A California Christmas Movie Review - Ho Ho Ho

Director Shaun Paul Piccinino's A California Christmas is a harmless been-there-celebrated-before Christmas movie.

Joseph (Josh Swickard) is an insouciant filthy rich bachelor working at some company led by his mother (Julie Lancaster). He is your typical "handsome opulent movie guy" who forgets the name of the woman he goes in bed with the previous night. His lack of concern towards the job worries his mother, so she decides to send Joseph to get a contract signed by a farmer, Callie (Lauren Swickard). Needless to say, this contract contains terms to acquire Callie's land. Why else would a big corporation talk to a farmer, right?

Joseph arrives at the location, is mistaken to be the new ranch hand, and gets his hands dirty ("A calf is coming!"). Joseph wears his mistaken identity turning into Manny because we know he won't get a chance until near the end to reveal his real name. His driver/helper/best friend Leo (Ali Afshar) makes sure that the original Manny (David Del Rio) stays away and Joseph's mother remains oblivious to his son's new plans. You are lucky if you have a friend like Leo. Hold on to him/her. If Joseph has Leo, then Callie has her little helper Hannah (Natalia Mann), who, before Joseph arrived, helps her around the ranch. Callie also has Connor (Gunnar Anderson), who has a crush on her, but she considers him no more than a friend. Who else? Yes, there is Connie's mother with cancer counting her last days.

There is no need to go any further as A California Christmas goes the way you expect it to. Rich boy pretending to be poor for a girl? You have seen it before and must be well versed with the possible outcomes (it really goes in one way). Since this is a "Christmas Movie," you also know that any high emotional stakes and conflicts will act merely as small catalysts in the big picture, drawing the couple together. What's refreshing are the heartfelt mother-daughter moments. Typically, in a movie like this, these intimate scenes are converted into corny, manipulative devices. In A California Christmas, these scenes feel more genuine thanks to the excellent performance from Callie's mother. Don't be surprised if you gravitate more towards the mother-daughter angle than the Callie-Joseph angle.

Callie is shown to be tough and independent. "I don't need a knight in shining armor to rescue me," she shouts. Scream all you want, but it is this knight in shining armor who helps her out of her financial troubles. I have mixed feelings as, on the one hand, she doesn't ask for Joseph's help. He voluntarily proceeds. On the other hand, is the film trying to say that a woman may declare herself as strong as possible, but in the end, she can only be rescued by, well, a knight in shining armor? Again it should be noted during an important deal, only Callie handles the proceedings. The choice is left to her, but then it's not like she has other options to consider. I don't know. Perhaps, I may be reading too much into a film that just wants to deliver on a basic, fast food experience.

So did I like the film? A California Christmas has some good parts that work, though it could have been a little better than a cookie-cutter entry among the pile of billions (it is available on Netflix) with a bit more depth. Should you watch it? In a year that has been unpredictable enough that monoliths are appearing mysteriously around the world, if one wants something in control and predictable, A California Christmas might prove to be an okayish ride puncturing no significant harm.

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