By Geno McGahee
My spree of Xmas movie reviews continues with the 2010 Hallmark holiday movie “THE TOWN CHRISTMAS FORGOT.” Hallmark movies can be counted on to put across the rediscovery of Christmas and this film is no exception. The Benson family is en route to a big Christmas celebration at a resort when their vehicle breaks down and they become stuck in Nowhere, Colorado, and that’s when the magic is found.
THE TOWN CHRISTMAS FORGOT was written by Jim Mackichuk and it should be noted that he wrote an underrated horror film “GHOSTKEEPER” from 1981. That film was loaded with snow and he brought the snow back for this one, and he can actually tell a story quite well. He did so in 81 and he did so here with his Xmas film.
The Benson family gives the impression of a happy family but they have become disconnected from each other and from the world. The technology and their fast-moving lives have put them in their own worlds and they have become relatively cold. Charles (Rick Roberts) is a banker that is buried in his job and his wife, Annie (Lauren Holly) is in the same position with her advertising gig. Their teen daughter, Trish (Torri Webster), is very negative and snotty, while their son, Nolan (Azer Greco) is still seeking acceptance but is relatively ignored. They have the look of a well-rounded happy family but there is work to be done.
The vehicle breaks down and the Benson family is found by the Nowhere town mechanic, Coleman (Phillip Jarrett), and brought into town. The big city family enters the town and realizes that life is different. The phone lines are down and there is no TV either. They are confined to a hotel room and become restless. Each of the family members starts exploring the town and discovers something that opens up their eyes to the true meaning of life and Christmas.
Charles teams up with Coleman and helps him prepare food for the town. When they go to delivery some cookies Coleman gets hurt and Charles saves his life. He also learns that the town is basically dead. The storefronts are all closed up and the town won’t celebrate the holidays because there is no hope anymore. The Mayor, Jeremiah Bee (Joe Pingue), tried to open a resort but the banks shot him down and now the town holds him responsible for the collapse. He has become very angry and hurt and that pain is shared from most of the townies.
Annie meets waitress, Samantha Bee (Stephanie Belding), who is putting together an Xmas pageant. Annie has a dancing background, but she mentioned that “life happens” and she had to focus on a career, not her dream to be a dancer. When she witnesses Samantha and her crew of women trying to put on a dance show, she becomes the coach and begins showing them the moves to make the presentation right.
Trish goes to the high school and finds a young rock band doing their rendition of Jingle Bells. She tears into them, but when they challenge her to show them the right way, she reluctantly agrees. She warms up and takes on the lead singing role of this group.
Nolan, remarkably, is allowed to walk the town alone and he’s around 9 years old. I thought that was a little strange. He finds a closed toy store and enters. It’s in shambles, but he finds a toy train that he finds interesting. He meets the grumpy shop owner that sort of looks like Santa Claus. A town that refuses to acknowledge the holiday would have a hard time doing that if there was a Santa. Nolan makes it his mission to make the shop owner dress like Santa for the pageant.
Right when the family gets to like the town, their vehicle is fixed and they are on the road. They leave and have a family discussion where they talk about true happiness and how empty their lives were before going to Nowhere. They turn around and head to the pageant and the family actually participates in some of the shows. Charles, being a banker, sees an opportunity to help the town and the mayor and we leave this Xmas film with some holiday cheer and a happy ending.
THE TOWN CHRISTMAS FORGOT was enjoyable and it was good to see Lauren Holly back. She’s done some TV movie work and this is a TV movie, but I’ve always connected her to DUMB AND DUMBER. She has a great look and I thought she’d do more big screen films. Whatever the case, she really comes off warm in this and her transition from the beginning to the end was convincing. The same can go for Rick Roberts. He did a great job and was very likable in this role.
I recommend THE TOWN CHRISTMAS FORGOT. You walk away wanting to decorate your house and drink eggnog…even though I don’t drink eggnog. What is eggnog?
Rating: 6/10
