I'll Be Home for Christmas (2016) Reviews

• I'll Be Watching this one Again- Winner

  gehewe2017-01-14

  We've got James Brolin (76) as a Grinch/Grandpa, an eight year old outspoken grand daughter that steals the show, a beautiful smart daughter with a mismatched boyfriend and a dog. These combine for a great movie. As soon as I saw the interaction between Brolin and the grand daughter Gracie- I was won over. Loved those scenes. Brolin's gruff manner just makes the movie delightful to watch. Also loved Angela Asher with that deep voice. This is definitely a winner. Not a dull moment in this movie. Lead actress was delightful. John Reardon role was also good. A touch of Beethoven destruction with the dog.

• Wonderful Performances

  InitforREEL2017-09-03

  This is a movie I'll look forward to watching many times. A true to heart lesson about going home to right any wrongs. An enjoyable performance by Giselle Eisenberg and an amazing performance by both James Brolin and Mena Suvari, the three of them create a family unit that is sometimes stressful, but continually moving forward to an unbreakable family bond. Fabulous movie!

• Solid Acting, Enjoyable Performance

  charcnc2017-01-09

  I have watched most of Hallmark Christmas 2016 movies. I also saw many of the older movies as I am relatively new to Hallmark Christmas. I rate this one high, because it was well acted. There was no portion where I wanted to stop watching because the actions (usually the heroine's) were cringe-worthy, painful or too unrealistic. The plot wasn't incredibly original, but it was well put together. A father reconnecting with his daughter after a number of years, and a heroine with multiple romantic interests. The little girl in the movie was adorable, and Hallmark didn't shy away from divorce this time. Even the dog was a nice touch. Frankly, this was one of the better movies of the season, even if it didn't hit us over the head with Christmas. Even the dislike of the holiday story line was short lived and not dragged out. The scenes with the grandfather and granddaughter were cute. Overall, I think perhaps this season Hallmark may have produced too many movies this season, because the quality appeared to not be as good as some of the older movies. Still, this one was pleasant.

• Unbearable

  ckras2018-12-25

  I want to make clear that I didn't make it to the end. As far as I went through with this torture, I want to point out the really bad acting, the 8-year old that knows everything and talks/thinks like an adult and the poor script that came along with it.

• Just OK

  Jackbv1232017-12-05

  The story is OK but no real surprises. This is another movie where the community center is in jeopardy and the mini-mystery isn't too surprising. There is a lot of angst with Jackie's bitterness that her father was gone too much. I found it very strange that he had time for the community center but not for family on Christmas when Jackie was young. This didn't make sense the way it was played. To me, it was all the more reason for Jackie to be bitter, but when she learned it, she barely reacted. Another old standard plot device was the workaholic current boyfriend, Rand(y). James Brolin was pretty good. The other acting was nothing to write Santa about. I didn't see a lot of chemistry between Mena Suvari and John Reardon, but some of that was lack of screen time. Giselle Eisenberg was a pistol. This was another case of the little girl having the apparent maturity of a 40 year old, but it added to the humor. The dog was also a good source of humor. The Hallmark ending was no surprise but typically over-the-top. If you like this kind of Christmas movie, you will find this one something between OK to good. If you aren't into that, then you might find the humor worth it, but probably not.