Christmas at the Golden Dragon

'Christmas at the Golden Dragon' (2022)

Opening thoughts: 'Christmas at the Golden Dragon' was mainly seen for Hallmark film completest sake. Their 2022 output, like all their previous years, was unsurprisingly uneven. With some highs, some lows and plenty somewhere in between. But considering the tumultuous couple of years, the standard generally could have been worse. This is obvious in their Christmas block, which was very patchy in its first half but on the whole it did improve quite a bit. The type of location is a familiar one, but it didn't sound as formulaic as most Hallmark films and have always appreciated it when Hallmark explore family relationships and more serious themes.

There are better 2022 Hallmark films than 'Christmas at the Golden Dragon', not just their Christmas output but overall too. There are also worse. 'Christmas at the Golden Dragon' is in the high middle category. It could easily have been one of the best 2022 Hallmark films, with so much being as well executed as they were, but the less than promising first portion stopped that from happening. Stick with it as it does get better.

Bad things: Starting with the not so good things, 'Christmas at the Golden Dragon' Starts off very badly, didn't see the point of the montage, it didn't add much and doesn't really say anything.

Didn't warm to the characters straightaway, the character flaws being a little overdone which was a common problem in the 2022 Hallmark output. And it is slow to begin with.

Good things: With all of that being said, the film does get a lot better and there are a lot of good things. Kara Wang and Osric Chau (always nice to see non-regular Hallmark performers every now and again) are very engaging leads and are as good as any popular Hallmark regular when on form. They have a sincere and easy going chemistry together and the relationship is not too hurried or aimless. They are well served by the supporting cast, with the standouts being charming Genevieve Buechner and the ever classy Barbara Niven.

Moreover, the character writing does improve a lot, the characters become more likeable and grow. Production values are suitably slick, lovely locations as is often the case with Hallmark (though the locations' authenticity has always varied) and the music has a nice festive cosiness. There is a lght hearted and never awkward or cheesy script and the story has a lot of charm and warm heart, while having some familiar elements they are not done too predictably. The family relationships are handled honestly, movingly and tactfully.

Closing thoughts: In conclusion, starts rough but mostly good.

7/10.

7.3 stars.

Talk about an exceedingly sluggish start to a film, this one is in the top of the charts for sluggishness. 'Christmas at the Golden Dragon' is so slow starting I almost gave up, but I have taken note of the fact Hallmark continues to air it about once a month, so I decided (after passing over it many times) to give it a shot. I was not disappointed. You absolutely must give the story time to marinate. This is a very steady slow burn that literally gets better by the minute, and I mean every single minute it continues to improve. To provide you with my boring analysis, this film starts off at about 3/10 but an hour in I was up to a 5.5/10, and by the end it crested the 7 star mark. Give it a try, you might be glad you did.

I really enjoyed this movie. Lots of characters/storylines to follow along with. I loved that the common tie was The Golden Dragon restaurant, because many families have traditions like this, my family included. The stories felt natural and the acting, too. Each story evolved naturally, I thought. We've seen this format before (many intersecting stories in a movie), but I thought this one was well done. I didn't get lost trying to keep track of all the storylines and I'll say again it just felt natural and came together beautifully. Definitely a great new addition to the Hallmark Christmas lineup.

I loved this one. I also loved the movie's message about embracing imperfections and being present.

I really liked the ensemble cast, storylines, and how they all weaved together-thanks to The Golden Dragon. The stories were rich in family and Christmas traditions.

The writing was nicely done and delivered heartwarming moments from start to finish.

Also, I'm putting in a request for Hallmark to do a movie with Antonio Cupo and Sarah Canning together...they had a great chemistry in this movie that could really shine in a movie with the two of them as leads.

I definitely recommend this movie!

Diversity is great. I actually liked the young casting a lot. However the stories being told are so many and not really being done so in a convincing way. The movie doesn't pick up at any point, despite all the hoping and wishing on the behalf of the people in it.

The movie itself focuses on the traditions in the past and the possible future of some of the characters in the film. It's not any heavy thinking, therefore it's a huge bummer to watch all the odd turns and fake conflicts in order to get to the end of the movie. The story is really bad, the momentum of the film is lackluster. The story takes place during Christmas, but is it therefore a X-mas movie??