Countdown To Christmas Movie Review: My Norwegian Holiday

My Norwegian Holiday wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. Now, I had to say that first, because honestly, wasn’t even close to what I thought it would be. Is that a good thing? I think so. Is it a bad thing? Not sure.

I know that when it comes to movies, television, or anything really – everything is subjective. It’s all about your personal taste. For me, I love movies that are so bad that they are good and I love movies that are cheesy. If you ask me to watch a movie that is Oscar worthy, chances are, it’s not for me.

Why?

Because I like movies that one can relate to. My Norwegian Holiday does just that. It gives so much that a person can relate to, somethings that are a cautionary tale, somethings that I wish would have been fleshed out more, and somethings that just brought a smile to my face.

Now, as with so many Countdown to Christmas movies this season, I have to say, I still don’t think that Christmas needed to be in there to make the movie good. But what I do love about this movie is learning about Christmas in another culture (though I do wish there was more of it).

Lets dive into it.

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: A last-minute holiday trip to The Land of the Midnight Sun leads PhD candidate JJ Johnson (Fish) to clues that might help her solve the decades-old mystery surrounding a carved troll figurine that her grandmother loved and passed on to her. While there, JJ is warmly welcomed and accepted by the family of world-class skier Henrik Strom (Elsendoorn), who has finally returned home following a career-ending injury. As JJ unravels the mystery of the troll she discovers a life-changing family secret, and Henrik comes to terms with the end of his competitive career. With love now blooming between JJ and Henrik just as JJ’s holiday trip comes to a close, JJ must decide whether to return to Minneapolis or completely open her heart to love and a newfound family in Norway.

WHAT IT’S GIVING: A big a** caution sign

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE: Deirdre Monaghan. I would like Astrid as my Grandma, please. She was just too great and too funny. Everything is an acquired taste will forever make me LOL.

GRINCH-ISH THOUGHTS: One thing that I have loved about Hallmark these days is that they are taking steps forward to charge up storylines. This one was an attempt to do just that, but TBH, it was a lot of things happening for one movie.

JJ meets Henrik by chance – he’s at a coffee shop and fighting with what we think is his girlfriend. She doesn’t want to go to Norway and is a little irritated that he just assumed that she would go. She gets more peeved when she thinks that he’s ordered her the wrong drink. But the reality is he had taken JJ’s drink.

It just so happens that she has the same name as JJ.

Henrik is a sweet guy. He tries to make things up to JJ, for stealing her drink and then for her dropping papers that she graded all over the ground. As she leaves, he finds one more paper that she didn’t grab. He tracks her down at the school she works at.

Now, I will say this, I did appreciate that Hallmark showed JJ’s reaction of thinking that this is weird. They weren’t afraid to call themselves out in this movie with all of the things that are suspect and just flat out a red flag. Sometimes movies and television shows are not willing to do just that and it makes the show loose credibility.

But in this movie, they embrace the things that should make a person run. It feels like they stop and go, well people will call this out so lets just embrace it. As a person that watches so many of these movies, I wish that more did just that. It’s doing that, which reminds us to take it for what it is – a movie that we’re supposed to be able to pull ourselves out of.

Through twists and turns, JJ ends up going to Norway with Henrik. I mean, sure, why not hop on a plane to a foreign country with a stranger. Then why not stay with his grandma. Makes complete sense (it doesn’t, but in an ideal world it would be).

Henrik’s family embraces JJ for who she is. They take her in and help her on her quest to figure out who it was that carved this troll that quite frankly will give me nightmares. I am a little taken a back on how Henrik is and what he’s doing. He seems so nice – too nice. I am waiting for him to be a serial killer. Yet, that’s not what he is. He’s a nice guy who wants to be there for others.

And there is something about JJ that makes him feel alive. He forgets the bad – even though everywhere it is plaguing him. He thinks because he injured himself and decided not to ski anymore, that everyone in Bergen hates him. Sure, there may be some, but like that’s everywhere in life. There are bullies everywhere.

The thing that I love about JJ and Henrik’s relationship is that they bring something out of the other person. They feel at ease with each other, which allows us, the viewer, to feel at ease with them. Whatever they are going to go through, they will make it.

Henrik’s Grandmother is the star of the show though. She’s taken JJ in like she’s her own and pays attention to everything. When JJ tells Astrid that she found initials on the troll, Astrid immediately knows who carved it. This leads JJ to finding out that her Grandmother had been in Norway, that she left pregnant, and that Henrik’s ski coach is her Grandfather.

Now all of this may be a lot and when JJ’s Grandad comes to Christmas and gives her a key, telling her that it’s time to come home – I cried and laughed. Because instantly, Astrid and him were fighting over where she’d stay.

JJ thought that she had no family and in a matter of two weeks, she found a lot of family (both chosen and genetic). She also found love.

The kissing scene in this movie may be my favorite thing ever. Seeing JJ react to the people who are bullying Henrik – I legit fell off my bed laughing.

While I don’t think that My Norweigan holiday is a Christmas classic, it definitely was an escape. I do think had they taken the Christmas out of it and focused more on time with JJ and Henrik together, as well as her finding family, it would have been a lot better.

While it didn’t melt my Grinch heart, I will say it was a good movie. Just the right amount of cheese for this girl.

CHRISTMAS CHEER: 🎄 (but if it was just a regular movie i’d give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️)