Christmas at the Golden Dragon (2022 TV Movie) User Reviews

Squeezed

[Jackbv123 · 7/10 · 14 November 2022]

This movie could easily have used another 30 minutes. I would really have liked to see most of the stories expanded a little. It was advertised at 8 different stories and it doesn't really matter if it was 8 or 5 or something else. There were definitely more than the usual story lines going on with at least 8 significant characters.

The acting is good. The dialogue is good but not overly witty. There are some funny moments usually based on something embarrassing. There is a very nice ending sequence to wrap up. The idea of family is important, but it includes extending our view of family to community.

Don't be put off by the beginning, it gets a LOT better. Too many characters for one movie but I still enjoyed it

[MichaelByTheSea · 8/10 · 19 November 2022]

I was a bit put off by this movie at first. It starts with a corporate office montage presentation for ten silent people sitting around a large conference table. Ten. The bold premise behind this Very Important presentation:

"Christmas is about peace, not productivity."

"That's where Harlow Furnishings' new accessories line comes in."

"Family is always your best decoration."

Uh, what?

Was Romy trying to sell those 10 silent people on the idea that Christmas is wonderful? That family is wonderful? I replayed the montage and didn't see any furnishings- just a bunch of people eating, drinking and enjoying the holidays. Does she work for Harlow Furnishings as a designer? Marketing executive? What exactly is she trying to sell? Christmas decorations? For who? The logo was a green modern chair. What? Do they sell modern furniture? Who is she trying to sell on the idea of Christmas themed furnishings a few days before Christmas? It's a little late for 2022 and way too early for 2023. I understand the desire to present Romy as a very important busy person but I have no idea what she does or why.

And the focus on an ensemble cast seemed better suited for a longer format. I wish Hallmark would do more two-parters like they did last year with Sister Swap. Or make a few limited series. Some stories just don't fit into a two hour movie.

But I was won over by the engaging and often touching stories. Romy, played by Kara Wang, and her doting boyfriend Blake, played by Markian Tarasiuk, made a nice couple, as did the Golden Dragon owners. Romy has a fantastic mic drop moment when she speaks Chinese to a couple of servers (and yet surprisingly tempered her comment with some empathy).

I wanted more of Veronica's story, even though she may have had the meatiest role. And I want more Hallmark movies with Sara Canning, who played Veronica. I liked her blossoming relationship with befuddled single dad (and co-worker) Nate, played by Antonio Cupo, and his two adorable yet realistic kids well played by Juliette Hawk and Mila Jones.

Some of the characters were really flawed, as in life. Rick, the college drop out, was annoyingly spineless and unable to stand up to his shallow frat brothers or the unreasonable demands of his father and Sadie paid the price. Twice. She deserved sooooo much better.

Sadie was played by Genevieve Buechner and I'd like to see more of her. Very impressive, as was her character who interned with a political action coalition, got hired to work as a coordinator for a non-profit after she graduates from UCLA, then plans to go to law school, clerk for a judge and run for office. That woman is going to do Big Things. But Rick...

As Sadie says to Rick with refreshing honesty: "you don't have the best track record for taking charge of your future. ... If you're not happy with your life, you need to take responsibility for what's wrong. Change what you can and work on the rest."

Those are great words of wisdom and advice for a young woman who's going places. Hallmark is dedicated to the fantasy that "love conquers all" but the reality is that those two are going to live very different lives. Apart.

Barbara Niven deserves some sort of Hallmark lifetime achievement award. I think only Lacey Chabert has been in more Hallmark movies. She is always really good and looks great for 69. Heck she looks like she's in her early 50s. She's a rock in whatever she's in.

Blake's Vermont family fooled me. After his parents' reaction to the poinsettia plant, well, they fooled me.

As for Blake, he's in the lead for Best Boyfriend of this Christmas season. He sets the bar pretty high for being supportive. And that gift? Wow. Thoughtful seems too weak a word.

Great hallmark Christmas movie this year.

[Saving21 · 8/10 · 30 November 2022]

This movie is one of my favourite Christmas movies this year. It isn't typical Christmas movie it is different and it works. The movie is about a neighbourhood Chinese family restaurant that gathers people from all corners of life and making them a family. The movie showed more than one story and maybe for some people it was too much.but for me it worked I felt the movie moved along great and I could focus on all characters . I loved the main story, how can one place be link between different people from all walks of life. There were romance stories but they weren't the main focus, the focus was on Christmas and family. Have to admit the final scene made me a bit teary..

Tooooo many characters but tugs the heart-strings

[brian_spence_ni · 7/10 · 22 November 2022]

My goodness, it was just all-encompassing. They had massively far too many characters to follow, or always to care about, but I still enjoyed most of them.

Whoever wrote this does have a flair for character development, which I enjoyed, but it was a case of almost pure overload. Remember to focus not-so-much on 20 main characters, but more like 6. That way we can really get invested and have the time, in 2 hours, to really care and root for people and hope for their best.

I'd say, though, most people will still enjoy this. Despite it thinking it's gone with the wind, it's still a semi-coherent storyline with enough going on to make you feel good about the characters and just xmas in genera. Give it a whirl and I think you'll enjoy it; but mentally just give up on the characters you aren't especially invested in,

Slow and steady wins the race

[MickyG333 · 7/10 · 7 May 2023]

7.3 stars.

Talk about an exceedingly sluggish start to a film, this one is in the top of the charts for sluggishness. 'Christmas at the Golden Dragon' is so slow starting I almost gave up, but I have taken note of the fact Hallmark continues to air it about once a month, so I decided (after passing over it many times) to give it a shot. I was not disappointed. You absolutely must give the story time to marinate. This is a very steady slow burn that literally gets better by the minute, and I mean every single minute it continues to improve. To provide you with my boring analysis, this film starts off at about 3/10 but an hour in I was up to a 5.5/10, and by the end it crested the 7 star mark. Give it a try, you might be glad you did.

Loved this movie!

[Ekm828511 · 9/10 · 15 November 2022]

I loved this one. I also loved the movie's message about embracing imperfections and being present.

I really liked the ensemble cast, storylines, and how they all weaved together-thanks to The Golden Dragon. The stories were rich in family and Christmas traditions.

The writing was nicely done and delivered heartwarming moments from start to finish.

Also, I'm putting in a request for Hallmark to do a movie with Antonio Cupo and Sarah Canning together...they had a great chemistry in this movie that could really shine in a movie with the two of them as leads.

I definitely recommend this movie!

Attractive but too much Montage

[VetteRanger · 6/10 · 16 November 2022]

If you think a bunch of customers who have no restaurant experience are going to successfully service a packed house, you must be one of the people voting down honest reviews of the film. LOL

The movie started out with more promise from the writers than they could live up to, and there was so much quick switching between characters early on we found it a bit confusing.

Between Hallmark and GAF, this seems to be the year of the montage, and all they really accomplish is making too little of each subplot so that the characters are attractive, but none of their stories get enough focus.

Plus, I think the ending of this (and isn't it strange to say this about a Hallmark Christmas film) was entirely unbelievable LOL ... especially with the son constantly switching between his chef's garb and a sort-of prom suit. The writers wanted everything, but ultimately made a mess of it.

High marks for Hallmark

[mgratk · 9/10 · 14 November 2022]

This is a definite 9 in the Hallmark Christmas movie category. Some might categorize this genre as a guilty favorite this time of year. But I just call them a seasonal favorite. I'm a manly guy and I like them and that's that. Not ashamed. Ha. But back to the Golden Dragon. The first line nearly made me shut it off, as it talked about a PC kind of meaning of Christmas that had very little if anything to do with the meaning of Christmas. But as it goes on it draws you in with a pretty big handful of stories about different people tied to the restaurant, and it is a lot of balls in the air, but it manages to juggle them pretty well. There's a lot more going on in this one than the usual gingerbread contest to save the bakery, fake relationship to get the big promotion, or amnesia and love at Christmas type stories. Shock of shocks, there's even a nativity play that is quickly featured among the many stories. Usually you can be wrapping gifts or putting up decorations with a Hallmark movie on and still get the whole story because they've done it a dozen times before. Not this one. Give this one a watch, It's just a pretty darn nice movie-- some love, some family drama, and most of all a Merry Christmas.

A celebration of the beloved Chinese restaurant.

[Avidviewer-02847 · 7/10 · 26 November 2022]

I've gone to Chinese restaurants on Christmas Day, the alternatives were high priced restaurants that required reservations or a come as you are Chinese restaurant with a menu I liked. I enjoyed this celebration of the Chinese restaurant and the families that own them. I also enjoyed it because it celebrated immigrants who came here and did well, especially this story which was a Chinese couple who settled in Wichita, Kansas and not the traditional coastal cities of SF, LA, Seattle, NYC...that generally attracts Asian immigrants.

Standouts were Kara Wang, Osric Chau, Antonio Cupo, Vincent Cheng and Markian Tarasiuk. The script wasn't perfect but it worked.

Too many stories in one film

[halvor-moen · 5/10 · 26 November 2022]

Diversity is great. I actually liked the young casting a lot. However the stories being told are so many and not really being done so in a convincing way. The movie doesn't pick up at any point, despite all the hoping and wishing on the behalf of the people in it.

The movie itself focuses on the traditions in the past and the possible future of some of the characters in the film. It's not any heavy thinking, therefore it's a huge bummer to watch all the odd turns and fake conflicts in order to get to the end of the movie. The story is really bad, the momentum of the film is lackluster. The story takes place during Christmas, but is it therefore a X-mas movie??

Heartwarming, Inclusive (not PC), and Realistic relationships

[innerlooper96 · 10/10 · 27 November 2022]

I loved this movie, needless to say. I am giving it a 10 based on the fact that EVERY movie has flaws, even the most award-winning movies. It's a 10 because it hit every important factor for the holiday season.

1. I loved that the characters are easy to differentiate; as someone who has trouble tracking characters that look alike, I often get confused (see: The Women, a classic old movie but heck-of-confusing!). They all have sincere qualities and realistic flaws.

2. I loved the fact that all the story lines were easy to tie together; relationships made sense, like the interviewer (Veronica) also being the daughter of the grieving mom, who was helped by the interviewee and made it clear that he was a worthy, caring young man.

3. I appreciated that Romy was trying so hard to find "authentic" Christmas. As a lifelong fan of Christmas and traditions, married to someone who did not celebrate it, Christmas is not really about those traditions so much as it is about love, being together, and celebrating faith (at least for those who embrace a faith/spiritual mindset). You can do that in any climate, in any situation, with almost anyone you love. It was a valuable lesson for her to see that "perfect Christmas" isn't what you would think. (I found it HILARIOUS when they went caroling; I don't get how that was considered negative in any way! It was hysterical to see those old Victorian costumes, and then to see reality: the Mom with an upset baby-- that's so real. How many times do we feel compelled to smile and "act" some specific way, when in reality, we may be able to use some help or just empathy? The same people who expect perfect Christmas are probably a lot of the people who glare at babies who are 'misbehaving' (i.e. Crying like a normal infant). The teens laughing: absolutely hilarious, again because it is so typical and relatable.

4. Veronica: I loved the name (you can guess why), but I didn't totally love her personality. I disliked how she could not soothe her Mom a bit, and offer understanding. But, I realized that it's not because she was willfully being a jerk: she was feeling guilty and disconnected from her Dad, and seeing her Mom truly miss this man made her feel worse about the way she and Dad last spoke. It all made sense. I did not like her final line in the scene where she is giving the ornament, because the writers could have made that a little bit more graciously worded, but again, life is unscripted and not always nice.

5. I loved the older gentleman who was grieving his wife. He is the total twin of a man I actually know, and it was awesome to see that role nailed by the actor. (Funny guy, missing his wife, not overly sappy sweet, enjoys giving others a good tease. I loved him.) 6. I loved all the other parts as well - for their individual merit. I found Sadie lovely, but a few more lines could have helped us see a little more about her, and why there would be a connection for her and Rick.

7. LOVED Rick's parents. (who doesn't?) 8. I appreciated the duality of scenery (city and country).

9. I loved how everyone came together to help run the restaurant, and yes, it's unrealistic to some degree.

10. I appreciated and admired that Hallmark kept Christmas true to the roots of Christianity. Even if you are not a Christian, it's admirable to see a network that is run in today's environment be unafraid to acknowledge this aspect of Christmas. I would expect nothing less from a movie that celebrates any other religious holiday, be it my own religion or not.

Way to go- to the entire Cast and Hallmark!

I believe in traditions which is the main message of this Christmas film

[Ed-Shullivan · 7/10 · 23 November 2022]

Just like a turkey that cooks slowly until it eventually ends up on your families dinner table with an all golden brown skin, Christmas at the Golden Dragon starts off slow and gradually the sweet scent aroma of a good Christmas film permeates through your television set.

I think we can all agree that you can choose your friends but you can't choose your family as you are born into it. Having said that, sometimes your close friends prove to be your closest family and such is the story line behind this memorable Christmas film.

There are several story lines going on including retirement, career paths, pregnancy, divorce, marriage, and of course romance. But the underlying story is how a small community of the Golden Dragon's clientele need each other and show that they care for each other through the events surrounding the annual Christmas dinner.

This is a memorable Christmas film that will warm your heart and soul.... and maybe you will shed a tear or two. I give the film a decent 7 out of 10 IMDb score.

"Misery Loves Company"

[montgomerysue · 5/10 · 18 November 2022]

If you are really feeling down in the dumps, then this is the one for you. Every character in this movie has an opportunity to whine, suffer, complain, or fly off the handle.

You have never heard so much negativity in a Hallmark Holiday movie before.

Sometimes you wonder why some of these people just don't slap each other into sensibility. Remember Cher in "Moonstruck" ? "Snap out of it !" The actors do their best here but the script is sometimes just too amateurish to overcome. We love Barbara Nivens and she is able to rise above the material but she is just not in here enough. And Jason Fernandes as Miguel is quite good.

Also, the production values are sometimes beyond belief.

For example, during the first hour, there is a shot of a house with what's supposed to be snow on the roof, but it looks like a bunch of second graders slopped it all together.

Nevertheless, if you would like some company to suffer with this Holiday season, this has plenty to offer.

Clever, Innovative and full of Love!

[HallmarkJenny · 10/10 · 16 November 2022]

Summary: The Golden Dragon is a Chinese Restaurant and refuge from those far from their loves ones for the holidays. A place to gather and eat meals made with love for the Holidays cooked and served by the Chens and their children, Romy and Rick. Stories and characters weave and intersect together like a beautiful Christmas wreath of a beautiful community that lifts each other up and loves one another.

"Because of the Dragon, they had some place to spend Christmas along with all the other holiday orphans in town. We made a family and made new traditions." -Romy

Ending Kiss: Romy comes home Christmas morning with Blake and tells Rick they need to open up The Golden Dragon one last Christmas and cook for those that rely on and love their food. Romy and Rick call up their friends to come in and help cook for Christmas day dinner as they have given the staff the day off. The friends are all excited about their different roles in the kitchen and cook together with love.

Rick asks Sadie to "go to prom with him" and meet him at the Golden Dragon that night. She arrives and the restaurant has a 'PROM' dance floor for them! She kisses him on the dance floor.

Romy shows Blake the table at the restaurant where she sat for so man milestones in her life. Blake makes another milestone when he gets on one knee and asks Romy to marry him! She says yes and he ties golden tinsel around her finger.

Veronica and Nate dance together on the 'PROM' dance floor at the restaurant.

Romy and Ricks surprise their parents with their last dinner served to them at The Golden Dragon.

The family and friends of the Chens give a unique ornament with meaning and put it on The Golden Dragon's Christmas tree.

We are a nation of many stories that eventually connect us

[jalessi-1 · 10/10 · 11 December 2022]

We are a nation of immigrants. My ancestors came here from Finland, Great Britain & Germany. Each group that came to America faced great challenges that they worked hard to overcome. In recent years, there has been a movement of hate towards immigrants, and that is as wrong as wrong can be. This movie weaves together immigrant and family stories to show, as only a story can, how we can grow together, while celebrating individual differences and make rich communities. I love this movie and how it so beautifully told a worthy story. I commend Hallmark for going beyond the familiar and stretching into how we can be better people together.

What a Mess

[Robinb315 · 2/10 · 16 November 2022]

Too many story lines that didn't mesh well. It starts with a character who wants to experience Christmas but on her terms and not on the family she is visiting. So you start out disliking the control freak. Fast forward to the end where they throw the Christmas dinner together in a restaurant that is closed and a prom! I know we push the envelope on imagination at times but there is no way you can convince anyone that you can provide meals to people on Christmas from an empty restaurant and then have "PROM" sign. Like who is open on Christmas for that? It was just the icing on the cake of confusion. The worst Christmas movie the year has to offer. I didn't give it a 1 because I thin k they tried.

Multiple Interlinked Storylines, to Good Effect

[Pete-Claus · 9/10 · 1 December 2022]

I'm writing this to try and counteract the negative impressions left by some reviews on this page that either thought there were too many storylines or too much negativity in the movie. Neither was the case, for me at least. But the negative impressions from those reviews very nearly dissuaded me from watching what turned out to be one of my top five favorite Christmas romcoms of 2022. That's why I'd like to offer my contrasting point of view to all of those.

Yes, there are a number of different plot lines, and it does take a bit of time to get used to recognizing each one, and following along, as the movie switches from one to another. But soon you get that hang of that and look forward to each one with anticipation. The variety this provides keeps things interesting, and moving along.

Yes, as with most romcoms, every major character has a challenge or two they will face during the movie. If you have an ensemble cast with a number of different lead characters, that's a lot of challenges to introduce in a short time in the movie, so I can see how some reviewers viewed that as introducing negativity. But these characters take on their challenges in positive ways, so this movie was more rewarding -- and much less negative -- than many other Christmas romcoms.

Yes, this is a different style of Christmas romcom, which is refreshing. This gets away from the been-there-done-that sameness that so many romcoms reflect.

The reward for having followed all of the different plot lines is a superbly crafted ending, where we can see and appreciate the way these different storylines helped each other out. The ending provides a very satisfying resolution for the entire ensemble of stories.

This is one is of my Top 10 favorite 2022 Christmas movies of 2022. You can see my other favorite 2022 Christmas movies by clicking on my profile link above; then look for "2022 FAVORITE CHRISTMAS ROM-COMs" under "Lists".

A bit messy

[allisonjoys · 5/10 · 15 November 2022]

There were some really good things about this movie. I understand what they were trying to do here. But it was too much. Even with trying to tie certain characters and their stories together it all felt a bit clunky. Several movies could have been made out of this one so you would think it was rushed but it wasn't. There were plenty of filler moments including an obvious product placement/commercial scene.

What is interesting is this didn't have a Hallmark feel to it. It actually seemed more Netflix. There was a negative undertone to all the stories. Multiple characters were mean or rude to each other, sometimes for no reason. I found the ending kind of sad.

Really loved it

[mizkj · 9/10 · 24 November 2022]

I really enjoyed this movie. Lots of characters/storylines to follow along with. I loved that the common tie was The Golden Dragon restaurant, because many families have traditions like this, my family included. The stories felt natural and the acting, too. Each story evolved naturally, I thought. We've seen this format before (many intersecting stories in a movie), but I thought this one was well done. I didn't get lost trying to keep track of all the storylines and I'll say again it just felt natural and came together beautifully. Definitely a great new addition to the Hallmark Christmas lineup.

Loved this movie!

[nkleeman-1 · 10/10 · 26 November 2022]

So different than the regular holiday movies. This has to be one of my favorites. So many different stories going on with each dealing with Christmas like real Americans (well in time lapses). Happy to see the love and no hate. I needed this today and actually shed some tears. Thank you!

Wouldn't it be great to see people of all ethnicities get along and be humans beings. It was refreshing that the writers showed relationships blind to the racist people in this world!

More love and less hate would make us all better people! Merry Christmas everyone! May you promote love like the people in the movie!

Lacking in Christmas spirit!

[sevenseas · 4/10 · 24 November 2022]

This felt more like a regular movie that just happened to have some Christmas decorations and snow.

I loved the actors! Everyone was fantastic!

I would love to see more Hallmark movies with Asian actors!

I loved the Chinese restaurant and having a Chinese restaurant in a Christmas movie because it reminds me of a Christmas Story. Honestly that was one of The few things I liked about this movie, lol.

However this movie was not magical or enchanting.

There was very little joy or merriment from any of the characters, there was lots of struggle and complaining and sadness. It did not feel festive to me at all!!

****** SPOILERS *******

There were so many storylines and characters that I was hardly invested in any of them.

I love movies that have lots of different characters who all end up knowing each other by the end in a way, like New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day and Mother's Day and Noel, but this one was just a miss for me.

Some of the characters went caroling and the entire experience was very negative.

The same character involved in the negative caroling experience found that most of her Christmas experience with her boyfriends family was not what she was hoping for.

There are so many better Christmas movies than this!

Romy Chen (Kara Wang)

[aab874 · 10/10 · 31 December 2022]

Favorite scene with

Romy Chen (Kara Wang) - Letting the Restaurant Staff Have It for being Very Disrespectful to her Friends, and Suddenly Realizing just how much her Family and the Restaurant mean to her. BTW #1, I Loved this Movie! The Intertwining Stories make me think of one of my Favorite Movies Ever! - "Love Actually". Despite the Fact that Some of the Characters seemed Very Selfish At First, they Matured once they Realized and Admitted why they were. BTW #2, I Love the Name Romy!!! - Especially because of Mira Sorvino's Romy in one of my Favorite Movies Ever! - "Romy And Michele's High School Reunion".

Set in New York, Vermont, and Kansas.

Nice try but...

[rebecnine · 3/10 · 6 May 2023]

...no cigar. Was desperate for a Christmas movie in May, but this wasn't the best choice. The dialog, the acting, even the editing in places was uneven. Most of the situations seemed very contrived. I understand the comments about the value of showing a realistic Christmas instead of a fake Hallmark one, but really what's the point of that? Who wants to see a realistic Christmas on film when you can experience one first hand every year?! I'll take the fake Hallmark ones any day. I've enjoyed reading some of the reviews though!! Lisa's and Patrick's are particularly amusing. Now I'm just adding words to meet the minimum character limit...

Hallmark ?

[gkarf · 9/10 · 25 October 2023]

While I enjoy 90% of Hallmark movies, this was a step above . While still having the romance, they weren't the prevalent Hallmark romance of initial conflict prior to love , or the old boyfriend from the hometown ( although there is one, but no impending marriage to stop ) .

I felt this had the family love throughout several families , and more believable than most movies. Although Barbara Niven was the only recognizable actor to me ( as far as Hallmark regulars) , the entire cast was believable and enjoyable. I just can't get over how much I enjoyed this movie , or how I missed it on original release. For me , one of the most touching movies Hallmark has made. Give it a look.

The Multiple Storylines Are Great

[dianekburgin · 9/10 · 16 January 2023]

I love the multiple storylines! They add depth and required me to pay full attention. Not the typical holiday story either. Give it a few minutes and if you love Hallmark movies, you'll love it too! There are so many actors you will recognize. It reminded me of a Hallmark version of Valentine's Day, where it takes a bit before you see how everyone connects to each other.

By the end of the movie, you'll be grateful for the family you have. Those of us who have somewhere to spend Christmas are truly lucky, for the family we have or for the family we've picked. A nice movie to allow reflection and gratitude to flow!