An Weihnachten führen alle Wege nach Hause

6/10 - Hallmark's take on a Planes, Trains, & Automobiles type flick only works thanks to Rachael Leigh Cook's endless charisma

I was looking forward to Cross Country Christmas when I saw both Rachael Leigh Cook and Greyston Holt at the top of the bill. I enjoy Cook's Hallmark movies, and I recently saw Holt in A Very Country Christmas this season. Both usually have convincing performances in this genre of film. So, there is no surprise then to read that I enjoyed this one too. Overall, it is a cute, fun, and engaging Christmas movie. The plot is similar to UPtv's 'Dashing Home for Christmas' (another entertaining movie this 2020 season). The story here revolves around Lina (played by Cook) and Max (played by Holt) whose flight home for Christmas is forced to land (far from home) due to a winter storm. And so, Lina and Max team up to find a way home for Christmas. From delivering Christmas trees for a ride to stowaways on a cargo train, their journey is a fun and warm one, as they help each other and the new people they meet along the way. The plot, of course, is predictable and has been done before as some of the other reviewers here have pointed out. That said, I thought the script was strong. More specifically, the dialogue between the leads was engaging, it pulled me in. And in the end, for me, that is what is most important. There was also a distinct difference between the personalities of the two main characters, which worked well, I thought. What made all the above possible was the quality of acting, which was, overall, excellent. Cook had an impressive performance. She had this warm and friendly vibe to her portrayal of Lina (it was quite adorable, as another reviewer described it), which made it easy to connect to her character, to Lina. Holt had a strong performance as well. He did a good job playing the more reserved character of the two, which, again, added some nice contrast. The chemistry between the two was maybe not as strong as some of the other performances this year (Jill Wagner and Lucas Bryant in The Angel House come to mind). To be honest, I did not notice it much while watching the movie. It was only when I came here and read some reviews that I started thinking about it. What was noticeable was that there was no final kiss between the two at the end, a hallmark of Hallmark movies and the TV romance genre more broadly. Finally, the movie does instill a lot of Christmas spirit and cheer; it should get you in the mood, as it were, for the season. All in all, it is a warm and fun Christmas movie (with some quality acting), a nice new edition to Hallmark's 2020 lineup. Highly recommend.

Rachel Leigh Cook is often worth watching, regardless of the quality of everything else in the film etc. Greyston Holt is more take and leave and it really does depend on the whole. Was not sure as to whether their chemistry would work, with their acting styles being quite different. Hallmark have made a large number of watchable and more films, but quite a lot of their work is less than average. So a very mixed bag in terms of overall quality for them.

'Cross Country Christmas' is neither one of the best or worst of Hallmark's 2020 output, which was a variable year but nowhere near as bad as expected considering the circumstances. With nothing terrible and a few surprisingly very good, but most were between mediocre and decent. It's another one of the somewhere in the middle efforts and is more decent and slightly above average than anything. So worth a look but a long way from essential.

The film is far from perfect. Didn't care for Holt, who is rather stiff and bland and his character comes over as too uptight and unintentionally creepy. Particularly early on. He and Cook do have chemistry, but it is more of the eventual best friend type. It needed a lot more charm and affection to convince as a romantic partnership and the relationship itself doesn't develop enough.

Also did think that 'Cross Country Christmas' started off on the slow side, where the pace lagged, the story was particularly slight, where Holt's character especially was uninteresting and difficult to invest in and where the dialogue was very stilted and cheesy. The final quarter didn't quite work, any conflict is bland and forced and it all feels neat in resolve considering how development to Holt's character and the central relationship were not easy to get behind.

However, there is a lot to like. The best thing about 'Cross Country Christmas' is the truly delightful Cook, whose subtle charm really radiates. Her character was also nicely developed without being too perfect, certainly easier to invest in than Holt's thanks to no overblown character flaws. The supporting cast are solid even if the character writing is not exactly meaty (wasn't bored by it either).

Production values still manage to be great. It's not too drab or garish in photography, the editing didn't seem rushed or disorganised and the scenery has a real charm to it. Often have found the music a problem in Hallmark Christmas films, but it wasn't over-scored and wasn't inappropriate tonally. While the dialogue is not what one would call amazing, it is not as cheesy or as forced as a lot of festive films or films with similar story types, once the film gets going that is. The story is formulaic and does have pacing and dramatic problems, but is also immensely charming and heart-warming on the most part and there is nothing mean-spirited about it.

In summary, above average if unexceptional. 6/10.

One thing that makes this movie different is the fact that the main couple shares practically every scene from beginning to end, starting as childhood acquaintances and slowly growing feelings for each other, a progression that feels too rushed in a lot of movies of this genre but in this case we truly see two people falling in love instead of just saying "I love you" just before the end.

The whole movie is a sequence of the most implausible and random events: usually this level of absurdity takes you away from the story and all you can think of is "What the hell were the writers thinking of!", but in this case I found myself enjoying every moment of it.

Also I loved the main actress, she's absolutely perfect for the genre. I'm happy to find that she's made other Hallmark movies, which I'm definitely going to watch.

The other user reviews seem to fall into one of two categories: (1) the plot is too improbable to relate to, so the reviewer couldn't enjoy the movie; or (2) recognizing the kind of plot it has, the reviewer enjoyed the funny, touching moments that it brings, and appreciated the good dialogue lines scattered throughout the movie. Count me in the second category! This movie was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed the way the romantic side of the story developed in the context of the lead characters' backstories.