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.
