Next Stop, Christmas

 Next Stop, Christmas
Starring Lyndsy Fonseca, Chandler Massey, Eric Freeman, Christopher Lloyd
Directed by Dustin Rikert

Do you ever look back at your life and wonder, "what if?" What if I had taken that job opportunity? What if I decided to marry the guy I was dating instead of turning him down? What if I hadn't eaten that Taco Bell and suffered the severe runs? While there's no chance for us to go back and "redo" the past, that's the magic of cinema - it allows for the impossible. While most people would go back in time to make the world a better place (such as killing Hitler, maybe?), the Hallmark Channel doesn't think of such world-changing events, but rather uses this magical ability to allow their lovelorn supermodel-looking characters to have a second chance at happily ever after with another lovelorn supermodel-looking character. Just like in real life.

Angie Reynolds (Lyndsy Fonseca) is a successful surgeon in New York City, and finds herself estranged from her small-town family who wants her to come home for Christmas but can't because she's on call at work. She also thinks about the love that got away - successful sportscaster Tyler Grant (Eric Freeman) - and wonders what would've happened if she had accepted his marriage proposal ten years prior. On the way home to her loft she buys a mysterious train ticket from the train conductor (Christopher Lloyd) and when she wakes up, she's on a more Christmas-y train with the conductor and Tyler, on the way to her parents' house for Christmas ten years ago. At first she's shocked and trying to figure out why this happened, but she realizes that this could be a chance to change the future and accept Tyler's proposal - but she finds that she can't get back to her future because she's still missing something important. Is it facing her childhood friend Ben (Chandler Massey) who still has romantic feelings for her? Or is it accepting Tyler's proposal? Maybe it's trying to rekindle the love between her parents (Lea Thompson and Matt Walton)? Or maybe it's helping her sister Kristen (Paige Herschell) coming to terms with her lack of fertility? How about all the above? It is Christmas after all - the time for miracles.

The Hallmark Channel's bread and butter is their constant Christmas movies, and by now it's a running joke that they all end up the same way - and "Next Stop, Christmas" is no exception - we all know how it'll end and the writing isn't exactly Oscar-worthy, but it doesn't need to be. These films help us escape from our own humdrum reality and vicariously live through the eyes of attractive people as they somehow struggle to find love, despite them being...you know...attractive. Somehow you feel their pain despite in reality it's so much easier for them, but the characters they portray are so lovable you can't help but root for them. The entire network is a saccharine love story that serves as a black hole for anyone caught in its gravitational pull - you can't help but to be sucked in once you get close enough.

Lyndsy Fornesca (who's best known as playing the Daughter in "How I Met Your Mother," as well as "Kick-Ass" and its sequel) plays Angie with an infectious energy that teeters on the irritating as she rambles off sentences with lightning-fast speed where it would've left you clueless except for, again, it's Hallmark. She is funny, fun, and filled with energy, and has a heart of gold that wants to see everyone happy - as long as she can get back to her own timeline. This involves getting her parents to fall in love again, and helping her sister through one of the most difficult times of her life, as well as coming to terms with the differences between herself and Tyler, all the while leaning on her childhood friend Ben, and she also showcases severe naivety as she doesn't seem to realize Ben is infatuated with her. As Ben, Chandler Massey also has a fun, humorous attitude that's infectious and endearing, someone you'd love to have as a best friend in real life. The chemistry between these two are immediate and lasting, moreso than Angie's relationship with Tyler, who's played admirably by the love child of James Marsden and Adrian Grenier, Eric Freeman, who obviously values his growing success than Angie's needs.

"Next Stop, Christmas" is filled with everything a Hallmark Channel movie requires, but does so with a sweet sense of softness and performed with impeccable timing by the main cast, so it's not a drag to watch - in fact, dare I say it, I wouldn't mind watching it again. For Hallmark, that's a huge compliment. Then again, I do love Christmas, and any movies taking place during that time I can't help but fall in love with, much like our forlorn Angie - successful, beautiful, from a caring, loving family - but she can't seem to shake the feeling that she made a mistake ten years ago by not accepting the proposal of equally beautiful and successful (if not from a caring, loving family) Tyler. When she gets a magical chance to re-do it, she learns that maybe they're not as compatible as they seem, and that the one that got away was right in front of her the entire time (I'd say this was a spoiler, but again it's a Hallmark Channel movie, so it's painfully obvious).

Offering a redo shot at love, "Next Stop, Christmas" is more than the traditional Hallmark Channel Christmas movie by incorporating a whole family drama dynamic that helps add to the likeability of the lead character and her search for true love.

The Score: B-