Monday, July 21, 2025

Movie Review: Our Christmas Story

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Charming if predictable Christmas romance
Cons: A bit of low budget cheese
The Bottom Line:
Romance in the past
Framed with modern love story
Ultimately fun




“How Do You Intended to Find Her? And Don’t Say Fate.” “Okay, Destiny.”

When I was looking at Hallmark Christmas movies, I thought Our Christmas Story sounded like a fun twist on the usual Christmas movie formula.  But then I started to second guess myself when it came time to actually sit down and watch it.  As a result, I was pleasantly surprised with the result.

When the movie opens, there’s been a snafu, and Chris (Gavin Langelo) has arrived to meet his girlfriend’s parents, Dave and Nell (Warren Christie and Nikki Deloach), without his girlfriend, Joanna (Sydney Scotia).  As a way to break the ice, he asks how Dave and Nell met, not realizing it is a long story.

Ten years ago, Dave and Nell met on a train accidentally, but then are separated before they can even get their names right.  As they continue to meet and separate in the small town where it turns out they both live, neither realizes they are also fighting over the budget for a Christmas festival.  Can they overcome their differences?  Meanwhile, will Joanna ever arrive?  How will her first Christmas with Chris go?

While the majority of the time is spent back ten years ago when Dave and Nell are meeting, with some interference from a teenage Joanna, we do still have an ongoing story in the present.  I enjoyed how both stories played out, and I never had an issue switching from the past to the present and back again. 

It’s pretty obvious early what tropes the story in the past is playing with, but I didn’t mind.  As I always say, as long as I’m having fun, it doesn’t matter, and I was having fun.  The leads are fantastic, and their chemistry kept me engaged.  Not to mention the near misses.  And the resolution is heartwarming.

The contemporary story didn’t resonate with me quite as much, but that’s because it didn’t have nearly as much screen time.  The actors weren’t quite as good either.  Still, I found myself touched by this ending as well.

The movie does have some low budget cheese to it, including in some of the acting.  But you take that into account when sitting down to watch a Hallmark movie, right?

Overall, I enjoyed Our Christmas Story.  It was cute, charming, and festive.  If you want something a little different, pick this Christmas movie.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by. In order to combat spam, I moderate most comments. I'll get to your comment as soon as I can.