This was a fairly straight forward time travel story elevated by the appealing cast and good acting. Even the bad boyfriend had his charms. I love seeing all of the fresh faces. Angie (Lyndsy Fonseca, who was excellent) is a busy surgeon in NYC who takes her family for granted. She does not want to go home for Christmas since her parents' divorce and her sisters struggles with adoption. Too stressful and depressing. She remembers the last good family Christmas she enjoyed 10 years ago when her parents were still together and she turned down a marriage proposal from a now famous sportscaster. On her way back to her apartment to spend a stress-free solitary holiday, she is diverted by Christopher Lloyd and finds herself on a magical train back home to that Christmas of 10 years ago. While there, she sees opportunities to redirect the course of her and her families lives: save her parents marriage, accept her ex-boyfriend's marriage proposal, and help her sister. She also reconnects with her childhood friend who has been in love with her his whole life.
The cast was fantastic. Come on, Lea Thompson (her mother) and Christopher Lloyd (the Train Conductor) in a time travel movie? Sign me up. There are many nods to Back to the Future, but it does not distract from this story. Her parents unraveling marriage and her sister's fertility troubles were engrossing and realistically done. Her ex-boyfriend, though adorable, was not a match for her. No harm, no foul, no drama. Her childhood buddy was appealing, looked like Justin Timberlake, and was obviously her destiny. Obvious to everyone but her. Talk about dense.
Loved seeing Erika Slezak looking her age, but great, with her smiling eyes. There were the usual things that didn't make sense as with most time travel stories. The big reunion that really wasn't at the end seemed problematic. What other big chunks of her two paths through time don't match up? Angie is going to have some interesting times ahead. The one weak point was the character of Chloe, who was super annoying and totally unnecessary. All in all it was very enjoyable and engaging.
The cast was fantastic. Come on, Lea Thompson (her mother) and Christopher Lloyd (the Train Conductor) in a time travel movie? Sign me up. There are many nods to Back to the Future, but it does not distract from this story. Her parents unraveling marriage and her sister's fertility troubles were engrossing and realistically done. Her ex-boyfriend, though adorable, was not a match for her. No harm, no foul, no drama. Her childhood buddy was appealing, looked like Justin Timberlake, and was obviously her destiny. Obvious to everyone but her. Talk about dense.
Loved seeing Erika Slezak looking her age, but great, with her smiling eyes. There were the usual things that didn't make sense as with most time travel stories. The big reunion that really wasn't at the end seemed problematic. What other big chunks of her two paths through time don't match up? Angie is going to have some interesting times ahead. The one weak point was the character of Chloe, who was super annoying and totally unnecessary. All in all it was very enjoyable and engaging.