Throughout my whole Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas film completest quest undertaken namely late last year through to early this year, an interesting quest but very mixed one, there was never the mentality of expecting a classic or the film in question to be flawless. Something that was never managed with Hallmark's output. There was always the expectation of seeing a film where one can see at least some effort rather than merely cash-in level. One could see that with most of Hallmark's output but not all.

'Christmas Connection' as far as Hallmark's Christmas films go fares quite well and is definitely worth watching and remembering. It is not flawless or a classic, but have come overtime to not expect any of those things watching a Hallmark Christmas film and have always tried to not judge them too seriously. As far as Hallmark's 2017 Christmas output goes, 'Christmas Connection' is among the better ones of a variable in quality batch.

It is a bit slow to begin with, the set up taking a little too long.

Some of the dialogue early on is pretty ropey too, the cheese really stinking up the room and the pacing is very draggy. The music could have been toned down too tonally and in placement, too constant and too loud.

However, it is worth sticking with 'Christmas Connection' if in any initial doubt as to me it did get a lot better. The production values still manage to be pleasing. It's not too drab or garish in photography, the editing didn't seem rushed or disorganised and the scenery has a real charm to it. Some of the music has some pleasant nostalgic moments. The dialogue is not great to begin with but improves when the plot properly kicks in, not being too sweet and it flows at least.

Furthermore, the story is light-hearted and really warms the heart without going into over-saccharine territory despite being familiar territory in tropes and thematically. The characters were on the most part ones easy to get behind and carry the film well. The acting is well above average, with the two leads being very endearing and having a very natural chemistry together. Sophie Neudorf is a likeable presence too.

Concluding, worthwhile and worth remembering if not quite a must watch. 7/10

The story line is cheesy enough for a Christmas themed romance filled with a widower named Jonathan's (Tom Everett Scott) family Christmas traditions such as decorating the Christmas tree and how his daughter Leah (Sophie Neudorf) is befriended by a pretty airline stewardess named Sydney (Brooke Burns) while Leah flies home unaccompanied to meet her dad at the airport where Sydney is introduced to Jonathan by the pixy Leah.

There is a nice little hidden story line that tries to keep the audiences' interest piqued which Sydney is trying to unravel which is how her own parents first met in Chicago and fell in love, got married and had Sydney. Jonathan has lost his wife and little Leah's mother, whilst Sydney has lost both her parents which is why it has been difficult for Sydney to solve the mystery how her parents first met and fell in love in Chicago.

Jonathan's an investigative reporter so he agrees to help the airline stewardess Sydney unwarp the mystery of how Sydney's parents first met in his hometown of Chicago all the while the three main characters are continually repeating the word "CHRISTMAS" which gets to be rather annoying after the word "Christmas" is repeated in every second sentence. Also annoying was that permanent and grossly wide and perfect white smile of Sydney's as if she was having the time of her life with this little girl Leah she was assigned to watch on the plane trip back to Chicago and to which Jonathan went goo goo eyed over when he first met her at the airport when he picked up his daughter Leah.

I only rated it a 4 out of 10 IMDB rating for three reasons: 1. The word "CHRISTMAS" was repeated ad nauseum 2. The Christmas themed music that was piped in continuously gets boring after about 15 minutes in to this made for TV Christmas themed film 3. Brooke Burns permanent wide and shiny white teeth brimming smile all the way through this film made me want to throw up as no one could be that happy just doing their daily job because she attended to an unaccompanied minor on a flight home?

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.