Is A Family Thanksgiving any good?

Let’s find out:

So we start off by meeting Claudia (Daphne Zuniga). Claudia is a busy career woman (attorney) who has no time for love because Hallmark only has one kind of character. Claudia is working on a case where an evil, evil company wants a mill to destroy a honest and decent small town’s park.

Faye Dunaway gives Claudia an alternate life in which Claudia has a husband (Bill (Dan Payne)) and kids (Jake (Nicolai Giustra) and Amy (Kennedi Clements)). Claudia endures a stressful car ride with the kids and, during the ride, we find out that Claudia is a Hallmark Channel character who knows what profanity is and who knows how to use it.

Out of desperation, Claudia turns to her sister (Jen) (Gina Holden)), and…

Hallmark movies rarely focus on sister relationships and Zuniga and Holden do have believable sister chemistry; so, this is nice.

The next day, Claudia is still trapped in the reality. It turns out that it is Bill’s birthday and that Claudia is holding a party for him. Claudia gains an appreciation for the park. At Bill’s birthday party, we find out that Claudia is a Hallmark Channel character who knows what birthday sex is. We also find out that Bill is struggling with getting promoted, Amy is struggling with potty training and that Jake is struggling with math.

Claudia helps Amy with potty training and she helps Jake with math. Claudia tries to help Bill with getting promoted; but, she makes him miserable. Claudia tries to go back to her old life; but, she misses the alternate reality.

In a rarity for these movies, Claudia keeps working as an attorney; but, she is pro-park and anti-mill this time. Claudia and Bill have… er… ice cream and this montage is set to dentist waiting room music/funeral home background music. Claudia and fam have Thanksgiving dinner; but, Dunaway makes Claudia go back to her old life.

Claudia discovers that the mill causes health defects in children; so, she wins the case for the park. She reconciles with Jen and she meets up with Bill.

A Family Thanksgiving is a good Hallmark Channel movie to me. I appreciated the focus on Claudia’s relationship with her sister and I appreciated that the movie allowed Claudia to keep working after the alternate reality experience (most Hallmark Channel movies would end with the female character giving up her career). It still does have the typical Hallmark “we need to give this female character a husband and kids” message. 

Charity Spotlight: Environmental Defense Fund

This organization is devoted to protecting the environment.

Environmental Defense Fund Website:

https://www.edf.org

My Ko-Fi:

ko-fi.com/snarkymovierobot