Cross Country Christmas

This was definitely not my favorite. In a year where Hallmark really brought forth some consistent quality in their Christmas movie slate for the first time in a while, this stood out as merely okay.

If you love Rachael Leigh Cook, then I think you'll really enjoy this movie. If you merely like her or find her more annoying than charming some of the time, then this might be a bit of a struggle to get through, especially the first half. Because despite there being a decent number of characters in the movie including a steady co-star, I felt the movie was largely a vehicle for her, she really dominates this movie. And though she has her good points, some of what is meant to be charming or quirky, just came off as annoying for me.

A note about the chemistry. I'm not all that familiar with Greyston Holt, really only know him from a Christmas movie he did last year with Adelaide Kane that was pretty good. But he was good here and Rachael play well off one another. They also very likely have pretty good chemistry. The problem is that the writing and/or directing don't put them into situations where that chemistry is showcased. They feel more like somewhat familiar travelling buddies that might eventually become real friends at the end of this than ones that will end up as a couple. Not the fault of the actors at all. This high school classmate setup is hardly new, so many ways they could've gone about bridging the gap between that history and a romance. But they don't start to make that transition until the second half of the movie. And when it does begin to happen, it's more forced than it should be, essentially a non-romantic dance and the cousin's wife mentioning sparks that we don't actually see. What we do see is good banter between the two throughout, which does work well in a friendship context. But what we are shown in terms of their budding romance, is rather tepid because it just wasn't made a priority until the final 30 minutes of the movie. But once they focus on it, it works.

But I will say, and a point in the writer's favor, that some of what I found annoying about Rachael's character was something she owned up to and apologized for and it didn't happen in response to something major or at the end of the movie, just something she finally realized and admitted. Kind of rare for a Hallmark movie, so it stood out as being a nice, different, more grown-up approach than we typically see. Her character became considerably more likable at the back-end of the movie after this happened.

This is not a movie to avoid at all. It's not bad. But for me, not great. And with so many other great Hallmark movies this year, hard to recommend making this a priority to see unless you're a big Rachael Leigh Cook fan.

The other user reviews seem to fall into one of two categories: (1) the plot is too improbable to relate to, so the reviewer couldn't enjoy the movie; or (2) recognizing the kind of plot it has, the reviewer enjoyed the funny, touching moments that it brings, and appreciated the good dialogue lines scattered throughout the movie. Count me in the second category! This movie was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed the way the romantic side of the story developed in the context of the lead characters' backstories.

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.

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.

A little slow, but overall fun. Cast was good. Rachel Leigh Cook is always good.