Christmas at the Golden Dragon

'Christmas at the Golden Dragon' (2022)

Opening thoughts: 'Christmas at the Golden Dragon' was mainly seen for Hallmark film completest sake. Their 2022 output, like all their previous years, was unsurprisingly uneven. With some highs, some lows and plenty somewhere in between. But considering the tumultuous couple of years, the standard generally could have been worse. This is obvious in their Christmas block, which was very patchy in its first half but on the whole it did improve quite a bit. The type of ___location is a familiar one, but it didn't sound as formulaic as most Hallmark films and have always appreciated it when Hallmark explore family relationships and more serious themes.

There are better 2022 Hallmark films than 'Christmas at the Golden Dragon', not just their Christmas output but overall too. There are also worse. 'Christmas at the Golden Dragon' is in the high middle category. It could easily have been one of the best 2022 Hallmark films, with so much being as well executed as they were, but the less than promising first portion stopped that from happening. Stick with it as it does get better.

Bad things: Starting with the not so good things, 'Christmas at the Golden Dragon' Starts off very badly, didn't see the point of the montage, it didn't add much and doesn't really say anything.

Didn't warm to the characters straightaway, the character flaws being a little overdone which was a common problem in the 2022 Hallmark output. And it is slow to begin with.

Good things: With all of that being said, the film does get a lot better and there are a lot of good things. Kara Wang and Osric Chau (always nice to see non-regular Hallmark performers every now and again) are very engaging leads and are as good as any popular Hallmark regular when on form. They have a sincere and easy going chemistry together and the relationship is not too hurried or aimless. They are well served by the supporting cast, with the standouts being charming Genevieve Buechner and the ever classy Barbara Niven.

Moreover, the character writing does improve a lot, the characters become more likeable and grow. Production values are suitably slick, lovely locations as is often the case with Hallmark (though the locations' authenticity has always varied) and the music has a nice festive cosiness. There is a lght hearted and never awkward or cheesy script and the story has a lot of charm and warm heart, while having some familiar elements they are not done too predictably. The family relationships are handled honestly, movingly and tactfully.

Closing thoughts: In conclusion, starts rough but mostly good.

7/10.

My goodness, it was just all-encompassing. They had massively far too many characters to follow, or always to care about, but I still enjoyed most of them.

Whoever wrote this does have a flair for character development, which I enjoyed, but it was a case of almost pure overload. Remember to focus not-so-much on 20 main characters, but more like 6. That way we can really get invested and have the time, in 2 hours, to really care and root for people and hope for their best.

I'd say, though, most people will still enjoy this. Despite it thinking it's gone with the wind, it's still a semi-coherent storyline with enough going on to make you feel good about the characters and just xmas in genera. Give it a whirl and I think you'll enjoy it; but mentally just give up on the characters you aren't especially invested in,

This is a definite 9 in the Hallmark Christmas movie category. Some might categorize this genre as a guilty favorite this time of year. But I just call them a seasonal favorite. I'm a manly guy and I like them and that's that. Not ashamed. Ha. But back to the Golden Dragon. The first line nearly made me shut it off, as it talked about a PC kind of meaning of Christmas that had very little if anything to do with the meaning of Christmas. But as it goes on it draws you in with a pretty big handful of stories about different people tied to the restaurant, and it is a lot of balls in the air, but it manages to juggle them pretty well. There's a lot more going on in this one than the usual gingerbread contest to save the bakery, fake relationship to get the big promotion, or amnesia and love at Christmas type stories. Shock of shocks, there's even a nativity play that is quickly featured among the many stories. Usually you can be wrapping gifts or putting up decorations with a Hallmark movie on and still get the whole story because they've done it a dozen times before. Not this one. Give this one a watch, It's just a pretty darn nice movie-- some love, some family drama, and most of all a Merry Christmas.

I'm writing this to try and counteract the negative impressions left by some reviews on this page that either thought there were too many storylines or too much negativity in the movie. Neither was the case, for me at least. But the negative impressions from those reviews very nearly dissuaded me from watching what turned out to be one of my top five favorite Christmas romcoms of 2022. That's why I'd like to offer my contrasting point of view to all of those.

Yes, there are a number of different plot lines, and it does take a bit of time to get used to recognizing each one, and following along, as the movie switches from one to another. But soon you get that hang of that and look forward to each one with anticipation. The variety this provides keeps things interesting, and moving along.

Yes, as with most romcoms, every major character has a challenge or two they will face during the movie. If you have an ensemble cast with a number of different lead characters, that's a lot of challenges to introduce in a short time in the movie, so I can see how some reviewers viewed that as introducing negativity. But these characters take on their challenges in positive ways, so this movie was more rewarding -- and much less negative -- than many other Christmas romcoms.

Yes, this is a different style of Christmas romcom, which is refreshing. This gets away from the been-there-done-that sameness that so many romcoms reflect.

The reward for having followed all of the different plot lines is a superbly crafted ending, where we can see and appreciate the way these different storylines helped each other out. The ending provides a very satisfying resolution for the entire ensemble of stories.

This is one is of my Top 10 favorite 2022 Christmas movies of 2022. You can see my other favorite 2022 Christmas movies by clicking on my profile link above; then look for "2022 FAVORITE CHRISTMAS ROM-COMs" under "Lists".

I loved this one. I also loved the movie's message about embracing imperfections and being present.

I really liked the ensemble cast, storylines, and how they all weaved together-thanks to The Golden Dragon. The stories were rich in family and Christmas traditions.

The writing was nicely done and delivered heartwarming moments from start to finish.

Also, I'm putting in a request for Hallmark to do a movie with Antonio Cupo and Sarah Canning together...they had a great chemistry in this movie that could really shine in a movie with the two of them as leads.

I definitely recommend this movie!