It's not surprising that there are some sharp criticisms of this movie. As unassuming as holiday TV movies are, some of us make the mistake of expecting a production that rivals movies with exponentially larger budgets and time.
Don't let that happen to you. This movie is not trying to be anything it is not; it's a simple, interesting plot that takes place with visually appealing surroundings and actors that are easy to watch.
Everything you may love about Christmas in the south, the coastal areas, or small towns is present in this movie. If you are partial to beach life, or have been exposed to the beach, you may love how this movie conjures those feelings. The home featured in the movie is beautiful, especially the bedroom with a window seat.
The premise of the movie is believable to me in the sense that we all understand what it means to be burnt out and scraping along in our work life. Getting a reset is exactly what we need, and that is the premise of Drucinda's acceptance of her mom, Ellie's, invitation to go home to Harbor Point, SC. When she arrives, she's stiffly cemented in NYC-mindset, methodically getting rid of the objects in her bedroom that remind her of life before she became a successful author. This is important; the movie is showing us how difficult it is to revisit times in our lives when we weren't as confident or accepted as we are now. Most of us run from those memories, just like Dru, and the point was to help us get a sense of how unhappy those years were for her. She was unpopular, not accepted, "the weird one".
As she gets acclimated, she reconnects with her best friend and her family, in the process meeting Brysen Flynn and his daughter, Peyton. All along the course of the movie, Dru slowly progresses from severe writer's block to a fresh crop of ideas, thanks to the 'characters' that now surround her during her visit home.
Unfortunately, this bodes poorly for her, and impacts every single relationship she's cultivated since her arrival, including her loving mother, who otherwise seems incapable of disdain.
It's a joy to see Bonnie Bedelia in her role as Dru's mom; funnily enough, I thought her southern accent was believable. Her voice was not very loud, and she had a softness that made her seem like the perfect complement to Drucinda's brashness.
Burgess Jenkins is also kind, soft-spoken as a character, and plays the try-hard Dad that isn't macho, but also isn't a doormat (see: refusal to hand over the last bag of marshmallows). He earns her hard-won trust, especially while reassuring Dru that everything will be okay as they are stuck in an unfueled motor boat without any sign of fuel.
Peyton is his teen daughter, whose kindness highlights that she was raised very well by her late mom and Brysen, and she projects an unspoiled quality with ease.
Julie Ann Emery, Drucinda, is pretty wonderful to watch, although it is easy to dislike her. She has a self-centeredness that makes the viewer cringe, but that's also the reason she's great at her role. Watching her throughout the movie will help you feel better about who you are; if you're struggling with making a recent mistake or letting others down, there is almost still no comparison to Dru's gaffes!
Christmas on the Coast could have improved its story line by raising the stakes a little higher with regard to Dru's indiscrete stories about her fellow locals. The inner shriek we feel when realizing that there is about to be an unveiling of disloyalty or friend-manipulation is not quite as strong with this movie, perhaps because we're not really given any believable reason that Ellie would be disparaging. We understand that she was a social outcast prior, but the whole town didn't deserve to be mocked (i.e the strangers shopping, or even Brysen and his daughter). If it did, we'd need to have more context.
The forgiveness scene at the town gathering was also hard for me to watch. Her dress was so pretty, but didn't particularly add to the symbolism or meaning of the scene. Also, the camera pans to the townspeople who are dutifully agreeing as she asks their forgiveness, but this seems far-fetched; chances are, I would not think too hard about a stranger that disparaged a few people in my town, to the point that forgiveness would need to be asked of me personally.
I think it would have been better if she had pulled aside the people she had betrayed, and made a genuine effort to make things right.
Also, in the end, her young friend Peyton gets the story to the right people, but that is probably the biggest jump in reality. I think settling for the ending being less conclusive on the writing, but more conclusive on the relationship resolutions would have been a good move.
All in all, this movie delivers well for the beautiful setting, the likable characters (for me), and the positive, forgiveness-centered message. I liked the scripture that they included, and how they helped translate the faith-message to a universal one (we all get lost and will need to call upon others to help us).
