Expectations were mixed prior to watching 'Christmas Sail'. Have liked the cast in other things, am a huge fan of Terry O'Quinn's acting on 'Lost' (a brilliant show at its best) so the casting was not a problem. Liked the different sounding concept. The mixed to negative critical reception did turn me off a little though, though all films and television are always watched with an open mind by me, with the criticisms being very strong, and the scenario didn't sound anything special.
Watching 'Christmas Sail', my thoughts on it were mostly positive while also having some quite big reservations. Not a great film, but above average and much better than what has been said in my view. Comparing it with the previous 2021 Hallmark Christmas films, it is not as good as 'Christmas in My Heart' for example (that and 'Christmas Promise' also had grief and loss as themes and handled them better and more consistently) but it is a lot better than 'Boyfriends of Christmas Past' and 'Coyote Creek Christmas'.
'Christmas Sail' does a lot right. The best thing about it is the acting. Katee Sackoff was charming and heartfelt in her role though will agree that she overdoes the smile. Patrick Sabongui is a likeable presence too. It is a case though of the supporting cast being even better, Emma Oliver is absolutely adorable and never too cutesy, while also adding a good deal of mature depth, her chemistry with Sackoff is charming and much more convincing than the central romance. The best performance comes from heart wrenching O'Quinn, especially in the beautifully written and acted heart to heart.
Furthermore, there are some effective scenes. There is the aforementioned heart to heart towards the end, which was raw and very honest. The other standout was the ending, which did make me cry. Did have problems with quite a lot of the endings in this year's Christmas offerings but this was one of the few where not only was it not a problem but it was one of the best things. The film looks lovely and the boat setting is believable. The script when the film gets going is well meaning and thoughtful and the story handles the grief and loss themes and the aftermath movingly on the whole.
It is a film that takes a little too much time to get going and is very slight to begin with. There could have been a lot more chemistry in the central romance, it does engage when there is finally some development but it is far too subdued and very awkward to begin with (that first dance scene agreed was yuck worthy). It is also underdeveloped, with the family relationships being a lot more convincing.
Some of the dialogue, particularly early on, is very cornball and stilted and while Sabongui does well in his role the role felt underwritten.
Overall, above average though didn't blow me away. Starts off pretty questionably but gets a lot better. 6/10.
