Christmas Sail (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Terry O’Quinn and Katee Sackoff

Synopsis: Liz receives a call for help from her father to return home for Christmas and she wants to create a whimsical Christmas celebration.

Review: I loved the variety of characters and their chemistry.  I wish we had a little bit more of the back story of the two romantic leads.  It feels like we pick up half way through their story.  Besides that, the story is entertaining and feels fresh.  I was thoroughly engaged the entire time.

Scoring: 4

Christmas Scavenger Hunt (2019)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Kim Shaw and Kevin McGarry

Synopsis: Belinda is forced to team up with her ex-boyfriend for the town’s annual Christmas Scavenger Hunt.

Review: I felt like there were too many stories going on simultaneously so they didn’t get far enough into any one.  It has the expected and happy ending we all know and love.  It did make me want to do a scavenger hunt so it got the joy of that adventure across.  It’s a sweet love story and includes the value of community and reaching out to those who are alone during the holidays.

Scoring: 3

The Christmas Setup (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Ben Lewis, Blake Lee, and Fran Drescher

Synopsis: Hugo heads to Milwaukee with his best friend, Madelyn to spend the holidays with his family.

Review: Yes the main romance is between two men so if you don’t want to watch it that’s fine. I loved it. I wish Drescher’s character Kate would adopt me. She’s such a quintessential mom putting her children first and embracing everyone as her child. The characters are relatable and lovable. The only issue I have is it felt as if it ended in the middle of the story. A sequel perhaps?

Scoring: 4

Christmas She Wrote (2020)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Danika McKellar, Dylan Neal, and April Telek

Synopsis: When a writer has her column canceled right before Christmas, she heads home to reconnect with her family, only to receive an unexpected visit from the man who canceled her column.

Review: Kayleigh is dealing with her past, present, and future all at once. Her careers and relationships. Watching her maneuver through all these situations with kindness and grace is interesting. I especially loved the cocktail Christmas names they came up with. The only thing I didn’t like was the lack of chemistry between McKellar and Neal.

Scoring: 3

The Christmas Shepherd (2014)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Teri Polo and Martin Cummins

Synopsis: Sally is heartbroken when her dog runs away during a thunderstorm. When she learns he was found by Mark, a widower, she travels to Boston to get him. Sally and Mark are given the best Christmas gift of their lives when they fall in love. 

Review:   Sally losing her husband in combat and her son being in the armed forces reminds us of the sacrifices military families make. I love that message. You see how Buddy, the German Shepherd, is her only tie to her husband. Buddy and Emma become the reason Sally and Mark keep seeing each other. This is a lovely story about letting down walls and being open to others.

Scoring: 4

The Christmas Sitters (2020)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Tristin May and Nathan Owens

Synopsis: Facing flight delays on a return trip from Europe, parents double-book incompatible babysitters.

Review: While the romance is mostly what you expect, there are lots of Christmas adventures and fun. Nora and Max have great dialogue and are perfectly cast. The characters seem to evolve naturally and the romance, while a little unrealistically fast, is relatable.  I really liked it. 

Scoring: 3

A Christmas Snow (2010)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family, Fantasy, Religion

Starring: Catherine Mary Stewart

Synopsis: A woman refuses to celebrate Christmas, because of her father abandoning his family during the holiday.

Review:  It looks cheaply made and some of the acting is poor but if you hang in for the ending, you’ll really feel the message and spirit of this movie. It’s worth it. 

Scoring: 3

Christmas Solo (2017)

Rated: NR

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Kelli Williams and Jonathan Scarfe

Synopsis: Two single parents stumble into the possibility of love for Christmas, only to discover that their daughters are embroiled in a nasty rivalry at school. When the rivalry gets out of control, can hope and healing lead everyone to a peaceful and merry Christmas?

Review:   It’s hard to make a viewer feel empathy for the mean girl but they did it, to a point. With one teen struggling with her mother moving away and the other with her father’s death, they’re easy to relate to for someone who has suffered a loss. Even with that there’s a lightness and an ease to it. 

Scoring: 3

A Christmas Spark (2022)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Jane Seymour and Joe Lando

Synopsis: It tells the story of recently widowed Molly who decides to visit her daughter for Christmas. She signs on to direct the town's Christmas pageant and falls for Hank, the town's most eligible bachelor.

Review:  It was a cute movie but often slow and predictable at times.  It was interesting but I was bored more than entertained.  It’s not one I’ll watch over and over.

Scoring: 2.5

Christmas Spirit (2011)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Fantasy

Starring: Alexandra Paul, Jason Brooks, Judy Landers, and Maureen McCormick

Synopsis: A cynical youth whose mother is about to lose her job right before the holidays is visited by a magical Christmas spirit.

Review: The movie is a little over the top with the way they present the spirit, other than that it’s a good family film.  It emphasizes family being a priority.  I especially loved how the grandmother’s presence made such a difference.  A lot of families will be able to relate to this story.

Scoring: 3

Christmas Stallion (1992)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama

Starring: Daniel J. Travanti and Siân MacLean

Synopsis: Sixteen year old Gwen Davies adores the horses she and her grandfather have raised on the beautiful Welsh Mountains. However, when her grandfather dies her uncle must either sell the farm to a greedy land developer, or allow Gwen to keep the farm, opening the wounds of his tragic past in the process.

Review:  This movie appears quite amateurish. MacLean does a great job but Travanti was poor casting. The story starts so slowly I never quite got interested. 

Scoring: 2

A Christmas Star (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Daniel Lissing and Sara Canning

Synopsis: An astronomer predicts that a new meteor shower will appear over a tiny town.  In order to see it, the town will have to turn off the Christmas lights at their fair.

Review: There’s not a lot of Christmas. We don’t even really see much of this big Christmas fair that is an issue with the meteors. Just the lights. It’s more a romance between the leads which is a nice story. You have to suspend logic to enjoy the ending. Like her being able to claim the meteors without any of the equipment she needed every other night. 

Scoring: 3

A Christmas Star (2017)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan

Synopsis: Born under the Christmas Star, Noelle believes she has the gift to perform miracles.  So when conniving developer McKerrod threatens her peaceful life she and her friends determine to use this gift to thwart his plans and save their village.

Review:  It’s a cute movie but it’s a little silly and far-fetched. Like bodyguards being afraid of children who have whistles. I liked the inclusion of a child with special needs. The best part is the children who are the stars. It’s a nice family film. 

Scoring: 3

The Christmas Star (1986)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Fantasy

Starring: Ed Asner, Rene Auberjonois, and Fred Gwynne

Synopsis: A counterfeiter finds the true meaning of the holidays.

Review: The movie sets up as if Santa, the counterfeiter in costume, is using children to help him and the children help him change his ways.  In truth, it’s the Christmas Carol type experience on the train that makes him rethink his ways.  I found it to be very slow and a little boring.  I liked the ending but the story just lacked that something special.

Scoring: 2

Christmas Stars (2019)

Rated: PG

Genres: Musical, Romance

Starring: Erica Durance and JT Hodges

Synopsis: When aspiring R&B artist Layla crosses paths with amateur songwriter Spence, she thinks she’s found her shot at finally getting a record deal.

Review: The best thing about this movie was the music, and that was average.  There’s very little Christmas spirit here.  It’s mostly about the pair wanting to become famous musicians.  Had they given us a little more back story on the characters I might have felt more invested. 

Scoring: 2

Christmas Story (2007)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Fantasy

Starring: Hannu-Pekka Björkman

Synopsis: The touching fantasy tale reimagines the origin of Santa Claus as a young orphan named Nikolas, who decides to show his gratitude to the villagers who raised him by starting the Christmas tradition of gift-giving. 

Review: This was filmed in Finland and has a voiceover but it’s not too distracting. If you’re looking for a magical tale, this isn’t for you. This is a tale based on realism, up until the last couple of minutes. It imagines what life would sculpt such a person. It’s a little slow and sometimes boring. But it’s nice to have a different origin story. 

Scoring: 2.5

A Christmas Story 2 (2012)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Daniel Stern

Synopsis: Five years later, Ralphie has his eyes fixed on a car but trouble is sure to follow.

Review:  This is sadly disappointing. It tries to capture the magic of the first one but does it with moments trying to be funny that fall flat and repeating the most memorable moments from the first movie. One to skip. 

Scoring: 1.5

A Christmas Story Christmas (2022)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Peter Billingsley and Julie Hagerty

Synopsis: Follows the now-adult Ralphie as he returns to the house on Cleveland Street to give his kids a magical Christmas like the one, he had as a child, reconnecting with childhood friends, and reconciling the passing of his Old Man

Review: This movie failed to capture the magic of the first. To begin with, Ralphie is miserable, then his father dies, it’s from the point of view of a cynical adult rather than a hopeful child, and the look and feel is completely different. It’s not exactly funny and joyful except for a few moments, including Ralphie reuniting with his friends.  Secondly, by not having narrator with a very different voice, it didn’t separate the narrator the way the first one did. It tries to bring back parts of the original but they don’t work well. This missed the mark for me.  I’ve seen a lot of people saying they loved it so you may want to give it a try.

Scoring: 2.5

A Christmas Story Documentary: Road Trip for Ralphie (2008)

Rated: NR

Genre: Documentary

Starring: Jordie Schwatz

Synopsis: During an adventure spanning two years and two countries, two mega-fans of "A Christmas Story" set out to discover all the film's shooting locations and memorabilia.

Review:  As a huge fan of the movie, I was looking forward to this behind the scenes look.  I was so disappointed.  I don’t know if it’s how amateurish it was or how they made it so boring.  It seemed to be more about them than the movie.  If you’re a huge fan of the movie you may want to try it but I had to force myself to sit through it.

Scoring: 1

A Christmas Story Live! (2017)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family, Musical

Starring: Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer, Matthew Broderick, Ken Jeong, David Alan Grier, and Jane Krakowski

Synopsis: A live broadcast of the Broadway hit "A Christmas Story: The Musical" in which Ralphie wishes for nothing more than a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas.

Review:  Not nearly as good as the movie but not bad for live. The biggest flaw is Broderick as the narrator. Instead of just hearing his voice, we see him walking around. It distracts from the story. 

Scoring: 2.5

A Christmas Stray (2021)

Rated: PG

Genres: Romance

Starring: Andra Fuller and Rhyon Nicole Brown

Synopsis: A man finds himself hopelessly stranded in a small town on Christmas Eve, unable to shake the stray dog who ran him off the road, and irresistibly drawn to the free-spirited, local veterinarian.

Review: This is a lovely character-driven movie. The two leads are flawed and working through issues, but it’s done with a delicacy that keeps the movie from feeling dark. A sweet dog helps also. 

Scoring: 3

A Christmas Surprise (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Keesha Sharp, Kimberly Baker, Katelynn Bennett, Will Blagrove, and Mustapha J. Slack

Synopsis: A mother gets a Christmas surprise when her daughter announces she's engaged. Now the holiday is thrown into chaos as she deals with her less-than-impressive and soon-to-be son-in law, his overbearing mother and an impending wedding.

Review: In the beginning the mom says she’s not extra. She so is. The other mother is also. In the best most entertaining ways. I have to say the mom is way nicer than I’d been in the same circumstances. Lots of fun and lots of laughs. 

Scoring: 4

Christmas Survival (aka Surviving Christmas With the Relatives) (2018)

Rated: TV-MA

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Joely Richardson, Julian Ovenden, Gemma Whelan, and Michael Landes

Synopsis: Two sisters and their families spend - or rather, endure - Christmas at their late parents' dilapidated country house.

Review: This is truly a British family comedy (but only for adults to watch).  It starts with the little girl seeing her turkey “Gobbles” and then dad trying to catch it for Christmas lunch.  There’s a large variety of characters and interesting scenarios.  I wasn’t laughing out loud but I was entertained and never bored.

Scoring: 3.5

The Christmas Swap (2016)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Christian Keyes and Dondre Whitfield

Synopsis: A single father is given a glimpse of what life would have been like if he did not have a family.

Review: The synopsis given for the story isn’t fully accurate.  It’s a single father in Louisiana caring for his son and his mother who has Alzheimer’s disease while his younger brother is wealthy living it up in LA.  They end up switching places.  It allows them to see what they have and they both improve the other’s life.  They get to see that having different perspectives and ways of doing things isn’t right or wrong, it’s just different.  It’s very odd at some points but I cared about the characters and how it would end.  Have tissues handy.

Scoring: 3

A Christmas Switch (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Romance

Starring: Jackie Seidel and Ashley Wood

Synopsis: When singer Audrey and record executive Julia collide at the mall, they wake up in each other's lives the next morning. As Christmas looms, the two women must figure out how to help each other and switch back to their original selves.

Review:  A twist on Freaky Friday, we have the perfectionist wealthy business woman detached from her family and a poor woman with a messy life who’s overly attached to her family switch bodies. Shock surprise, they learn their lessons and switch back in time for Christmas. It’s far from a new story but it’s an okay movie. The little girl steals her scenes. 

Scoring: 2.5

The Christmas Switch (2014)

Rated: NR

Genres: Drama, Family, Fantasy

Starring: Brian Krause and Natasha Henstridge

Synopsis: Through Eddie's wit and guile, he gives Sam that last night and finally finds the real meaning of Christmas the gambler's way.

Review: This movie had the potential to be a really good story. Unfortunately, the way it was done leaves a lot to be desired. They took what could've been a heartfelt story and made it ho hum. I didn't even care what happened to the characters at the end. It wouldn't hurt to see it once but that's it.

Scoring: 2