Coming Home for Christmas (2013) Benjamin Hollingsworth, Carly McKillip, Britt McKillip, Amy Jo Johnson, George Canyon, Jordan McIntosh, Vanessa Parise Movie Review

Coming Home for Christmas (2013)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Carly McKillip and Benjamin Hollingsworth in Coming Home for Christmas (2013)

Home is Where the Heart is at

It has been 5 years since sisters Kate (Carly McKillip) and Melanie (Britt McKillip - Holiday Wishes) spoke, after Kate told Melanie she was making a mistake on her wedding day, and in that time their parents, Wendy (Amy Jo Johnson - Sweetwater) and Al (George Canyon - Christmas Miracle), have had to sell the family home and move in to a town house. When Wendy and Al have a row and split up Kate sets about coming up with a plan to get them back together by staging a traditional family Christmas which firstly means she needs to make up with her sister. But she also needs to persuade the new owner of their old family home to let them use it for Christmas. It is how she meets Mike (Benjamin Hollingsworth - Signed, Sealed, Delivered), a former marine who runs a wood work shop in the town with Ryan (Jordan McIntosh), the son of his best friend who died in action overseas.

"Coming Home for Christmas" makes me feel like saying a bit of a contradiction as it is a movie with quite a lot going on yet in truth it isn't. What I mean is that after a short intro featuring the perfect Christmases we get the row between Kate and Melanie, we then get issues between their parents as Wendy misses the family home. Then we have Mike's story which sees him acting as a sort of guardian to Ryan, his late best friend's son. But there is more as there is of course some romance, some confusion over characters feelings, sisterly tension and also a mystery surrounding Mike's past and large family. That is quite a bit for a Christmas movie yet in truth what you get in "Coming Home for Christmas" boils down to family issues getting sorted and Kate and Mike falling for each other. It certainly gives you plenty to keep track of even if most of it ends up pretty predictable.

But in truth "Coming Home for Christmas" shares plenty in common with other made for TV movies. As such the romantic side of the movie is cute which not only features the obligatory kiss under the mistletoe but also an old fashioned way Kate lifts her leg when she kisses Mike, yes I did find it forced, corny and yet sweet at the same time. But we also have some nice snow covered streets, beautiful decorations and lots of other Christmassy things although the number of people in town in a scene which is suppose to be Christmas morning is quite comical or disturbing that they are not with their families. And then there is some Christmas song singing which is where sisters Carly and Britt McKillip really come in to their own and deliver more than just bubbly performances.

What this all boils down to is that "Coming Home for Christmas" is nothing more than an enjoyable Christmas movie with plenty of character storylines but overall nothing which will surprise fans of feel good Christmas movies.

Tags: TV Christmas Movies, Christmas Movies


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