The Road Home For Christmas (2019)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Marla Sokoloff, Rob Mayes, and Marie Osmond

Synopsis: Two rival musicians, Lindsay and Wes who perform in a dueling piano show, suddenly find themselves without a gig on Christmas Eve and decide to road trip to their neighboring hometowns together.

Review: This love story is done so well with a lot of help from Sokoloff and Mayes.  The only parts I didn’t care for was there singing, because it was like lip-synching, and Marie Osmond.  Don’t get me wrong, I adore Osmond, but her part of the story was like pausing the real story.  It was a distraction from the emotion of the romance.  Despite that, this is one I will watch again because the rest is so good.

Scoring: 3

Road To Christmas AKA My Three Wise Men (2018)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance 

Starring: Jesse Schram, Chad Michael Murray, and Teryl Rothery 

Synopsis: Los Angeles television producer Maggie Baker unwittingly falls for Danny Wise, the son and former producer of his mother's popular annual Christmas special, Julia Wise Lifestyle. When Maggie's secret plan to reunite Danny and his two brothers with Julia during the live broadcast in Vermont goes awry, Maggie is reminded that above all, it is the love for family and friends that makes the merriest of Christmas.

Review:  I loved this movie!  The plot is original and layered. The characters and their relationships are relatable. It includes wonderful Christmas traditions and a charming love story. 

Scoring: 4

The Road To Christmas (2006)

Rated:  PG

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family 

Starring: Jennifer Grey and Clark Gregg

Synopsis: High-powered fashion photographer Claire Jameson finds herself stranded in middle America on the way to her dream Christmastime wedding in Aspen. Unable to get another flight or rent a car, Claire is reduced to begging for a ride. When the rugged former artist-turned-teacher Tom Pullman and his 13-year old daughter Hilly kindly offer to take her, none of them realize that their journey is just beginning, and it will leave them all in a place very different from where they began.

Review:  I believe that knowing the two leads are married in real life made this movie less enjoyable for me. It’s hard to get lost in a story when the actors keep bringing you back to reality. Other than that, I found it to be fairly bland and one I didn’t mind seeing once but wouldn’t want to watch again. 

Scoring: 2

Rock N’ Roll Christmas (aka A Christmas Comeback) (2019)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Family, Musical

Starring: Catherine Mary Stewart and Beverley Mitchell

Synopsis: An estranged mother/daughter country music duo reunite after 10 years apart to release a Christmas single after a video of them goes viral. Now, they're going to need a lot of forgiveness and a little Christmas magic to write a song that perfectly captures the spirit of Christmas and brings their family back together.

Review: This movie is okay.  It’s just missing that special something.  The story is superficial and doesn’t really get into the emotions of the characters.  There’s too many times when the music seems like a filler rather than an important part of the story.  With all that, there’s still enough to make it okay but it wouldn’t be my first choice to watch.

                                                    Scoring: 2

Rodeo & Juliet (2015)

Rated:  PG

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Krista Allen

Synopsis: A young woman from the city is taught how to barrel race by a handsome cowboy.

Review: Other than this taking place over Christmas break, there’s no real Christmas here. It does have new love and old love, lots of horses, and some nice scenery. If you want a simple romance this is for you. If you want Christmas magic, not so much.

Scoring: 2.5

Rolling Into Christmas (2022)

Rated: TV-14

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Rhyon Nicole Brown, Donny Carrington, and Jazmine Robinson

Synopsis: Two Childhood sweethearts who shared a passion for roller skating are reunited 15 years later during the holidays, forcing them to question their love and life choices.

Review: The movie has the possibility for some really emotional stories but it feels more like it’s skimming the surface. It doesn’t have an obvious ending and it was nice to watch once. 

Scoring: 2

The Rooftop Christmas Tree (2016)

Rated: NR

Genres: Family, Romance 

Starring: Stephen Huszar, Michelle Morgan, and Tim Reid

Synopsis: It's Christmas and once again, Dale Landis places a tree on his roof and ends up in court. No one in the small town knows why he continues the practice, but idealistic attorney, Sarah Wright is determined to give Mr. Landis his Christmas wish and keep him out of jail. Judge Conner has different ideas when he puts Sarah and aggressive prosecutor John Keaton together to figure out the mystery behind the rooftop Christmas tree. The two must come together to find a solution and in the end find out more not only about Mr. Landis, but about each other. 

Review:  This movie has all the makings of the perfect feel-good Christmas movie except one, keeping my attention. It’s heartwarming, shows the true meaning of love, the true spirit of Christmas, it’s original, and it’s based on a true story. I think a lot of people will love this. It just dragged for me. 

Scoring: 2.5

Round and Round (2023)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Family, Romance

Starring: Vic Michaelis and Bryan Greenberg 

Synopsis: Rachel's stuck in a time loop, reliving the night of her parents' Hanukkah party. Can Zach, the "nice boy" Grandma's trying to set her up with, help her make it to tomorrow?

Review: Yes, this is a Groundhog Day type movie. That being said, it’s got a young and new feel to it. The pace is quicker than a typical holiday movie which kept my attention the whole time. It’s like a Hallmark movie and an 80s brat pack movie were blended together.  I can’t wait to watch again. 

Scoring: 4

A Royal Christmas Ball (2017)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Romance 

Starring: Tara Reid and Ingo Rademacher

Synopsis: Dateless for the Christmas ball, 39-year-old bachelor King Charles of Baltamia tracks down his American college sweetheart only to discover that she has never married but raised a 17-year-old daughter who mathematically might be his biological princess. 

Review:  I’ll admit that Tara Reid being the star had me going in with low expectations but I was right. The story is a bad copy of “What A Girl Wants”. It might have been okay but Reid’s acting was horrible. It really ruined it. 

Scoring: 1

A Royal Christmas Crush (2023)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance 

Starring: Stephen Huszar and Katie Cassidy

Synopsis: Ava accepts the opportunity of a lifetime to work at the Royal Ice Hotel which leads her to a surprise whirlwind romance with the most important guest of all, the Royal Prince himself.

Review: if you’ve seen other “Royal” movies the prince falls for a commoner plot won’t surprise you. It’s a sweet movie but the ice hotel is my favorite part. It’s one I’ll probably like more each time I see it. 

Scoring: 3.5

A Royal Christmas Engagement (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Paige Bach, James Nitti, and John Schneider

Synopsis: A hard working advertising executive falls for a consultant who is actually a prince disguised as a commoner.

Review: Take your standard American girl falls for guy she doesn’t know is a prince, water it down, lower the quality of everything, and you’ll have this movie. There’s nothing new or interesting and it wasn’t done well. It’s a one and done for me. 

Scoring: 1.5

A Royal Christmas Match (2022)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Jordana Largy and Matthew MacCaull

Synopsis: Princess Camille travels to America to create a college exchange program and falls for professor Rhett, but when she discovers he was hired by her father to babysit her, she wonders if he cares more about her or his career.

Review: It started out a little slow and it’s a little corny but I ended up really enjoying it. The relationship developed naturally. I loved that the main characters had Ph.D.s and the emphasis on education. A lovely romance. 

Scoring: 3

A Royal Christmas on Ice (2022)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: William Baldwin, Anna Marie Dobbins, Johnathan Stoddard

Synopsis: Looking to escape his Royal life, a dashing prince comes to the United States to start a business in a small town in upstate New York and winds up falling for a former Olympic ice skater.

Review: This movie was soooooo boring. It was torture to sit through. It felt like it would never end. The leads don’t have chemistry as much as they seem like father and daughter. William Baldwin took away from rather than adding to the movie. Ugh

Scoring: 1

A Royal Corgi Christmas (2022)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Hunter King and Jordan Renzo

Synopsis: To win his mother's love, Prince Edmond gives her a corgi and hires Cecily, a dog trainer. Edmond and Cecily bond over the dog, and discover that love can grow in unexpected places.

Review: I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t just about the dogs. It was mainly a typical commoner and Royal romance. The dogs were an adorable addition. It was sweet and enjoyable. 

Scoring: 3

Royal Family Christmas (2015)

Rated: TV-MA

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Vivica A. Fox and Tichina Arnold

Synopsis: Siblings hatch a scheme to reunite their parents in time for Christmas.

Review: This movie is a sequel to A Royal Family Holiday.  I wasn’t able to watch that movie before this one.  From the beginning I felt lost.  It didn’t take into account the viewer that didn’t already know the story from the first movie.  As it continued, I liked some of the scenes but I never fully felt like I got what was happening. 

Scoring: 1.5

The Royal Nanny (2022)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring, Rachel Skarsten and Dan Jeannote

Synopsis: Claire is an MI5 agent who becomes the royal nanny, having to overcome challenges on her mission as she keeps the family safe for Christmas and resists Prince Colin's charms.

Review:  I loved this movie. There was the puzzle of determining who the bad guys were, Christmas fun with the kids, and more.  It was different from the typical movie.  I was engrossed in the movie from beginning to end. 

Scoring: 4.5

A Royal Queens Christmas (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Megan Park and Julian Morris

Synopsis: A prince finds his way to Queens during Christmas when a local woman enlists his help with a children’s Christmas show.

Review: I liked her family, but it was too predictable and a little too sappy. It almost felt like some of the characters were exaggerating their accents. It’s an okay romcom but just that.**Additonal Review-I wanted to watch it again to see how I felt. I did like it more the second time. It’s still not a favorite but it’s one you might want to watch once.  

Scoring: 2.5

Royally Wrapped For Christmas (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Romance

Starring: Jen Lilley and Brendan Fehr

Synopsis: The director of an international charity organization is called to the Kingdom of Veronia by the royal family where she falls in love with a prince.

Review: This has the commoner falls in love with the prince but it’s done in a way that doesn’t feel stale.  I love the message of get one give one and the emphasis on giving during the holidays.  There’s also so much Christmas scenery.  It’s lovely.  Definitely heartwarming.

Scoring: 3.5

Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas In July (1979)

Rated: G

Genres: Animation, Comedy, Fantasy, Musical

Starring: Red Buttons, Ethel Merman, and Mickey Rooney

Synopsis: Rudolph and Frosty are pitted against Winterbolt, an icy wizard who plots to make the North Pole his evil domain and enlist the help of Jack Frost and others to fight the Winterbolt.

Review: I know there are fans that will disagree, but I don’t care for this. I found the plot difficult to follow. It feels like it was forced just to make another special. I’m not sure children will be able to follow the story, but they may enjoy seeing the familiar characters. 

Scoring: 1.5

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Rated: G

Genres: Animation, Fantasy

Starring: Burl Ives

Synopsis: A misfit reindeer and his friends look for a place that will accept them.

Review: Rudolph was an annual must-see for us growing up.  As an adult, I find it pretty boring.  I realize it’s not a popular opinion but it’s an honest one.  Don’t get me wrong.  I still watch it almost every year.  The story is just kind of blah to me.  I understand they needed to find other misfits to make it into a movie but to me it feels like they are just that rather than the basis of the movie.  This is a classic loved by many.  If you’ve never seen it, you have to see it at least once.

Scoring: 3.5

Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (1976)

Rated: G

Genres: Animation, Comedy, Fantasy

Starring: Red Skelton

Synopsis: Rudolph must find Happy, the baby New Year, before midnight on New Year's Eve.

Review: This is for children or those who have watched it every year and consider it a staple. As an adult, I found it a bit boring, even for a sequel. Children will probably see the magic and love seeing Rudolph again. 

Scoring: 2.5

Runaway Christmas Bride (2017)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance 

Starring: Cindy Busby and Travis Milne

Synopsis: Kate is standing at the altar, when the groom, Alex, reveals a devastating family secret. Hurt and shocked by this betrayal, Kate leaves him at the altar. Needing time to heal, Kate goes on her honeymoon at a ski resort. At the resort she meets Jason, an Olympic downhill ski hopeful. Just when she thought she'd never love again, Kate and Jason get to know each other, and there is a mutual attraction. As things start to heat up between them, Alex and his family show up. Will Kate learn to finally make her own decisions or will she always just be the Runaway Christmas Bride?

Review:  It’s a typical Christmas movie with beautiful snowy mountains as the backdrop. There are a few twists and turns but nothing too surprising. I did like Kate’s hotel roommates. Don’t worry. No spoilers.  The movie is fun to watch. 

Scoring: 3