Coming Home for Christmas

I wanted to like this movie, and I did like the heroine, played by Canadian vocalist and child actress Carly McKillip. She and her real-life sister, Britt McKillip (think "My Little Pony") play sisters who get back in touch after a long estrangement, spurred by their parents' separation.

In theory this is a moving tale of family reconciliation. In practice, it tried to do too much with too little, at least on the head of the lead character. Carly gave it a valiant effort, but there was very little story in her character; even for a more experienced actress to work with. This is an okay-enough, even dull, girl's attempt at bringing her family together, without much in the way of struggle or more effort than talking to a stranger (eye-candy Ben Hollingsworth) who is only too happy to make her acquaintance and agree to everything she asks.

It's a bad sign when the subsidiary characters are given deep, meaningful problems that cry out to be tackled head-on and overcome, and then those problems are simply ignored for the rest of the movie in favour of our dull girl's dull journey toward a foregone conclusion.

All that negativity aside, the romance was sweet and developed gradually. The movie sets have pretty holiday decorations that mostly look normal family scale. And there's some singing, though not of well-known carols for a change. The backdrop, of BC mountains masquerading as Oregonian ones, is lovely to look at although the weather is suspiciously low-snow for a mountain town coming up on Christmas.

If you are playing board games or wrapping presents and want some background holiday themed TV, this is fine. But even a holiday movie fanatic like me wouldn't seek it out again on purpose.

In a changing landscape of major motion pictures slowly getting longer, major blockbusters getting more self-indulgent, major streaming services ignoring older movies, and major studios losing control of the industry, it's nice to know that some things never change. Holiday movies can largely claim a reliable formula, and are consistently filled with warmhearted kitsch, wholesomeness that's sometimes awkward, and some discrete beat of drama to propel the narrative. The drama here is perhaps extra harsh (estranged sisters, separating parents), but the pleasantness is proportionately cheerful as it all eventually perfectly aligns Just So for a happy ending. I can understand how all the congeniality can be overbearing, but for those who are receptive to the ham-handedness, 'Coming home for Christmas' is a refreshing little burst of hokeyness.

I can't say I'm a fan of the country western portion of the soundtrack; I simply wasn't aware of what I was getting into in that regard - in the same measure that some people can't stand Christmas movies, this is one genre of music I can't abide. But a non-zero number cast members have a connection in that way, so here we are. In fairness, there are more recognizable names and faces here than I first supposed: not just Amy Jo Johnson, but I've seen Ben Hollingsworth around, and while I've not seen Britt McKillip since 'Dead like me,' it's a minor joy to see her again, too. Arguably forced as no small part of the story is here, writers Kyle McGlohon and Bruce Spiegelman nonetheless have put together a delightfully cheesy charm-fest of love, family, and kindness. Such good humor fills every word of the dialogue, characters, scene writing, and the overall plot - and director Vanessa Parise and the cast unreservedly lean into the hopelessly sweet gaucheness.

All the crew behind the scenes put in good work to help realize the picture, and such as it is, the music at least isn't the worst example of its very niche genre. The ending is especially excruciating in its saccharine tone, but such is the Christmas Movie as we know it. There aren't any real surprises here, for such fare is built strictly for mild, affable cordiality, and storytelling that ensures its audiences Feels Good. Not unlike "Christmas music" it's fair to criticize such movies as artificial and contrived - but anyone who sits for something of this nature should already know full well what to anticipate. For anyone who enjoys the genre this is duly enjoyable, and it's most recommendable for fans of the cast. Others maybe need not spend any time with this, but if you're already on board with its brethren, 'Coming home for Christmas' is a passably satisfying bit of lighthearted fluff.

At first, this has all the appearance of a low-budget Christmas movie and to be fair that is exactly what it is - however, it is a cut above some of the really bad ones like The Town that Cancelled Christmas. Some of the acting is fairly mediocre, the story though is quite engaging with likable enough characters and some nice scenery to enjoy. There are even a couple of well-known musical numbers to sing along to. You can tell that everyone involved in making the film has at least tried to produce something decent and if you give it a chance, it's quite watchable. One the younger members of the family will probably quite enjoy along with mum on a wet Sunday afternoon.

Coming Home For Christmas (2013) -

This film was just too depressing! Too dreary! Too badly acted! I could not put up with the misery and the grainy filming on the off chance that when Benjamin Hollingsworth eventually turned up he would be as cute as he had been in his other films, because quite frankly, which ever sister it was that was the narrator Kate/Melanie (? McKillip) was a whiney cow and the parents Wendy (Amy Jo Johnson) and neanderthal Al (George Canyon) were terrible.

All I can say is that if you're in a great mood and don't think that a film can bring you down then you might be able to get through this one, but I wasn't prepared to be depressed by a film genre that is essentially meant to be uplifting and bring joy. I got the impression that it was going to be all about the family's relationships and not actually about the festive season or even much of the romance.

Unscored as Unfinished.

As another reviewer said, you can see the caring and cooperation that went into the movie. There's only moderate acting talent. I thought the young boy did well, but it seems he didn't act on screen again since then. Big props for a story that doesn't center around whether a couple gets together! Th film is a little painful to abide here and there, but I'm not sorry I watched it.

Since I can't add a Goof to the list, I'll add here one that I noticed! At 4:45 time she is walking into her office. The sign says Oceanwood publishers, her narration says Oceanside publishers. :)