I enjoyed this movie, for once the main female lead wasn't an event planner, baker or some such female job. Ok some of her close ups were obviously not her but she was a really refreshing actor and to see one out of the usual high heels was great, she was also refreshingly natural, healthy looking and free of the overdone makeup (unlike dad's girlfriend). More could have been made with the relationship with grandfather and the obvious green backdrop pictures at the viewing point were iffy but all in all, after the dire Hallmark movies and others of this genre over the last couple of years, what a refreshing change. May we have more, strong female roles please?
23 Reviews
Overall Good- But Unbelievable Script.
joe-892988 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The good thing about this movie is that it's set in Rocky Mountains, so the scenery, the town and the cabin the family lives in is idyllic. Wardrobe had the actors wear red and green and the backdrops were festive. Now for the bad. Kate's father was played by an actor her own age; they could have aged Mike Shara for the part, but didn't. Many comments here said that Kate never competed in the lumberjack competition, but had they watched the movie, she did, so it wasn't new to her, but competing against brawny men is a stretch. Probably the oddest thing was the ending where Harrision proposes to her after dating for a couple of weeks. LOL.
Icky
rebekahrox4 January 2022
So apparently there is a shortage of actors in the 50 to 70 year old range. Well I know that's not true so I am guessing that Mike Shara was originally cast as the love interest but got demoted to playing the father when Stephen Huszar, more well known to TV romance fans became available. The father and daughter were played by actors who were the same age. It was creepy. And I don't think "ick" is what you go for in a Christmas movie. Couldn't they have made him her brother?
Greatly poor
anhor-2097610 December 2022
A Christmas In The Rockies.....Yes corny, yes cheesy, bad acting, poor casting. Yes all lumberjacks daughter's are lumberjacks too. It's in their blood and their hair, makeup, and clothes always look perfect even while working out. Yes her father was 1 year old when she was born....but I don't really expect anything else from these movies. They are soooooooo far from reality that it makes me laugh. Plus extremely predictable. The only interesting character in the movie was the man who played Grandpa Sam. Please Santa buy some acting lessons for Mike Shara. Anyway Merry Christmas everyone. God bless.
Better than expected.
mattfrancis-6025428 November 2023
Well, it's better than many Xmas movies this past few years. The last one I watched was a gift for Xmas which was really terrible. This movie in the rockies okay lacked a bit of a thrill and needed more going on to really score better, but it was nice. Nicely done, well acted, easy to watch. And realistic as well for example the cash amount which you'll have to watch. Usually that would be a grand prize of well a lot more. When the scenery and settings are decent in this movie. So nothing here to make me watch the movie again but as i said better than expected nothing spectacular and at least better than the usual stuff we get.
Very rocky
TheLittleSongbird18 October 2023
'Christmas in the Rockies' (2020)
Opening thoughts: 2020 was a variable year for Christmas films, there were quite a large number that were average or less but there was also a good number that were above average and more. So much better than expected considering the circumstances, even if rushed production tended to show more so than usual. Will admit to having seen my fair share of above average and more Christmas films recently, but 'Christmas in the Rockies' is not one of them. Am not always keen on anything focused on competitions in this type of film and 'Christmas in the Rockies' does little to change my mind.
Good things: It does look nice, especially the scenery, and at least looks professional.
Did think also that the two leads were pretty good. Kimberly-Sue Murray and Stephen Huszar are very charming and give their roles heart and light-hearted-ness. Their characters aren't too perfect or over-flawed.
Bad things: The rest of the acting is another story. Most of it is going through the motions-like and most look too young or out of place. Mike Shara is more older brother than father figure and the lumberjack competitors are the wrong build and too neat to pass for lumberjacks. The characters on the whole are dull and can grate. Murray and Huszar's chemistry could have done with a good deal more spark, and it would have helped if the romantic relationship was more fleshed out and less rushed. There is too much focus on the competition, and the events surrounding it lack tension, don't go very far most of the time and are too contrived and formulaic.
Furthermore, the story drags quite a lot and the lack of tension and charm makes it feel really bland. The ending is very easily foreseeable early on and is too neat. The script has a very awkward flow and has too much cheese and corn, with the more dramatic parts being too sentimental. The music is forgettable at best and has little distinction. The direction is routine.
Concluding thoughts: Overall, very weak.
3/10.
Opening thoughts: 2020 was a variable year for Christmas films, there were quite a large number that were average or less but there was also a good number that were above average and more. So much better than expected considering the circumstances, even if rushed production tended to show more so than usual. Will admit to having seen my fair share of above average and more Christmas films recently, but 'Christmas in the Rockies' is not one of them. Am not always keen on anything focused on competitions in this type of film and 'Christmas in the Rockies' does little to change my mind.
Good things: It does look nice, especially the scenery, and at least looks professional.
Did think also that the two leads were pretty good. Kimberly-Sue Murray and Stephen Huszar are very charming and give their roles heart and light-hearted-ness. Their characters aren't too perfect or over-flawed.
Bad things: The rest of the acting is another story. Most of it is going through the motions-like and most look too young or out of place. Mike Shara is more older brother than father figure and the lumberjack competitors are the wrong build and too neat to pass for lumberjacks. The characters on the whole are dull and can grate. Murray and Huszar's chemistry could have done with a good deal more spark, and it would have helped if the romantic relationship was more fleshed out and less rushed. There is too much focus on the competition, and the events surrounding it lack tension, don't go very far most of the time and are too contrived and formulaic.
Furthermore, the story drags quite a lot and the lack of tension and charm makes it feel really bland. The ending is very easily foreseeable early on and is too neat. The script has a very awkward flow and has too much cheese and corn, with the more dramatic parts being too sentimental. The music is forgettable at best and has little distinction. The direction is routine.
Concluding thoughts: Overall, very weak.
3/10.
Not terrible but Casting is AWFUL
jenniferannkoch15 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The storyline is what drew me to this movie. It's not your typical Christmas prince story. A female lumberjack, sounds intriguing! BUT whoever casted this movie should be fired. The lead actress is great and her paramedic love interest too. Have watched them both in other movies. BUT the man that plays her dad looks WAY too young to be her father and the woman who plays the previous lumberjack contest champion is 100000% unbelievable as a lumberjack and looks straight out of the real housewives of Beverly Hills. Some other characters also did not match their characters. My husband and I laughed often during this movie just due to the casting and how they did not fit their parts AT ALL. It made a great storyline with potential flop in my opinion.
Cast ages make no sense
jnxwsdyk22 December 2022
Main chick born in 85
Dad born in 87
Boyfriend dude born in 84
Why???? Why isn't the dad in his 60s?!
I'm not paying a bit of attention to the story at all, so can't really say if it's good or not, but the age thing really threw me through a loop. It's yet another Christmas moving with the same music as the rest.
I have to come up with filler words because the required characters are 600 and I don't understand why. I see many other reviews much shorter than this and now you're stuck reading this blabber.
Jingle bells, jingle bells 63 to go.
Santa, reindeer, snow balls, elfs, Christmas tree.
Why???? Why isn't the dad in his 60s?!
I'm not paying a bit of attention to the story at all, so can't really say if it's good or not, but the age thing really threw me through a loop. It's yet another Christmas moving with the same music as the rest.
I have to come up with filler words because the required characters are 600 and I don't understand why. I see many other reviews much shorter than this and now you're stuck reading this blabber.
Jingle bells, jingle bells 63 to go.
Santa, reindeer, snow balls, elfs, Christmas tree.
Canadiana Christmas!
pollyebeel29 January 2021
The chemistry between the two Romantic leads are so fake and cloying.
scootampa23 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Ok. First of all, Harrison, the romantic lead needs to shampoo his hair and the make up team needs to powder down his shiny greasy face. Her father is WAY TOO YOUNG! What were they thinking? The backdrops are so superimposed and fake looking. The fact that she would train in THREE WEEKS TIME to compete in a lumberjack competition against people who have been doing it their entire lives? The acting is HORRIFIC. Dad needs acting classes as well as his accountant/daughters ex boyfriend. I've seen High School plays better than this. I do like that it's not a visually typical Hallmark movie where it looks like a garland monster puked all over the town and houses. Bah Humbug!
Too lame and pathetic for a rating.
jonathancanucklevine30 November 2021
Are you kidding? I'm not even going to bother reviewing the story - a romcom's pretty much a romcom, so don't expect art. But there's nothing about this that even tries. Women do lumberjack competitions, but they train as hard as the men and are totally badass. We're supposed to buy that this little ball of fluff is going to grab an axe and just step in? Puh-leeze.
But the part that's really offensive is that this was shot in Ontario, on the other side of the country from the Rockies. Like, 3500 km away from the mountains that are Right Behind Them all through this movie. That's cynical and fraudulent. You wanna make a movie about (something) in the Rockies? The least you can do is buy a bus ticket and go there.
But the part that's really offensive is that this was shot in Ontario, on the other side of the country from the Rockies. Like, 3500 km away from the mountains that are Right Behind Them all through this movie. That's cynical and fraudulent. You wanna make a movie about (something) in the Rockies? The least you can do is buy a bus ticket and go there.
Couldn't wait for it to be over!
dahotnessk15 March 2021
I only watched this one because of Stephen Huszar, but not even he could save this film. The acting is BEYOND subpar. The writing is all over the place. It seem there must have been a push to make a ton of Christmas movies for 2020, then the pandemic hit, and they proceeded and did the best they could. They coulda shelved this one!
Script ruins it all
JBThackery17 January 2022
Attractive cast, acting is okay. But how can a little slip of a girl, who has never touched an axe, expect to just sign up and compete with rugged lumberjacks who have years of experience? Too many worthy, starving screenwriters are out there, needing work, to waste resources on this production.
No sparks except the chainsaws
Jackbv12321 December 2021
Another movie with a contest to save the family _______ (logging company). Three weeks to train for a physical activity her competitors have been training for their whole lives and outweigh her 2-1 or more. So like many rom/coms don't even try to reconcile anything close to realism. But this one stretches way past even those. The story is lame with no real highs or lows or surprises. The "tag line" for the movie promo doesn't make sense and also gives away what might have been the only surprise way too close to the end. The climax plays out like all these movies do, just different details. The dialogue isn't much.
Mike Shara is too young to be Katie's dad and his acting is bad.
Kimberly-Sue Murray and Stephen Huszar are OK together, but Katie and Harrison cozy up pretty darn fast.
Mike Shara is too young to be Katie's dad and his acting is bad.
Kimberly-Sue Murray and Stephen Huszar are OK together, but Katie and Harrison cozy up pretty darn fast.
Not an outstanding Christmas movie...
paul_haakonsen6 December 2021
Well, granted the cover for this 2020 Christmas movie from writer Neale Kimmel wasn't exactly permeating with Christmas feel. I mean, a woman holding an axe slung over the shoulder with a smirk and glaring in the direction of a man behind her wasn't really screaming Christmas and holiday season.
But still, as I hadn't already seen what directors Justin G. Dyck and Amy Force had to offer with "Christmas in the Rockies", of course I opted to sit down and watch it.
And now having sat through it, I can in all honesty say that I wasn't particularly impressed with the storyline here. The narrative was just slow and didn't really have much power behind it to drive the momentum forward. And little did it help that the storyline itself was sort of bland and the character gallery in the movie wasn't particularly impressive.
The whole concept of the storyline was just hard to delve into and really take seriously. It felt forced and staged, which didn't really add to the overall enjoyment of the movie.
The acting performances in the movie were adequate enough, taking into consideration the limitations imposed by the script.
Sure, if you have nothing else lined up for a Christmas movie, I suppose "Christmas in the Rockies" can be viewed a single time. But this 2020 movie has none of the contents to become a Christmas classic, nor did it actually have contents to support more than just a single viewing.
I found "Christmas in the Rockies" to be disappointing and slow paced, so this is not really a movie that I would recommend you rush out to watch.
My rating of "Christmas in the Rockies" lands on a less than mediocre four out of ten stars.
But still, as I hadn't already seen what directors Justin G. Dyck and Amy Force had to offer with "Christmas in the Rockies", of course I opted to sit down and watch it.
And now having sat through it, I can in all honesty say that I wasn't particularly impressed with the storyline here. The narrative was just slow and didn't really have much power behind it to drive the momentum forward. And little did it help that the storyline itself was sort of bland and the character gallery in the movie wasn't particularly impressive.
The whole concept of the storyline was just hard to delve into and really take seriously. It felt forced and staged, which didn't really add to the overall enjoyment of the movie.
The acting performances in the movie were adequate enough, taking into consideration the limitations imposed by the script.
Sure, if you have nothing else lined up for a Christmas movie, I suppose "Christmas in the Rockies" can be viewed a single time. But this 2020 movie has none of the contents to become a Christmas classic, nor did it actually have contents to support more than just a single viewing.
I found "Christmas in the Rockies" to be disappointing and slow paced, so this is not really a movie that I would recommend you rush out to watch.
My rating of "Christmas in the Rockies" lands on a less than mediocre four out of ten stars.
Whatttt???
cmtan-4432417 January 2022
I read all those awful reviews for this movie and I told myself, Watch it before you judge. I love the backdrops as we don;t have those in South East Asia, YES, we do know of the Rockies etc, it is only but a good movie. I love the story line, you need a heart to watch it. A daughter fighting to save her father's farm pitting herself against all those seasoned contestants, giving up the chance to move to the big city etc. A bit of family, romance and fun, enjoy the movie as it is with a beautiful backdrop!
Preachy
jromanbaker12 November 2022
I enjoy Hallmark films and to relax I find them harmless fun, and some are better than others. But in this one I found an elderly man sitting around a family table, and I endured for as long as I could his Christmas Cracker preachiness. I did not expect King's College Cambridge rendering of Christmas traditional Carols, but I hated the souping up of ' Come All Ye Faithful ' and other perennials, and the banality of its musical quality appalled me. The film showed a town that I would hate to live in, and I felt so claustrophobic with the no spoiler plot proceedings that I turned it off. The acting was mediocre, and so was the filming. It seemed drained of life and colour, but despite this failure of any cinematic value I hope that the next Hallmark film I see will return to something at least akin to life.
And now for something completely different
Sergiodave12 January 2022
This TV romance is even less believable than usual. The movie is centred around a Lumberjack competition for $50,000. I found myself singing Monty Python's Lumberjack song as the movie went on. The acting is not good and the plot is corny as hell. Only watch if incredibly bored.
Less than believeable
edetcetera31 December 2020
I know that this is a romance movie and it's not supposed to be accurate but a girl that was raised in the Rockies and any man that has gone to school should know that bears hibernate in the winter especially by Christmas.
I have never seen a man (Jack) compete against a woman (Jill) in any lumberjack competition and I have seen a lot as my brother competed as a lumberjack. Lumberjack competitions require a lot of strength and speed in which men and women are very unequal.
A person who hasn't trained in while would be so stiff after the first day and would need a couple of days to recuperate as she seemed to be after the first training session.
Any one that has done any manual work in a while know that your hands would be so blistered, after swinging an axe, which would stop the training longer than the sore muscles.
Finally...why would a highly competitive good looking woman settle for a plain looking aging dude like Stephen Huszar?
Don't bother
psipsina-7715831 December 2023
WHY is the father so young .and why are we pushing the narrative of ex African American boyfriend..she is from the Rockies . That would not stand geographically
What is going on with movies lately 😭
The casting is getting more and more ridiculous,to push the narrative they make really bad choices in actors. So there is no quality and the movies are forgettable
This is not going to induce you to visit the area , because it's not even filmed there and if you have been there it's pretty obvious,
Can we at least try to be true to a Christmas characters and not try to build from what has no.foundations.
TOO Much Suspension Of Disbelief
edward-0525415 April 2024
Where do I start?
First of all, we hit the ground running with environmental agendas...my woke-o-meter went off right away...I weary of being pandered and lectured to by "Hollywood."
Then, we meet a father and daughter played by actors 4 years apart in actual age (She's 32, he's 36). How does that even happen? They don't even try to make "Dad" look older.
Now...let's get to the meat of the silliness. We're supposed to believe that a young, petite woman has a snowball's chance in hell (note the wintery reference) of competing and winning against actual lumberjacks who've years of experience in lumberjack events that she can barely perform, let alone do them at a championship level. (Note: she can't start a chainsaw or hit within a foot of a practice mark with an axe.)
Then, we're supposed to believe that there is a $50,000 grand prize AND she has a chance of winning it. Fat chance.
We do have an African-American ex-boyfriend. Culturally and geographically highly unlikely and yet, VERY woke...well done. We also check a "Hallmark box" for vaguely ethnic best friend.
The "superstar" lumberjack champion who is guesting at the event is another petite woman, complete with cheek implants and collagen-injected lips...yea, I'm buying that.
Throw in a beta male lead, an EMT mind you, who's afraid of his own shadow and needs to be told that a doe is a female deer and how fire works...plus the native girl intends to use New York pepper spray for back-country protection against predatory animals. These are just dumbbbb plot details.
If I were to deduce the mental age the film-makers assume for the viewers, I'd suppose single digits. And yet, this would be hard for toddlers to believe.
Ugh...give me a break.
First of all, we hit the ground running with environmental agendas...my woke-o-meter went off right away...I weary of being pandered and lectured to by "Hollywood."
Then, we meet a father and daughter played by actors 4 years apart in actual age (She's 32, he's 36). How does that even happen? They don't even try to make "Dad" look older.
Now...let's get to the meat of the silliness. We're supposed to believe that a young, petite woman has a snowball's chance in hell (note the wintery reference) of competing and winning against actual lumberjacks who've years of experience in lumberjack events that she can barely perform, let alone do them at a championship level. (Note: she can't start a chainsaw or hit within a foot of a practice mark with an axe.)
Then, we're supposed to believe that there is a $50,000 grand prize AND she has a chance of winning it. Fat chance.
We do have an African-American ex-boyfriend. Culturally and geographically highly unlikely and yet, VERY woke...well done. We also check a "Hallmark box" for vaguely ethnic best friend.
The "superstar" lumberjack champion who is guesting at the event is another petite woman, complete with cheek implants and collagen-injected lips...yea, I'm buying that.
Throw in a beta male lead, an EMT mind you, who's afraid of his own shadow and needs to be told that a doe is a female deer and how fire works...plus the native girl intends to use New York pepper spray for back-country protection against predatory animals. These are just dumbbbb plot details.
If I were to deduce the mental age the film-makers assume for the viewers, I'd suppose single digits. And yet, this would be hard for toddlers to believe.
Ugh...give me a break.
Best movie of all time
sensaydude20 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Wonder, adventure, romance, comedy, and the best of all. Competition.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step out of the regular humdrum of everyday life and just exist in a world where Dads don't grow old, but boyfriends do? Or when a three week training montage gets you better than any man out there. Well look no further. This movie has it all.
You will be swept away by the amazing scenery and heart wrenching tragic tale that puts Shakespeare to shame.
THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS ALMOST GOT CANCELLED!!!!!!! But one women and her courageous montage and her love for the environment saved the world. And a young new man in town. Is the only man brave enough to ask a women to marry him after three weeks of kind of being an item kind of not. It's complicated. She didn't talk to him for like a week? Maybe? Look the plot isn't important. Not important to me, you, the writers. It is a fantastic story and if you disagree with me.
Well you hate Christmas.
Also don't look into the ages of the actors. It doesn't match up to the characters...... and the actors don't do the best job at being their ages. But that's all last year movie 30 out of 10.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step out of the regular humdrum of everyday life and just exist in a world where Dads don't grow old, but boyfriends do? Or when a three week training montage gets you better than any man out there. Well look no further. This movie has it all.
You will be swept away by the amazing scenery and heart wrenching tragic tale that puts Shakespeare to shame.
THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS ALMOST GOT CANCELLED!!!!!!! But one women and her courageous montage and her love for the environment saved the world. And a young new man in town. Is the only man brave enough to ask a women to marry him after three weeks of kind of being an item kind of not. It's complicated. She didn't talk to him for like a week? Maybe? Look the plot isn't important. Not important to me, you, the writers. It is a fantastic story and if you disagree with me.
Well you hate Christmas.
Also don't look into the ages of the actors. It doesn't match up to the characters...... and the actors don't do the best job at being their ages. But that's all last year movie 30 out of 10.
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