Christmas Homecoming (2017) Movie Review

Christmas Homecoming (2017)   4/54/54/54/54/5


Julie Benz and Michael Shanks in Christmas Homecoming (2017)

Coming Home To You

Amanda Edwards (Julie Benz - Charming Christmas) is a military widow who still plays an active part on the military scene by working at the town's military museum which is hoping to create a wing dedicated to the veterans but is short on funds. Master Sgt. Jim Mullins (Michael Shanks - Hearts of Spring) is on forced leave over Christmas having suffered an injury to his leg in action and as such plans to experience some civilian life whilst he recovers. It is how he meets Amanda as he rents the apartment she has next to her home. It leads to the two of them working together to put on a Christmas fundraiser for the museum and as they spend time together they find themselves helping each other move on.

I don't know if Hallmark Channel do this every year, I suspect they do, but "Christmas Homecoming" is one of their military Christmas movies which pay respect to those who have served and those who have suffered loss of a loved ones whilst on active service. And as I have come to find, these Hallmark military movies are extremely moving and I don't mean that they just build up to an emotional climax but are filled full of scenes which touch you when it comes to paying respect to those as I said have served and suffered loss. And I am not ashamed to say that there are several moments in "Christmas Homecoming" where I found myself welling up.

But of course there is more to "Christmas Homecoming" than just paying respect to the military and we have a story of Amanda a widow who hasn't moved on and Jim who having returned injured also feels responsible for those in his team who died in action and those who went missing in action. As such we watch these two end up becoming close and in doing so helping each other emotionally although there is an old friend of Amanda's who is hoping when she is ready she will start seeing him. But rather than this being just a cheesy romantic Hallmark Christmas movie the romantic side is as touching as the other side of the movie with both Julie Benz and Michael Shanks playing their parts well with Benz in particular doing a marvellous job of delivering that emotional conflict as she finds herself falling for Jim but not wanting to bring closure to her relationship with her late husband.

What this all boils down to is that "Christmas Homecoming" is one of those wonderfully moving Christmas movies which Hallmark make each year and stand out from the crowd.

Tags: TV Christmas Movies, Christmas Movies


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