User Reviews

A story within a story, in a charming interweaving of the traditional holiday themes of family and love and memories of those no longer with us.

The actors have credible reasons for hanging out together; they deliver some intelligent and believable dialogue in pursuit of the historical story. Their interactions with each other and the girl are sweet - sometimes a bit OTT but then Sidney is a stewardess with the usual ever-ready customer service smile - and their romance is more credibly incremental than many holiday passions are.

This movie took some care with the small details, adding layers that too often are missed in the rush-job of filming a holiday movie over 2 weeks in September. Sidney wears her hair loose when she's off duty but in a very believable stewardess up-do when appropriate. She's on her way to Bali and doesn't have a magical expanding wardrobe to outfit her for the colder weather. The angel gift is one of several small moments of connection between Sidney and Leah, not forced to carry the whole weight of the relationship. The historical story unfolds in small increments rather than grand revelations, and its conclusion isn't the impetus for the happy ending, which has already happened quietly when Sidney made her decision off-screen.

Further, I really appreciate that Sidney doesn't over-water the scenery in her angst about any of her issues: saying Arrivaderci to Leah the first time, being an orphan who spends Christmas in hotels, leaving the family who have taken her under their wing for the holidays. Tearing-up and other emoting may play better with the reality-TV generation but those of us who have had all the overblown dramatics we can handle in real life only appreciate the quiet thoughtfulness of these actors and this script more.

Perhaps it's the understated easing into relationships that bothers some viewers, or the lack of a trumped-up misunderstanding that's customary at the 3/4 mark, which would be solved if the romantic leads would stop for thirty seconds to let the other finish a sentence. This is a mature relationship developing, taking into account the realities of existing children and family issues.

A movie with a lot of heart and some nice subtle touches.

Sydney is a flight attendant in charge of an unaccompanied minor, Leah, in a flight from Seattle to Chicago. Once she is returned safely to her father, they offer to buy her a hot cocoa. Jonathan and Sydney begin talking and he asks her if he can write a Christmas column about her parent's love story.

The premise is a good one. I've heard good things about this. I personally think the story about her parents came out of nowhere and I was confused? It was so random.

Let's get technical now. I work in aviation and I had so many "ahh" moments. The aircraft shown from the outside was a A380, which is used for long flights up to 18 hours. Using it for a four hour flight makes no sense. Now, the inside of the aircraft was clearly a 320 or 737. (3 seats of either side). Sydney changing her flight to stay with the minor? That's a no. She should deliver her to ground staff and get onto her next flight. The same with getting the information of the passenger, I'm not sure that's allowed? It was a nice gesture, but weird, nevertheless.

Getting back to Hallmark now: the chemistry between the leads was good, the same with the child and the secondary cast. The relationship between Sydney and Leah was the sweetest. We have a few adorable moments that are a "no-miss" for these types of movies.

And now the ending. You cannot understand HOW MAD I was. This woman was waiting 10 years for a promotion like no other, and she gives it up for a man she has known for a whole week? I'm mad. It would have been nearly perfect if she just went to Rome and we got a time jump at the end, like a year later or so.

Without these complains, it was a sweet movie, I do not regret watching it, but I made me mad in more than one occasion.

This movie was reasonably good. It was a Hallmark Christmas romance, full of the tropes we have come to expect from Hallmark Christmas romances, including the widower with the adorable kid, the Christmas-phobe girl who gets a good dose of Christmas from said widower and kid (not to mention their whole extended family), the standard Christmas activities like snowball fights, snowman building and making snow angels, etc. But it delivered what we expected.

The actors were pretty likable and engaging. Brook Burns as flight attendant Sydney was cute and fun, and her winning smile graced nearly every scene. Tom Everett Scott was great as widower Jonathan, coming across as more of a relatable, down-to-earth, Bill Pullman-type character than a chiseled hunk. And, of course, Sophie Neudorf as the daughter Leah was adorable, as all kids in Hallmark movies must be. Was there chemistry there? Definitely between Sydney and Leah. Between Sydney and Jonathan, not so much. There should have been more opportunities for them to interact and build a romantic relationship. The whole mystery thing, with them trying to figure out how Sydney's parents met, was supposed to provide that one-on-one time for them, but sadly, I think it just detracted from the romance. The big reveal about how her parents met was kind of a letdown too. Not that exciting. That whole plot point could have been eliminated, in my opinion.

The scenes with Sydney interacting with Jonathan's extended family were very warm and satisfying. I wish they had showed better the contrast between that and Sydney's normal life, and had her realize just how empty her life was, jetting around the globe to fantastic destinations but missing out on the joys of family. She does eventually get that message, but through the whole movie, she never seems that dissatisfied with her normal life, so it doesn't really ring true. I never really believed that she would sacrifice her dream job in Rome to be with this family who she liked, but had only known for a few days. A better scenario might have been for her to take the Rome job but stay in touch with Jonathan and Leah, and after, say, a year, decide that she had the wanderlust out of her system and that she wanted to settle down in Chicago and be with them. There also needed to be a much stronger romantic connection between her and Jonathan to make such a life-altering decision.

On the whole, I'd say this was probably in the upper half of Hallmark romances, but more toward the bottom part of the upper half. It was fun and enjoyable to watch, but I doubt I'll remember much about it a year from now.

A comfortable and comforting way to pass two hours. The setup is a little inventive, but the widower father meets the airline stewardess who goes "above and beyond" to get his daughter home when she is charged with looking after the little girl.

Cue flight delays, steadily warming relationship and the emotional pressure when her dream job is offered on Christmas Eve. Everyone who meets her likes her. She achieves the switch from stewardess to potential new girlfriend by the simple artifice of changing hairstyle - simple and effective.

I had not niticed this actress begire, but she has popped up twice this week in believable and plausible films including a detective series.

The side story (dad is a journalist and the stewardess needs to find out how her parents first met, to fill a hole in her family history) is heartwarming. Overall, the story ticks all the boxes. The cast are well matched.

Viewed in November 2023.