Christmas on the Range

One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Great that it had some action in it. Great chemistry between Erin and Nicholas. I hope they make a sequel and soon. I wish they would make a series out of this. Love, loved it!!! Thanks Karen

It's a nice change from the usual fluff to have a slightly more serious Christmas movie about 2 rival ranches and a budding romance. I like the cast. Erin Cahill is pretty and believable. There is some diversity here with a biracial element. Hispanic actors A Martinez and Nicholas Gonzales Star. Good to see Lindsay Wagner - a lovely actress who hasn't ruined her face with plastic surgery. Looks so much better than some of her contemporaries.

I assumed this would be another run-of-the-mill Christmas movie. It has a slightly darker feel so I sort of found the uptempo festive music slightly at odds - but it comes together in the end. There is a bit of light relief in the salon - which also feels disconnected but ties in eventually. The salon slightly reminds me of Runaway Bride so I have expected Erin Cahill to come in and make a platypus face, but alas no. Ultimately this is still a feel-good movie and in some ways the bitterness makes it sweeter. Also, the end credits are quite quirky and definitely unique to this movie - raises the festive nature after the struggles.

This is a different kind of Christmas movie: it has more drama and conflict than your typical Christmas romance film. At the center of the story is Kendall Riley (played by Erin Cahill). Kendall runs the family ranch, which she inherited from her father, and is one inspection away from having The Last Chance Ranch certified organic. Clint McCree (played by Nicholas Gonzalez), our other protagonist in this story, has come home to visit and help his sick father (Brick McCree, played by A Martinez) on the family ranch (which borders Kendall's land). The two families have a troubled past. As Christmas approaches, Kendall faces the real possibility that she may lose the ranch due to some dirty tactics used by her neighbor. However, she receives help from a questionable individual: i.e., the neighbor's son Clint. The story is more than simply a romance between Kendall and Clint. The sub-plots try to dig a bit deeper into troubled family relationships between father (Brick) and son (Clint) and (former) husband (Brick) and wife (Lillian, played by Lindsay Wagner). These family dynamics, of course, represent challenges to the leads' romance/relationship along the way. The story engaged me, that is, it pulled me in from the start. The writers do a decent job of developing the main characters in this; they are a bit damaged; they feel a bit more real. The story/script has a bit of a light side to it as well, with some humorous scenes involving snooping and gossiping friends and towns' folk. The acting, overall, was strong. Cahill and Gonzalez both had convincing performances. Moreover, the chemistry between the two worked well on screen, I thought. The supporting cast also had a good performance. Martinez and Wagner both had strong performances individually, though, I thought, their chemistry was a bit lacking. The movie also provides some beautiful scenic views of the ranch/landscape. We do get a couple of scenes that try to instill a bit of Christmas spirit and cheer as well. All in all, as another reviewer on here said, this one is "a nice change from the usual stuff" this holiday season. It is an entertaining new edition to UPtv's Christmas movie lineup.

I really liked this story a lot. Good actors and the ranch feeling was authentic. Romeo and Juliet on horses...classic. Redemption at Christmas is an unusual plot but well played.