Natal no Restaurante Chinês

This is a definite 9 in the Hallmark Christmas movie category. Some might categorize this genre as a guilty favorite this time of year. But I just call them a seasonal favorite. I'm a manly guy and I like them and that's that. Not ashamed. Ha. But back to the Golden Dragon. The first line nearly made me shut it off, as it talked about a PC kind of meaning of Christmas that had very little if anything to do with the meaning of Christmas. But as it goes on it draws you in with a pretty big handful of stories about different people tied to the restaurant, and it is a lot of balls in the air, but it manages to juggle them pretty well. There's a lot more going on in this one than the usual gingerbread contest to save the bakery, fake relationship to get the big promotion, or amnesia and love at Christmas type stories. Shock of shocks, there's even a nativity play that is quickly featured among the many stories. Usually you can be wrapping gifts or putting up decorations with a Hallmark movie on and still get the whole story because they've done it a dozen times before. Not this one. Give this one a watch, It's just a pretty darn nice movie-- some love, some family drama, and most of all a Merry Christmas.

I'm writing this to try and counteract the negative impressions left by some reviews on this page that either thought there were too many storylines or too much negativity in the movie. Neither was the case, for me at least. But the negative impressions from those reviews very nearly dissuaded me from watching what turned out to be one of my top five favorite Christmas romcoms of 2022. That's why I'd like to offer my contrasting point of view to all of those.

Yes, there are a number of different plot lines, and it does take a bit of time to get used to recognizing each one, and following along, as the movie switches from one to another. But soon you get that hang of that and look forward to each one with anticipation. The variety this provides keeps things interesting, and moving along.

Yes, as with most romcoms, every major character has a challenge or two they will face during the movie. If you have an ensemble cast with a number of different lead characters, that's a lot of challenges to introduce in a short time in the movie, so I can see how some reviewers viewed that as introducing negativity. But these characters take on their challenges in positive ways, so this movie was more rewarding -- and much less negative -- than many other Christmas romcoms.

Yes, this is a different style of Christmas romcom, which is refreshing. This gets away from the been-there-done-that sameness that so many romcoms reflect.

The reward for having followed all of the different plot lines is a superbly crafted ending, where we can see and appreciate the way these different storylines helped each other out. The ending provides a very satisfying resolution for the entire ensemble of stories.

This is one is of my Top 10 favorite 2022 Christmas movies of 2022. You can see my other favorite 2022 Christmas movies by clicking on my profile link above; then look for "2022 FAVORITE CHRISTMAS ROM-COMs" under "Lists".

I was a bit put off by this movie at first. It starts with a corporate office montage presentation for ten silent people sitting around a large conference table. Ten. The bold premise behind this Very Important presentation:

"Christmas is about peace, not productivity."

"That's where Harlow Furnishings' new accessories line comes in."

"Family is always your best decoration."

Uh, what?

Was Romy trying to sell those 10 silent people on the idea that Christmas is wonderful? That family is wonderful? I replayed the montage and didn't see any furnishings- just a bunch of people eating, drinking and enjoying the holidays. Does she work for Harlow Furnishings as a designer? Marketing executive? What exactly is she trying to sell? Christmas decorations? For who? The logo was a green modern chair. What? Do they sell modern furniture? Who is she trying to sell on the idea of Christmas themed furnishings a few days before Christmas? It's a little late for 2022 and way too early for 2023. I understand the desire to present Romy as a very important busy person but I have no idea what she does or why.

And the focus on an ensemble cast seemed better suited for a longer format. I wish Hallmark would do more two-parters like they did last year with Sister Swap. Or make a few limited series. Some stories just don't fit into a two hour movie.

But I was won over by the engaging and often touching stories. Romy, played by Kara Wang, and her doting boyfriend Blake, played by Markian Tarasiuk, made a nice couple, as did the Golden Dragon owners. Romy has a fantastic mic drop moment when she speaks Chinese to a couple of servers (and yet surprisingly tempered her comment with some empathy).

I wanted more of Veronica's story, even though she may have had the meatiest role. And I want more Hallmark movies with Sara Canning, who played Veronica. I liked her blossoming relationship with befuddled single dad (and co-worker) Nate, played by Antonio Cupo, and his two adorable yet realistic kids well played by Juliette Hawk and Mila Jones.

Some of the characters were really flawed, as in life. Rick, the college drop out, was annoyingly spineless and unable to stand up to his shallow frat brothers or the unreasonable demands of his father and Sadie paid the price. Twice. She deserved sooooo much better.

Sadie was played by Genevieve Buechner and I'd like to see more of her. Very impressive, as was her character who interned with a political action coalition, got hired to work as a coordinator for a non-profit after she graduates from UCLA, then plans to go to law school, clerk for a judge and run for office. That woman is going to do Big Things. But Rick...

As Sadie says to Rick with refreshing honesty: "you don't have the best track record for taking charge of your future. ... If you're not happy with your life, you need to take responsibility for what's wrong. Change what you can and work on the rest."

Those are great words of wisdom and advice for a young woman who's going places. Hallmark is dedicated to the fantasy that "love conquers all" but the reality is that those two are going to live very different lives. Apart.

Barbara Niven deserves some sort of Hallmark lifetime achievement award. I think only Lacey Chabert has been in more Hallmark movies. She is always really good and looks great for 69. Heck she looks like she's in her early 50s. She's a rock in whatever she's in.

Blake's Vermont family fooled me. After his parents' reaction to the poinsettia plant, well, they fooled me.

As for Blake, he's in the lead for Best Boyfriend of this Christmas season. He sets the bar pretty high for being supportive. And that gift? Wow. Thoughtful seems too weak a word.

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.