Planes snowed in. Families losing holiday cheer. A cute pilot as the primary character. I reviewed “Grounded for Christmas” a few years back, and this 2023 Hallmark film is quite similar. Which is not a complaint. These movies often run on a cycle and a refresh is par for the course.
Kate Gabriel (Rachel Skarsten) is a pilot. Kate has accepted her dream job as captain of a charter flight. The assignment sees her shuttling a rich family from Los Angeles to the Swiss Alps. The parents are aloof. The kids are bratty. A snowstorm forces the plane to land on Christmas Island, Nova Scotia. And that is where they’ll spend the holidays.
Cleared for Takeoff!
Rachel Skarsten has a commanding presence on screen. Flawlessly beautiful, and authoritative in her speech. She’s an experienced pilot and is taking her job quite seriously, much to the chagrin of other airplane personnel. And that tight bun she wears her hair in is a thing of pure fantasy. Kate has a backstory that discourages her from Christmas. Its plausible, and a perfect genesis for her life as a rootless pilot.
Oliver MacLeod (Andrew Walker) is the standard Christmas obsessed resident of the town. Oliver also works for the airline and has had negative interactions with Kate in the past. Of course, that was over the radio. In person she is tougher to deny. Oliver has a task. Deliver a great Christmas to the stranded family. And secure Kate under the mistletoe.
Kate Drummond, Jefferson Brown, Peter MacNeill and Lauren Hammersley round out the cast. I recognized Lauren Hammersley from the addicting Netflix series “Virgin River.”
A Canuck Christmas
I was tickled that Christmas Island is in fact, a real place. The movie was filmed on location in Nova Scotia, which adds to the beautiful setting. I’m sure the production team embellished the small town as movies often do.
And I thought it was hilarious that a biblical type of storm stopped all travel, yet the residents of the town are all walking around outside like there’s nothing happening.
“Christmas Island” is funny. It’s predictable. And it’s worth watching. I probably wrote more than anyone else will about it. It’s available on Netflix as of now. Watch it fast before it takes off.
