Love's Christmas Journey

It's way too long at 171 minutes run time. The result is a lot of silly plot lines. It does, however, close out the last half hour or so with a decent and uplifting story, even if it's a little sappy.

I really wanted this movie to be more about Ellie's loss. They show the same footage twice in the first half hour or so and then they seem to forget that story until it pops up briefly again much later and disappears again.

As I said, they sprinkle juvenile plot lines in through the middle. There is an armed confrontation that is just plain stupid because a real hero would have pulled the trigger. TV heroes aren't allowed to pull the trigger even when threatened. There are other silly things as well.

Natalie Hall is inconsistent. I think she gets bogged down in the grieving widow in the early parts. I've seen Hall in a lot of things and she can seem at times like she is trying too hard to deliver her lines instead of having them come out naturally and this happens a few times later in the movie.

Greg Vaughan is stiff as Ellie's brother. Dylan Bruce is OK, but the chemistry with Hall is mild.

The villains might as well be cardboard, especially Weaver.

The rest of the acting is mixed. JoBeth Williams and Ernest Borgnine are probably the best of the lot with just about everyone else being only fair.

Christmas only peeks out of the shadows for 2/3rds of the movie or so, but then becomes the focus at the end.

As far as I'm concerned I hope Hallmark Channel continues to turn Janette Oke Books into Movies! I only pray the Love Saga would go on for eternity..... These movies are Warm and Heartfelt, much like Little House on the Prairie. *Michael Landon Jr. directs a few of the episodes and beautifully. Although I do agree that some times the the acting/directing in a couple of the episodes (Love Takes Wing and Love Finds a Home) might be a tad sub par, but the message is still there and that's what matters to me. A majority of the episodes are well acted as well as executed. Much like Little House on the Prairie which I also love. *Michael Landon Jr. directs a few of the episodes and beautifully I might add. I will continue to watch till the end of time!!!!!! No matter how it's been Directed, Produced, Acted and even if it's Cheesy or Not! Janette Oke represents 'LOVE' Beautifully and Eloquently and that's what I count on and it warms my heart. :)

watching this made-for-TV travesty was like watching paint dry; combined with commercials, this stinker stretched out for more than three hours - hours of my life that i will never get back... with pithy writing for one of the protagonists ("I got sheriffin' to do."), and seeing Colby Chandler slip up on a western accent and wearing multitudinous freshly starched color-coordinated outfits, one has to wonder what was going through the director's mind when putting this abortive snoozefest... even worse, there was no plot resolution to the 'bad guys,' who disappeared off the storyline and the screen with not one whit of a scene adieu... two thumbs down for one of the worst xmas TV movies of 2011 - even if it featured 94-year-old Ernest Borgnine in what could very well be his last professional act

Review Date 6/2/2019

I Have Reviewed OVER 500 "Christmas Films and Specials". Please BEWARE Of films and specials with just one review! For instance When "It's a POSITIVE" chances are that the reviewer was involved with the production. "If its Negative" then they may have a grudge against the film for whatever reason. I am fare about these films.

Love's Christmas Journey is a 2011 made-for-television Christian drama film based on a series of books by Janette Oke though there is no corresponding book for this film. While still mourning the loss of her husband and daughter, recently widowed Ellie King (Natalie Hall) visits her brother Aaron Davis (Greg Vaughan) and his children for Christmas. Ellie does her best to enjoy the holidays, even making new friends with Mrs. Thompson (JoBeth Williams), a local shop keeper, and handsome admirer Deputy Strode (Dylan Bruce). Settling in nicely with her brother's family, Ellie also meets Erik (Bobby Campo), a young man abandoned by his outlaw father whom Aaron has taken in as one of his own.

This film treads on "Little House on the Prairie" territory. I think "Little House: most likely covered the same type of story in 1/2 the time.

This film runs almost 3 hours. You are wise if you watch Part One then wait another to catch Part 2. The acting in this is fine but the story could have used more work. You can see the ending coming a mile away . However this film is just pleasant enough for me to recommend but it does capture nicely "The Christmas Spirit".

My wife somehow managed to get me to watch this unbelievably horrible film. Four hours of ridiculous scenery and props, terrible acting, awful dialog, and amateurish directing. Whatever is worse than "mailing it in," this is it. Where does one start? All the male characters are idiots. They do things that no self respecting man would do. The sheriff is the archetypal pansy. The family lives on a massive ranch outside of town -- with no livestock. We are to believe that the boy, raised in the wilderness, has never been taught about the deadly poisonous berries that grow locally, yet his aunt knows that a certain purple flower that happens to grow nearby is the antidote. At least 45 minutes of this monstrosity is characters exchanging goofy looks while smiling at each other. Tightly edited from four hours down to 90 minutes, this might have been watchable. Or not. I usually trust Hallmark to produce entertaining family fare. But this stinker was worse than water boarding. In fact, if the U.S. government were to take it to Guantanamo and show it to the prisoners, we'd know all of al Qaida's secrets after two showings. Easily the worst movie I have ever seen.