The chemistry between the two was underdeveloped, I thought. The writer could have done more in this regard; I think, Donovan too could have given a bit more, romance wise, in his performance. The scenery, props, and sets were well-polished and festive; the latter is toned down a bit in this one. Overall, it is a fairly good movie. It might not be for everyone, but fans of Hallmark's mystery movies and movie series will no doubt enjoy this new edition to the 2020 Christmas movie lineup.