Countdown To Christmas Movie Review: Holiday Road

While I have never been one for road trips, I have to admit, that Holiday Road was a movie that made me think twice about my stance on them. It also made me think twice about traveling during the holiday season, but that’s definitely a different story.

When a group gets stuck, because flights are cancelled, some are all but willing to give up. However, when a bunch decide to try and rent a car to get to their destination, of course all cars are sold out. But Dana, who is kinda really cranky, is determined to get everyone to their final locations – Denver.

A group of people who have different reasons for wanting to make it to Denver. While the viewer doesn’t know immediately why it is that they all want to get there, part of the joy of this movie is figuring out why people want to get to Denver and learning about their personalities.

But, it’s also about watching them all start to bond and find a way to learn about each other. It’s about the way that we can see that despite differences, we are all more the same than we are different. It’s about the fact that family isn’t always DNA and blood, sometimes it’s the people that we find.

And that find us.

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: When bad weather leaves each of them stranded at the airport for the holidays, a group of complete strangers embark on a road trip together in order to reach their destinations in Denver by Christmas. The group is led by travel writer Dana (Canning), who convinces grinchy tech entrepreneur (Christie) to share the last available rental van. When their unexpected journey brings them into uncharted territory, they navigate a series of misadventures together and form a deeper bond that just might change the trajectories of each of their lives.

WHAT IT’S GIVING: Found Family

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE: Princess Davis. Loved her influencer character, but mostly, loved how Princess made the viewer see the complexity in peoples personalities and no matter what we think of people, there are things that we may never, ever understand. We don’t know everyones story – be kind.

MY GRINCH-ISH THOUGHTS: Now, I am not sure about all of you, but there is no way on this planet that I would be getting into a car with a bunch of strangers that I met at an airport. I would rather do a lot of things. A Root canal? Sure, no problem. Colonoscopy? Yup. Eat Liver? Well, can I have a nose plug? Ok, eating liver may be where I draw a line.

What? Smells gross me out.

But I’ve also never been stuck in an airport at Christmas, so there is that. I try and avoid airports. Everyone has their thing though, and making it to Denver is of the utmost importance to each and every one of them.

The beginning of the movie shows why kindness counts. Dana, an obnoxious, overbearing, no care in the world person makes a snide comment at Clay, for his coffee order and in doing that she isolates him. So when he gets the last car available at the rental counter, it’s kinda fitting. It’s also fitting that it’s a huge van with enough room to take them to Denver.

And Clay reluctantly gives in and takes them all.

The miracle of this movie is in the travel. It’s in the way that they are all different and how it makes each of them understand different people with different lives. The miracle of this movie is in the way that we see situations and timing and the way that we see that we never know the battles that other people are fighting.

But it’s also in the way that we see that families can be found. It doesn’t always take an obscene amount of time. It’s sometimes just something that you know. Circumstances can bond you and the next thing you know, you’re all there for each other.

Holiday Road was a fun watch, one that you can sit back and laugh through. It’s one that you can be reminded that Christmas means different things to different people and that’s okay.

Christmas time can be hard.

But no matter what Christmas means to you, it’s about showing up and being there for others.

That’s part of the true meaning of Christmas.

CHRISTMAS CHEER FACTOR: 🎄🎄🎄.5