Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas

Romance movies involving two people road tripping across the country together are hit or miss. Many of them are too cheesy to even get through and just aren't natural. Granted, I seriously doubt a 'regular' person doing one of these trips with a country star, ever really happens. Still yet, this movie flowed naturally. The leads, Heath and Karah, had good chemistry. I especially liked how well the actor playing Heath was able to show so many emotions, with just a look. When he felt awkward, I felt awkward. When he felt hurt, I felt it too. And the way Heath looked at Karah, when she wasn't looking sped up MY heart. Lol

It's easy to connect with Karah and Heath because we get to know about their parental losses, family dynamics, friendships, and dreams in life. They seem like normal people in the real world, not actors pretending. There's not a big wow factor in this. It is just one of those feel good, makes you want to fall in love, be with family, kind of movies.

This was the movie that started a tradition of a holiday collaboration between Blake Shelton and his mom. Actually it started with a song Blake wrote...and then his mom wrote a book inspired by it...and then they collaborated on this movie. Since they have gone on to collaborate each Christmas since on a new "Time to Come Home For Christmas" movie, but this is the first. This also is the movie that loosely follows the original book about a country singer whose father passed away and he has been avoiding going home who meets a woman in his travels who is also grieving a parent. The two keep ending up together on a wild journey home to Oklahoma.

Candy bar pie topping? Not sure I would try it especially on a jam pie. Is that really a thing?

The two actors picked for the leads were great. This was a simple and sweet story...that I recommend to all holiday romance fans.

A nice Hallmark road movie style Christmas film, with Josh Henderson and Megan Park being some pleasing newer faces among the Hallmark ranks.

I thought this was good fun, it was warm and the storyline held up.

For those getting bogged down by accents I'd say just sit back and enjoy this easy-going romantic comedy for what it does well instead.

How does Hallmark manage to consistently produce a bunch of movies where only one character, in a family, has an accent? Could the Lee character NOT have had an accent in this? And the lip synching- blame the director and editors for that, it's not as if Henderson doesn't sing.

Besides all that, it's a fairly low key, nice sentiments Christmas movie. No overacting, over gesturing, looks like they're stoned-on-Christmas-candy female leads here, so thank you for that Hallmark!

Here is why I gave it an 8; it is an "8" in the Hallmark movie universe, not the "Gone With The Wind", "Sound of Music" universe.

Yes Hallmark movies are cheesy and yes you know EXACTLY how it is going to end, you just aren't sure HOW they are going to get there.

The movie was warm, implausible, cheesy, joyful and most importantly, entertaining. There ain't nuthin' wrong with cheesy, happy ending movies; Lord knows we can use a little happy escapism these days.

If you liked the other movies in this series, you'll enjoy this one too.