Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story

There was far too much hype for this movie including "live" updates in every commercial break in the movie preceding this. Also, I am very much not a Chiefs fan. For me they are the current Evil Empire of the NFL. (Actually they have some very upstanding players and I use the term evil as hyperbole.) But once again I am faced with my obsession to watch every Christmas movie premiere on at least 5 channels.

I enjoyed this movie. It was enough different from the usual stuff and there may have been snow, but no snowball fights or many of the other checklist items for a Christmas movie. Tyler Hynes and Hunter King have very good chemistry, almost what I sometimes call sizzling. The story hooked me first with the quest to win the fan contest and then looking to the outcome of the obstacle near the end.

I thought the acting was a little mixed. Hynes was his usual steady but laid back self. King's character had attractive qualities but also some neurosis especially in her total obsession with the superstition. Given that, I had mixed feelings about the ending, especially after the buildup of the backstory. (I realize that these feelings are somewhat contradictory.)

As I said, not a Chiefs fan, so I didn't recognize many of the cameos, but there seemed to be a few.

Well...I am a Chiefs fan; I am a Hunter King fan, and I am a Tyler Hines fan.

But sorry, this was a dud.

I wish I could just stop there, but alas, I must elaborate.

If you're not a Chiefs fan, I don't know how you make it to the end of such a movie. They really laid it on thick.

I didn't find the chemistry between Hines and King very strong at all. The writing was so-so, and the general plot was a little strange.

I did like the supporting cast, and Ed Begley, Jr. Was pretty good as the crotchety old guy.

I thought it was interesting that there was a scene in which the entire family was all getting hammered on eggnog in a Hallmark movie.

I wish I had better things to say. But I don't.

Alana Higman (Hunter King) is a die-hard Kansas City Chiefs fan. Her parents met as kids with their families sitting next to each other at the games. The family even runs a Chiefs shop in their hometown. They are up for the Fan of the Year contest. Director of fan engagement Derrick (Tyler Hynes) is doing the assessment. There is a magic hat.

The most compelling relationship in this movie is the one between Hallmark and the Kansas City Chiefs. The corporate world calls this synergy. I expected more actual Kansas City Chiefs. I was expecting a few high profile players to run into our couple. The players should want that too. As for the couple, I have always liked Hunter King's comedic timing and Tyler Hynes seems perfectly fine although they could try for Niall Cunningham. There are surprisingly a lot of familiar faces in the other roles. I guess everybody needs a paycheck. This is fine Hallmark and maybe more synergy to come.

Nope, nada, boring, silly... sorry but where the heck was Christmas??? I think this movie was dreadful!! Hallmark super hyped it up so we would all watch with anticipation- what a huge fumble! I know many people will roll their eyes with this review but hey, it's my opinion. I thought the actors did a good job with what they had to work with but what really threw me was very early on as the leads were sitting around the fire and at some point they stand up and suddenly hold hands.... Nah, it doesn't happen like that, there was very little build up to produce a hand holding at that point in time. The CGI or whatever it's called was so clearly fake. The fact the lead actress would put so much faith in a hat was nothing short of absurdity, she was ready to throw her potential life partner away over a hat- really? As another reviewer stated, it truly was a bumble and a super duper fumble! I gave it a 6 for the acting, some parts were ok especially with the grandfather, I did find him endearing. Sorry Hallmark, you missed your mark with this one.

6.7/10 (Recommend)

While Hallmark films remain cheesy, and sometimes a little unrealistic in their love story capabilities, 2024 has proven to be a wonderful year for Christmas love. "A Chiefs Love Story" continues that trend.

I'm not a fan of football, and I'm a little sick of hearing about the Chiefs, but in complete honesty this film was amazing. It's emotionally driven (I may have teared up a few times) and it has a cast that works really well together. The chemistry between Hunter King and Tyler Hynes was noticeable right off the bat. As soon as they give those twinkle eyes I knew this movie would be good. Hunter especially puts in a spectacular performance. She takes on her role seriously. She gets visually shaken and upset when she needs to which sells the point being driven. Some Hallmark actresses don't do that and so for me she stands out.

The story is fantastic and tells as if it were a real family affair, but given the traditions and superstitions that sports families have, there's no doubt that this situation plays out in private lives year after year. This movie is slightly different in that it focuses on a families love rather two individuals so it makes more personable I find.

Overall, this movie is a must see for those Hallmark movie fans. You don't even have to like sports or football to understand what's going on. You just have to believe that love can show up in mysterious ways, and sometimes those mysterious ways are in the form of superstitions and Christmas magic.

That's it for now. Thanks for taking time to read my review. Happy watching and enjoy the show!