Title: A Keller Christmas Vacation (2025)
Actor(s) You Know:
Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls, many things on Food Network and Hallmark), Brandon Routh (Superman, The Nine Lives of Christmas), Eden Sher (The Middle)
Plot:
The Keller family--sons Dylan and Cal, daughter Emory, and parents Ben and Anne--go on a river cruise through Germany in Austria for Christmas. But many of the family members have secrets they're hiding...
Trope(s):
Royalty
Alternate reality
Small town
Fake relationship
Family business getting sold/going bankrupt
Enemies-to-lovers
Best friends-to-lovers
Second chance
Stranded ✔
Meet Cute:
This movie largely is about familial relationships, not romantic. Dylan is in a relationship, but runs into a speedbump when his boyfriend William doesn't accept his proposal. Cal is dealing with the aftermath of a divorce; Emory is just single. Cal winds up clicking with a fellow traveler, while Emory starts crushing on one of the cruise crew members.
Rundown:
Dead parents
Montage(s)
Christmas-related name(s)
Animals
Returns to hometown
Is Santa a character?
Secretly or overtly?
Cookie baking
Tree decorating
Somebody hates Christmas
Christmas festival in a small town
A literal competition
Child plays matchmaker
All work, no romance/life
Kiss before the end of the movie ✔ (multiple, from multiple couplings)
Interrupted kiss
Flashback to childhood
The leads literally run into each other
Gratuitous shirtless scene
Big Secret ✔
Wacky misunderstanding
Just. Talk. To. Each. Other. ✔
Someone pushing the leads together
Real family = chaos / bad families = cold and not chaotic
Learns the meaning of Christmas
Stranded by snowstorm
Hot chocolate
Ice skating
D-list celebrity
Enemy-to-friend storyline
The love interest is an ex
Career change
Lying to each other
Tries to apologize, but keeps getting cut off
Christmas pageant
End with a flash-forward
Did I actually like/root for the heroine? How do the lead(s) annoy me?
I liked pretty much everyone! I got frustrated with them at times, but they all came across as very likable. Though Cal would drive me crazy with his constant talk of protein.
Is it in any way not completely generic?
This is very much not a typical Hallmark movie. The focus is on family, the conflicts aren't contrived. There were some things that were frustrating, as I noted--William was clearing holding something back from Dylan, the parents were acting oddly--but it all ultimately made sense. The new romances were as contrived as one would expect, and I can't imagine that Emory and Noah (the cruise crew member) will last...really, ditto Cal and his love interest. Neither of those relationships were given much depth.
Is the BFF actually the best? Do they need their own movie?
We got glimpses of BFFs/colleagues/sidekicks for each of the kids, but didn't get to spend enough time with them to get attached.
How is the romantic alternative wrong for the heroine?
n/a
Thoughts/Other Notes:
Really quite good. Cal's and Emory's romances were as Hallmark-y as one would expect, but the writing and acting were solid. Also, this was clearly shot on location in Germany and Austria, so it was all gorgeous. Recommend.
Rating:
🧀🧀🧀🧀
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