25 Days of Christmas Movies - Movie 4 - Holiday Road Trip

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MOVIES - HOLIDAY ROAD TRIP

Starring:  Patrick Muldoon, Ashley Scott, Kip Pardue, Shelly Long and George Hamilton.

About the movie (from Christmas Wiki):
Co-workers at a high-profile pet supply store in Washington D.C., Pat (Patrick Muldoon) and Maya (Ashley Scott) couldn't be more opposite. Maya works in accounting, she’s a driven, ambitious businesswoman looking to turn her job into a great career.  He’s in the design department and basically plays for a living, which is a perfect job for the little kid who never really grew up. She wears Manolos, and he wears Velcro. 

When Maya's obscenely successful boyfriend, Davis (Kip Pardue) leaves her right before Christmas, she begrudgingly decides to volunteer an RV tour along with Pat and the star of the company, Scoots (Uggie the dog, "The Artist"). At first, the road trip is a match made in hell. But the whole idea is the brain child of the company founder Max (George Hamilton), who is Pat's dad.
Once on the road, opposites are put to the test. Pat eats nothing but junk food, but she wants to be healthy. He listens to hard rock, while she prefers jazz. He drives 95, while she coasts at a leisurely 55. She thinks he’s an uneducated man-child while he thinks she’s a self-absorbed snob. But fate has a funny way of intervening. All the while, Davis, who feels he made a terrible mistake breaking up with Maya, is one step behind. 

My Review:  
Holiday Road Trip is one of those awkward yet sweet little Christmas movies that is intended to inspire some giggles and smiles.  Polar opposites Pat and Maya head out on a road trip with Scoots the mascot of Pet Products.  What starts out as a desperate attempt to just get away from home while nursing her wounded heart, develops into a friendship and romantic adventure.  

I believe my favorite part of the film was actually seeing actors from my childhood like Susan Olsen (Cindy from the Brady Bunch), Mindy Cohn (THE Natalie my favorite Facts of Life girl), Donna Partow of Angie and of course Saturday Night Fever, and Shelly Long among others.  It was a fun holiday romp that provided a nice evening's escape from shopping and planning for Christmas.  Loved it for what it was.  Do not expect "It's A Wonderful Life" do expect a sweet and quirky film.  

30 Days of Christmas Movies - Christmas Town

I have been getting into the Christmas spirit with lots of forays into Christmas movies.  I have been watching at least one a day, and it has been lots of fun.  It has also been pretty easy thanks to Netflix and their instant streaming.  I have been able to watch all kinds of fun holiday movies.  I hope to share each one here.  The good, the bad, and the merry.

Today it is movie number 4 - Christmas Town

Starring Nicole de Boer, Patrick Muldoon, and Gig Morton.

The film begins with Liz a very career oriented real estate agent heading off with her son Mason to visit her father Jack in a small town named Hollyville (also known as America's Christmas town).  Liz's father is much like herself. A city person who was very focused on a very successful career.  Now that he has taken up residence in Hollyville, Jack has tossed his life of a banker to a life in the sweetest little Christmas town around, and Liz is not thrilled with the changes in her dad nor the quirky little town.

One of the townies named Kevin shares with Liz that he was once a mess before he came into town and that Hollyville is like the land of misfit toys.  All the residents had the need to be fixed. Liz definitely fits that description.

Young Mason is completely taken with the town.  Mason is also intrigued with the small factory outside the town called NP Enterprises.  Mason is convinced that the guy they call "the big guy" just could be Santa Claus.  

My thoughts - Christmas Town is a sweet movie.  There is a lot of fluff to it, but it has its moments.  I liked that Liz and her father became close again, it was nice seeing a little town dedicated to Christmas, but it was also weird because there was no snow.  I like snow in Christmas movies.  This could seem kind of silly since I grew up in California for half of my life and where I lived there was no snow.  The characters were all pretty sweet and on the dorky side, but they fit the movie.  For me the only oddity was Patrick Muldoon. The dude's hair distracted me throughout the movie.  This is what happens when your husband buys a very hi definition TV.  :)

On a scale of 1 to 5 candy canes, I'd give it 2.5 candy canes.