Cross Country Christmas

I love Greyston Holt, I want to grab those ears and ride him through Christmas, but the lead female on the other hand would drive me crazy. It's a cute version of a story that we have admittedly seen before and it could have been dealt with better. It didn't have that warmth that others have had. I wasn't in a rush to turn it off, so it can't have been that bad. Greyston is just so lovely, why would I, but other than that there isn't much to talk about. 5ish.

source: Cross Country Christmas

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.

I'm not her biggest fan tbh, but I genuinely liked her character. She was fun and light, quirky but believable. I enjoyed the movie because of that. It was a nice fun Christmas movie. The male lead was good I guess, but if I had my choice I'd have cast another male lead that could play off Rachel Leigh Cook better.