Synopsis:
Taylor, a journalist, and Luke, ib the military, share a special bond that grows between them over the course of several Christmases that they spend together and apart.
Starring:
Kayla Wallace, Kevin McGarry, Lindsay Merrithew, Susan Hammann, Cory lee, and James M. Jenkinson
Genre:
Drama, Romance
Premiered:
July 9, 2022 - Hallmark Channel
Christmas in July 2022 - Movie #9 🩱🏖🎄
Hallmark's original movie "My Grown-Up Christmas List" is based on the Amy Grant and David Foster hit holiday song of the same name which we hear like three or four times throwout the movie. This continues the trend of Hallmark making holiday movies outta holiday songs.
This is the second movie that real life lovebirds, and Hallmark stars, Kevin McGarry and Kayla Wallace have done outside of working together on Hallmark's popular television show 'When Calls the Heart.' I will say that they had much better chemistry in this film then there prior one, 'Feeling Butterflies.' They just come across far more believable as two people in love. Military movies, especially holiday themed ones made for television, are a real toss up. Sometimes the sentimentality can really be a hinder, and there's plenty of sentiment going on here. This particular film is a very serious romantic drama. I wish it wasn't so serious because all the good stuff was tinged with overdrawn drama. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a very serviceably made film, there are gonna be legions of fans, I'd even watch it again at some point, but it was a tad boring and just dragged on. I didn't feel any real joy that these characters are supposed to feel. It felt like a lot of hand wringing. So the gist of the movie is that Taylor comes home for Christmas to see her grandfather, she's sad about her dead mom but stranger Luke helps her out. The following Christmas the two meet up again and decided to make a go of it even with Luke going off to an undisclosed country in Eastern Europe to train soldiers. By the way, it seems very easy and quick to travel to this unknown country on a whim, but that's either movie magic or movie logic. Fiction is no place for reality. Any way, we get to see like four years of Christmases between these two. I know I'm being all negative about this movie, but I do think that I'd probably like it more upon repeat viewings. It's not a bad film, but since I'd know what to expect I think it'd be less boring on a rewatch. I'm struggling to rate this, I should give it two and a half stars, but I think I'll give it a three.
If you like this kind of movie, I'd recommend a 2012 Christmas movie called 'Love at the Christmas Table' that's pretty similar. We get to see characters only at Christmas through a span of many years. It's pretty great and lost in a see of holiday movies. Kinda like the book/movie 'One Day.'
And before I end this, good grief is Kevin McGarry just so swoon worthy. Spraying myself in the face with a water bottle just like Blanche on the "Golden Girls."
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Where to Watch: Hallmark Channel
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