Hallmark’s A ’90s Christmas is all vibes, with no rhyme or reason, yet it fully works in its unapologetic means of delivering a happy ending. It follows an overworked lawyer who’s magically sent back to the last Christmas she spent at home in order to change the circumstances of her life, and well, she does.
What ultimately stops this movie from being great is the fact that you can’t successfully work through a time travel plot with a single film where it isn’t the primary focus, like in Back to the Future. The audience is forced to suspend too much disbelief because the mechanisms are wonky, and where we could’ve spent more time dealing with the emotions properly, scenarios jump around too much. Still, for someone who’s used to not asking questions with movies like this, I’m not too bothered by it. Yet, a Hallmark newcomer might not connect as closely.
Still, another reason that ensures Hallmark’s A ’90s Christmas will work is due to the performances. I loved seeing both Eva Bourne and Alex Hook in properties outside of When Calls the Heart and The Way Home, respectively. The lovely moments we get between the sisters easily feed the desire to see more platonic relationships on my screener. Plus, yet another movie with welcomed LGBTQIA representation?! More of these, Hallmark—keep going. This will always be a win.
While I wish the film explored grief a little more with how differently the two women dealt with it, we do get a lovely moment between Lucy and her grandpa that allows viewers to understand how she comes to her final decision. As much as it feels like we gloss over some of the pain and merely mention it without actively showing it, this moment feels like one of the more well-crafted scenes to emphasize how much things change after loss. We also get another lovely moment between Lucy, Alexa, and their mother right before the end, but it’s easy to wish that this was also lengthened a bit.
As far as the romance goes, it’s evident right from the moment Matt sits down with Lucy at the diner that there’s a history between them. Some of the more lasting sentiments all rely on a montage to make us see why they’d work out during this second chance, whereas details from the past are still a bit wonky. Yes, it’s easy to root for them, but some beats don’t feel properly executed. If it weren’t for that montage, we don’t have much proof of why they should be together.
It’s a good thing that the chemistry between Bourne and Chandler Massey is all there because, like Netflix’s Our Little Secret, which also released this year, I needed to see a bit more of the romance to allow that part to detail to feel fleshed out. The story would’ve fully fumbled if it weren’t for the chemistry.
Ultimately, Hallmark’s A ’90s Christmas is mostly still enjoyable, largely because of the nostalgia and character journey we watch Lucy embark on, but it’s missing a few elements that could’ve made it exceptional. Still, it’s one of the movies worth watching this year.
Watch A ’90s Christmas on the Hallmark Channel this Christmas.
First Featured Image Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Courtesy Vortex Media