Lifetime's catalog of made for tv Christmas movies is hit or miss with me. Whereas most Hallmark and GAF movies are easy and festive viewing, with some real standouts, Lifetime seems to range between superb and almost painful to sit through.
While Welcome Home Christmas isn't objectively terrible, it didn't resonate with me at all. The lead, Jana Kramer, plays her role well enough and the other acting performances are about what you'd expect from a Lifetime Christmas movie. There isn't much chemistry between her and the male lead which takes away from the (limited) romantic storyline which is inherent to this genre
The premise of the movie might appeal to other viewers more than it did with me, as I had one big issue with it. The plot revolves around Chloe (Jana Kramer) recently leaving the military and becoming a counselor helping recent discharged soldiers adjust to civilian life.
The problem here is that while this is a good and more serious-than-usual theme for a TV Christmas movie, it isn't approached with any sort of depth. The movie never really delves into the male lead's (discharged soldier Michael) struggle beyond him missing his service dog. There isn't much focus on him struggling which causes the whole plot to fall flat. The premise is too serious to prompt much of the quirky and humorous fun that often is found in this genre (especially the standout films) yet there aren't really any traces of true struggle, grief, depression or serious themes which come along with struggling soldiers.
So in the end, it is neither a serious and heart warming movie nor a generic light hearted movie. It's just a one note and flat script which only delivers any emotion at the very end when Michael gets the one gift he really wants.
The scenery, because the movie is centered around a military base, is less festive than many Lifetime/Hallmark movies and the directing is unremarkable.
The fake snow is horrendously fake looking - clearly the same cheap cotton batting that retail shops put in their front window. You can literally see it blowing around like cotton tumbleweeds in some scenes.
Perhaps those who have served or their families will enjoy this more than I did. I would have found it more enjoyable had the subject matter been delved into in a more real way. More focus on Micheal's struggle and less focus on "Operation Santa Claus" would have made this a throwback to some of Lifetime's early (and excellent) Christmas movies which had more depth and less cookie cutter romcom themes and would have elevated the movie.
Other than the terrible fake snow, there's nothing memorable about this movie and it lacked the silly Christmas festive fun that the genre usually presents. 4/10.
While Welcome Home Christmas isn't objectively terrible, it didn't resonate with me at all. The lead, Jana Kramer, plays her role well enough and the other acting performances are about what you'd expect from a Lifetime Christmas movie. There isn't much chemistry between her and the male lead which takes away from the (limited) romantic storyline which is inherent to this genre
The premise of the movie might appeal to other viewers more than it did with me, as I had one big issue with it. The plot revolves around Chloe (Jana Kramer) recently leaving the military and becoming a counselor helping recent discharged soldiers adjust to civilian life.
The problem here is that while this is a good and more serious-than-usual theme for a TV Christmas movie, it isn't approached with any sort of depth. The movie never really delves into the male lead's (discharged soldier Michael) struggle beyond him missing his service dog. There isn't much focus on him struggling which causes the whole plot to fall flat. The premise is too serious to prompt much of the quirky and humorous fun that often is found in this genre (especially the standout films) yet there aren't really any traces of true struggle, grief, depression or serious themes which come along with struggling soldiers.
So in the end, it is neither a serious and heart warming movie nor a generic light hearted movie. It's just a one note and flat script which only delivers any emotion at the very end when Michael gets the one gift he really wants.
The scenery, because the movie is centered around a military base, is less festive than many Lifetime/Hallmark movies and the directing is unremarkable.
The fake snow is horrendously fake looking - clearly the same cheap cotton batting that retail shops put in their front window. You can literally see it blowing around like cotton tumbleweeds in some scenes.
Perhaps those who have served or their families will enjoy this more than I did. I would have found it more enjoyable had the subject matter been delved into in a more real way. More focus on Micheal's struggle and less focus on "Operation Santa Claus" would have made this a throwback to some of Lifetime's early (and excellent) Christmas movies which had more depth and less cookie cutter romcom themes and would have elevated the movie.
Other than the terrible fake snow, there's nothing memorable about this movie and it lacked the silly Christmas festive fun that the genre usually presents. 4/10.