Christmas Drop: operazione regali

This is my first Christmas movie of the 2020 holiday season and what a great way to kick the festivities off.

It wasn't as corny/sappy as the usual Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movies tend to be (which I love) but instead had a slightly more realistic feel to it. I didn't feel amazing heat between Eri and Klaws and I believe that was intentional because the primary focus was the Christmas drop. I could have used a little more spice between them but overall the movie was solid and predictable.

I am giving it a 6.5 on my Lifetime/Hallmark/Holiday movie scale.

As a romantic comedy, this movie is middling... but as a story of members of the Armed Forces finding ways to help others when they themselves are far from home on the holidays - a story that happens to be true - this story is hard to beat.

It was good enough that I watched it all the way through. Cute moments between characters. Good background that the movie was based on. I just wish it spent more time on the people they were helping and less on the 2 main characters side story.

I try to rate/assess movies against other movies in the genre as opposed to comparing them to movies in general. So, how did this film compare to other Christmas romance films? It was...OK. I mean, it was a decent film, not the best I have seen nor the worst. It was a nice story, a caring story. And the script/dialogue was not bad. The acting was pretty good too. I am a fan of the Vampire Diaries and Vikings, the TV series that the two leads are known for. Kat Graham's performance was strong; she does a good job in such roles. Alexander Ludwig was not bad. To be honest, it was a bit strange seeing him in this genre of film after watching him for years in Vikings. But he did OK, though I am not sure this is the genre for him. The chemistry between them (the leads) was pretty good as well, which is important in a romance film. The supporting cast was strong. Fans of Battlestar Galactica will be happy (and maybe surprised) to see Aaron Douglas (as the Mayor) in the film. The scenery (filming location) was quite beautiful. I especially enjoyed the drop from the cargo plane at the end of the film. It was a nice scene. Overall, it was a decent film that Netflix has added to its original Christmas movie collection. Worth a watch if you want to get in the Christmas spirit.

This movie wants to come off as a Christmas Romance movie, but it never really gives time to develop the two main characters "relationship", until the very end with a stereotypical kiss ending which feels weird because to the audience the two main characters just feel like new friends instead of love interests. It seems to develop a good friendship between an Air Force Captain and a Congress Aid/Assistant. Together they spread the Christmas spirit and generosity with the help of the service men and woman of the American Air Force. The movie is slow and predictable and feels like it wants to be a lifetime movie or a Christian movie. The "lovers plot" is uninteresting.