When someone sets fire to John’s car, he is left with nothing and must return home to his parents’ house. While they welcome him in for the holidays, they are apprehensive about him staying any longer and require that, in order to stay, he must pay rent. His parents help him get a job at the local post office, but it appears that John is not quite ready to grow up. After dozens of mishaps, failures, and heartbreak, John begins to learn that, despite his past, he can choose to make the best of his life and that he still has the time to do so.
A Fall City Christmas is a unique Christmas film in many ways. One of the most notable differences that sets this film apart is the fact that it doesn’t employ magic or a “Christmas miracle.” In fact, it shares truth about Santa Clause from both a Christian perspective as well as a bitter perspective after loss. There were multiple instances where I felt that I knew what would happen in a typical holiday film, yet the writers of A Fall City Christmas took the script in a different direction. These differences add to the successful story told within the movie.
There are a few inconsistencies within the plot, however. The setting takes place in Washington state at Christmas time, yet the temperatures are high enough that John is able to sleep outside after being in the rain for hours without catching hypothermia. After John aggressively speaks to Olivia’s daughter, she very quickly forgives him without much convincing. There are also a number of implied plot points that are not directly stated. For example, at the very beginning it’s unclear why John’s care is set ablaze. John’s conflict with Derek is left unaddressed aside from a brief, ambiguous conversation. More clarification and character development throughout the movie would have gone a long way.
A Fall City Christmas is a good film. There are twists and turns that will keep viewers on their toes, there are scenes with integrity that encourage character growth, and there are scenes that promote the importance of Christmas from both a Biblical and secular perspective. Viewers should be aware of John’s negative character traits before watching this film with impressionable young minds, yet they should also note how he strives toward self-improvement even when the world seems to continuously knock him down. A Fall City Christmas is a realistic, hopeful, and, overall, vulnerable film that is perfect for watching with older children and adults.
A Fall City Christmas is Dove approved for ages 12+.
The Dove Take
A Fall City Christmas encourages second chances following John’s destructive past.
