When I turned on Christmas Sail, the first thing my husband said was “Did Hallmark corrupt Katee Sackhoff now?” I don’t blame him for the sentiment. Sometimes Hallmark books these fabulous big name actors and puts them in a terrible movie. Let’s see if Katee made a good decision to work with Hallmark.
Liz (Sackhoff) has been estranged from her father, Dennis (Terry O’Quinn), since her mother died. When a Christmas tree falls on Dennis, Liz gets a call to come home to help him recover.
So the answer to the big question - Yes, Katee made a good decision to work on this movie. It’s easy to see how a less talented actress could have upped the cheese factor on the role but Katee managed to give the role the right amount of cheesiness. (I mean, Liz likes boat-related puns. She is a cheese-filled lady.) And, thankfully, she doesn’t have to carry the movie by herself. Emma Oliver as Liz’s daughter, Hannah, is an absolute delight. Of course, Terry O’Quinn has mastered the grumpy old man trope but he’s also mastered the grandfather with a heart of gold. Finally, Patrick Sabongui as Luke the love interest. He is probably the weakest of the main characters but he does manage to keep Luke from being forgettable or annoying.
While Christmas Sail was a very good movie, it’s not a must-watch-every-year movie. And that is OK. A movie can be perfectly good without being epic. I’m glad that there are a few of those already this season.