Cross Country Christmas

I cannot believe at my age I am using "cute" to describe a movie I like, but yet there it is. I really liked this movie. Best One I have seen so far this year for the Christmas batch. Both of the leads were excellent, and you cold see them slowly becoming attracted to each other in a very heart warming manner. Sure it was derivative of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, but all of these movies are derivative of something, and at least this one went for a classic and not just another schlocky paint by numbers plot. I was waiting for the scene where the state trooper pulls them over in a burned out shell of the pet grooming van, but alas... probably for the best though. Anyway, i thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

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.

Lina is going back home for the holidays, and so is Max. The both live in NYC but their childhood home is in Colorado. So, you know how this is: bad weather, snow storms, flights grounded, no rental car available so they are forced to figure out a way to cross the country. We've heard this before. And will hear it again. No biggie.

Lina is a creative solutions specialist o something like that so the movie moves around her figuring out ways to get a ride onto the next state. Max works in tech and had a rough couple of months.

It was cute. Rachel Leigh Cook probably was my favorite in this. She is involved in a few funny situations, which definitely made me laugh. I honestly didn't care about Greyston (i'm sorry). There is no pre-ending drama, it's just them reaching their destination. Did they have chemistry? They did, but not the romantic kind. I didn't want them to end up together, I wanted them to be best friends, they'd probably had more fun. You know, if I had to bet on their relationship, they wouldn't last much (i'm just being honest)

Look, I want to think there are good people in this world who are more than willing to help you out during a crisis but do people in the US just trust blindly? Do they get in a car with a stranger? O sleep in their house? I live in Latin America, that doesn't happen. So, it's a bit unrealistic for me.

Anyway, it's funny and kind of cute. Rachel Leigh Cook always shines on her own.

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.

I'm not her biggest fan tbh, but I genuinely liked her character. She was fun and light, quirky but believable. I enjoyed the movie because of that. It was a nice fun Christmas movie. The male lead was good I guess, but if I had my choice I'd have cast another male lead that could play off Rachel Leigh Cook better.