Planes, Trains and Christmas Trees (2023)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Olivier Renaud and Kathryn Davis

Synopsis: During a business trip, event planner Kayley and sports agent Brett find themselves unable to fly home for Christmas due to a snowstorm. Determined to get back to NYC by Christmas Eve, the two team up and try to make their own way home.

Review:  I’ve read a lot of articles about how much people hated this movie.   I liked the story, even though they never boarded a plane or train. The acting was a little too subdued and I don’t like seeing actors be couples in multiple movies as it ruins it for me a little. It’s so-so and cute for watching once, in my opinion. 

Scoring: 3

Poinsettias For Christmas (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Bethany Joy Lenz, John Schneider, Marcus Rosner, and Sharon Lawrence

Synopsis: A woman returns home to help her father save the family poinsettia farm.

Review: I really enjoyed this movie.  I enjoyed it the second time just as much.  Seeing the family dynamic and how close they are made the movie special.  It even has a bad girl who isn’t terrible but you understand why she’s unlikable.  Seeing everyone come together and how much they care about each other and the farm kept me rooting for them.

Scoring: 3

The Polar Express (2004)

Rated: G

Genres: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy 

Starring: Tom Hanks

Synopsis: On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.

Review:  While definitely for children, this movie, based on the popular book, also appeals to adults who still believe in Christmas magic. The animated tale brings back memories of childhood wonder. 

Scoring: 5

Pottersville (2017)

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Comedy

Starring: Judy Greer, Christina Hendricks, Thomas Lennon, Ian McShane, Ron Perlman, Michael Shannon

Synopsis: A man’s drunken romp in a gorilla suit gets him mistaken for Bigfoot, drawing media attention and tourist dollars to his struggling small town.

Review: It’s so hard to describe this movie.  It has an A-list cast who are all phenomenal actors, but the story is kind of weird.  It wants to be a serious character piece, and a spoof, and a feel-good movie, all at one time.  I say give it a try.  The actors are worth watching.  I didn’t laugh out loud.  I didn’t really laugh.  I will say I was amused and enjoyed it enough. 

Scoring: 2.5

Prancer (1989)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family 

Starring: Sam Elliott, Cloris Leachman, and Johnny Galecki

Synopsis: A farm girl nurses a wounded reindeer she believes is one of Santa's, hoping to bring it back to health in time for Christmas. Her holiday spirit inspires those around her, something her disheartened father is having trouble understanding.

Review:  There’s something beautiful about the pure belief and innocence of a child. To me that’s the best part of the film. It’s a little slow for me but I think it’s a good family film. 

Scoring: 3

Prancer Returns (2001)

Rated: NR

Genres: Drama, Family 

Starring: John Corbett and Jack Palance

Synopsis: Preteen brothers from a broken marriage live with their mother, Denise, in a rural town. Ryan, the cheeky elder boy, wants to go live with their father, Matt, in Chicago. This confuses shy Charlie, the youngest, who is also the butt of bigger school kids' often mean pranks. Then he finds two reindeer on his way home from school which he believes to be Santa's called Prancer and his son and heir, also called Prancer, which he tries to hide at home. Ryan's help bonds the brothers again.

Review:  Like the first Prancer movie, this is a good family film. Children with divorced parents may relate to the brothers. It’s got a lot of Christmas spirit. 

Scoring: 3

The Preacher’s Wife (1996)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Religion, Romance 

Starring: Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston 

Synopsis: An angel comes to Earth to help a preacher save his church and his family.

Review:  In an updated remake of “The Bishop’s Wife”, we find a beautiful story of faith. It’s not a direct remake as they changed the story a little but I think that worked for the best. It’s slow but charming. 

Scoring: 3

Pride, Prejudice & Mistletoe (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Romance 

Starring: Lacey Chabert and Brendan Penny

Synopsis: Darcy is a career woman who hasn't found love, but her life turns upside down when she returns home to care for her sick mother.

Review:  If you’re looking for an overt take on the Austen classic, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re happy with a beautiful love story, including good people set with gorgeous Christmas displays as the background, you’ll be thrilled.

Scoring: 4

The Prince & Me 3: A Royal Honeymoon (2008)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Cam Heskin and Chris Geere

Synopsis: King Edvard, to please Queen Paige, diverts their honeymoon to the fictional crown protectorate of Belavia.  Soon the discover an underhanded plot by the ambitious Danish prime minister.

Review: This movie reminded me of “When Harry Met Sally” in that it’s two best friends who don’t realize they’re in love. The story kept me thoroughly entertained. It was well written and acted. The only thing I didn’t like was Jennifer Coolidge’s Aunt Sandy. She wasn’t a realistic character. She was too extra. 

Scoring: 1.5

A Prince & Pauper Christmas (2022)

Rated: PG

Genre: Drama

Starring: Brittany Underwood and Jonathan Stoddard

Synopsis: When her down on his luck confidential informant in a criminal investigation suddenly goes missing, a desperate young federal agent recruits his doppelganger to play his role.

Review: This movie was cheesy, corny, and just plain dumb. There wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t bored or wanting to roll my eyes. The story, had it been done with better actors and a better director, had potential. 

Scoring: 1.5

The Princess Switch (2018)

Rated: NR

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance 

Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, and Nick Sagar

Synopsis: One week before Christmas, Margaret, the gorgeous Duchess of Montenaro, switches places with Stacy, a "commoner" from Chicago, who looks exactly like her. With the assistance of a magical Santa's helper, Margaret falls in love with Stacy's handsome co-worker, while Stacy falls in love with Margaret's fiancé, the dashing Prince.

Review:  The first time I watched I wasn't a huge fan.  I've now watched it more times than I can count.  The characters are realistic, given we're including royalty, and the relationships happen so naturally.  Hudgens is amazing playing two roles that are so different and it's easy to tell which character it is.

Scoring: 4

The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family

Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, and Nick Sagar

Synopsis: When Duchess Margaret unexpectedly inherits the throne to Montenaro and hits a rough patch with Kevin, it's up to her double Stacy to save the day before a new lookalike, party girl Fiona foils their plans.

Review: In this second installment, we now see Hudgens masterfully playing 3 separate characters.  Fiona is hysterical with all her, "Maggie Moo" and other comments.  If you liked the first, you'll love this continuance of their stories.

Scoring: 4

The Princess Switch 3 (2021)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Remy Hii, and Will Kemp

Synopsis: When a priceless relic is stolen, Queen Margaret and Princess Stacy enlist the help of Margaret’s cousin Fiona who teams with a man from her past to retrieve it, with romance and resulting in a very unexpected switch.

Review: I loved the first two movies and I was really looking forward to this third installment but also worried about how they could switch a third time and keep the story fresh.  I was thrilled that they accomplished just that.  I don’t know how Hudgens manages to play a character pretending to be another character so brilliantly.  I will say that you may struggle with this if you haven’t seen the first two.

Scoring: 4

Project Christmas Joy (2019)

Rated: G

Genre: Documentary

Starring: Rashad Jennings

Synopsis: In March 2019, tornadoes ravaged two small towns in Alabama. In an effort to bring Christmas joy to those who have gone through so much, our wish is to help provide some hope, and joy, to this special community for the holidays.

Review: There is a lot of repetition, especially in the video segments.  That being said, it’s so moving.  Have your tissues ready.  The families sharing their stories give you a true understanding of their experiences.  The hope and love shared by everyone, including hundreds of volunteers, is the true spirit of Christmas.

Scoring: 3

Project Christmas Wish (2020)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Amanda Schull and Travis Van Winkle

Synopsis: A woman’s life becomes transformed as she works toward granting a little girl’s wish for a Christmas like she used to have with her mother.

Review: The little girl is the special star of this movie.  She is the reason they are doing everything which is why they fall in love.  Max is just adorable.  There’s so much Christmas fun.  We also have two adults working on moving on from past hurts.  There’s a little drama, a lot of love, and tons of Christmas.

Scoring: 3.5

Project: Puppies for Christmas (2019)

Rated: TV-Y

Genres: Family, Religion

Starring: John Ratzenberger

Synopsis: Two young girls attempt to bring Christmas joy to a cranky old man, who is really an angel who has lost his faith in the good of man, so Santa will bring them puppies for their good deed.

Review: I really liked this movie.  It’s such a sweet story with a positive message.  This would be great for families to watch and then discuss ways they can give to neighbors or the community.  Religion isn’t a main theme of the movie or discussed often but the values are woven throughout.  The one caveat is that they do discuss parents dying and visit a children’s hospital with very ill children and it may make the subject matter too much for the youngest children.  If your children are young you may want to preview it.

Scoring: 3

Proper English Christmas (2013)

Rated: G

Genre: Documentary

Synopsis: Come home for a proper English and learn all about what it takes to make this holiday so special in times past.

Review: If you’re interested in history, especially Victorian England, you’ll enjoy this.  A family goes and lives on a Victorian farm and actually do everything the way it would be done back then.  It’s a great reminder of how easy we have it today.  If you don’t enjoy history or documentaries, skip it.

Scoring: 2

Puppy Star Christmas (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family, Fantasy 

Starring: David Deluise

Synopsis: A song-filled new Air Bud 'Pup Star' movie that introduces four new pups to the family, who stow away on Santa's sleigh and find themselves trapped at the North Pole, trying to save the world's Christmas spirit.

Review:  The human characters are caricatures of people but that adds to the silliness and joy of the movie. I think children will love the talking dogs, the colorful sets and costumes,  and the music while adults will find it a little cheesy but will still be able to enjoy it. Look for the dancing reindeer with leg warmers. 

Scoring: 3