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Christmas is generally a time when families gather together, generally joyfully and sometimes with some underlying tensions that need to be packed away to get through the day. Most families gather at home, and some take family vacations. The Keller family in Hallmark’s newest Christmas movie do the latter, but what appears to be just another family gathering has an underlying sadness that no one sees coming.
A Keller Christmas Vacation stars Jonathan Bennett, Brandon Routh and Eden Sher as Keller siblings Dylan, Cal and Emory, respectively, scattered in different cities so while they communicate, they rarely see each other together except for on what they refer to as ‘forced family vacations’. And this year, mom Anne and dad Ben have planned a family get-together for Christmas, a slow cruise down the Danube with Vienna as their final destination. THis means the kids all have to put their lives on hold for a week. Cal is a college football coach, but his biggest concern at the moment is telling a woman his true feelings … even though she is in a relationship. Dylan, an architect, has a major project on his hands but he doesn’t know what to do with it yet, and on top of that he has decided that just before the trip he will propose to his doctor boyfriend … and that does not go quite as planned as William tells him that he doesn’t think now is the right time but won’t say specifically why, which causes Dylan to put a pause on things and make the trip alone. Emory learns via mass email that she’s been laid off from her job just before the trip, but she’s beginning to think she may have a special talent for photography. Once the siblings all arrive in Germany to begin the trip, none of them reveal what’s happening in their lives except Cal, who is sad about the ‘girl who got away’ but wants to make the most of the trip. It doesn’t hurt that he meets another American woman, Felicity, who is traveling with her grandfather Ron, who can clearly see the two have chemistry and makes it his mission to get them to spend some time together alone. Emory also sees some sparks fly when she meets the director of the tour, Noah, who notices the camera around her neck and mentions that the photographer he hired was unable to make the trip so pictures were going to be up to him and his phone, on top of everything else he has to do. Emory takes it upon herself to become the unofficial trip photographer, but there may be more to this than just altruism (and her brothers can clearly see she’s crushing on Noah hard).
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Things are going fine until the siblings lose track of time and miss the boat after their first stop, leading to a comical attempt for them to meet at the next destination, forcing them to spend the night in a small inn — and Dylan having to fend off the advances of German woman Hilda, who latched on to him at a festival — and then racing to the next port of call on a motorcycle with a sidecar … and getting lost on the way. But they do make it and the cruise continues, with Cal getting a bit closer to Felicity, and Emory getting closer to Noah — without any of them admitting out loud that they really like each other — while Dylan still frets over William’s secrecy. That comes to a head when William shows up to join the family, but he still refuses to tell Dylan what he’s been hiding. As the family goes on the various tours along the route, Ben seems to tire out more than usual, but everyone just thinks it’s because of the activities and his age. The one thing Ben, who was a competitive ice skater back in the day, is looking forward to is skating in Vienna on Christmas Eve but at a White Elephant gift exchange event on the cruise, Ben becomes unsteady on his feet and nearly collapses, forcing him to tell the kids exactly why this ‘enforced family vacation’ is so urgent. The news puts everyone into a bit of a tailspin, but it also allows William to finally come clean to Dylan, but will he see the secrecy as a betrayal and end the relationship altogether? Will Cal and Felicity bond over their shared past relationship issues (both have been through divorces) and try to make a go of their lives between Seattle and Portland? Will Emory find a way to pursue both her photography skills and Noah after she moves back to Portland to be closer to her parents? And will you need a box of Kleenex for the final scene in Vienna?
A Keller Christmas Vacation was not the family holiday movie one might expect. The screenplay by Tracy Andreen gives us three well-rounded characters in the Keller siblings, but while this could have been a full-on comedy, there are those serious moments that really hit you in all the feels. The tension between Dylan and William is frustrating because we are kept in the dark along with Dylan, trying to guess if perhaps William knows something about a family member’s medical condition or if perhaps he had planned to make a grand proposal in Vienna on Christmas Eve and he didn’t want to ruin that surprise. But whatever it is, we do sympathize with Dylan and his feelings. The big reveal is also gut-wrenching, and while it brings the family together, it’s a shocking moment for a Hallmark movie, but it also gives us a truly emotional final scene. Which answers that last question posed above — yes, you will need some Kleenex for those tears, both happy and sad. But it’s not all sadness as the entire scene where the Keller siblings are stranded in the hills — which Emory hopes are alive with the sound of music and nothing more sinister — is almost pure slapstick. Director Maclain Nelson manages to balance the humor and the drama, and juggle all of the various stories, keeping everything coherent and enjoyable. Nelson also makes great use of the location scenery in Salzburg and Vienna, not just as backdrops to the story but as characters in the story as well. They certainly make a great argument for planning your own Christmas vacation along the Danube.
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As with any story, it’s only as good as the actors playing the characters. Jonathan Bennett, of course, is his usual stand-out self. There are other movies where he’s been a little over-the-top goofy at times, but here he gets to really balance the comedy and the drama, giving Dylan an understandable bit of angst over his relationship, making it feel totally authentic, his concern leveled with the amount of love he has for William. The scenes with Hilda are also very funny, but it’s interesting that he never tells her he’s in a relationship. When he lets his emotions out in the third act, you can’t help but feel what he’s feeling through his performance. Brandon Routh is also good as Cal, bringing a nice awkwardness to the character, trying to navigate his hurt feelings of rejection while finding some interest developing in Felicity. His funniest character trait is his constant need for food, and whenever it’s time to eat he has no patience for anyone’s tardiness. A scene in his cabin that is hilariously over-decorated also brings some laughs as he is ribbed by his siblings. Eden Sher is terrific as Emory. This is her first Hallmark movie, but I certainly hope it’s not her last. Being a fan of Sher’s since she played Sue Heck on The Middle, it was delightful to see her here bringing her quirky charm to the role, using her great comic timing to deliver some of Emory’s funny dialog while using her expressive face to say a lot more than words ever could. She also carries off the slow-burn romantic feelings between Emory and Noah very well, and you can’t help but root for her to find a way to let him know how she feels and try to coordinate what will certainly be, at least initially, a very long-distance relationship (I wonder if there wasn’t a family issue at the core of the story that Emory may have decided to stay in Europe with Noah and pursue a photography career?). Laurel Lefkow and Nigel Whitmey also do some nice work as Anne and Ben, with Nigel especially tasked with some subtle behaviors that make the viewers suspect something is up with him before the big reveal. He also makes the most of that last scene which definitely requires more Kleenex.
Jill Winternitz as Felicity is a nice counter to Routh’s Cal. She brings that same awkward energy to their scenes together as they both try to maintain their composure and not immediately jump into anything. There is a really cute scene at a Christmas market where it seems a local woman is showing a bit much interest in Cal, so Felicity swoops in to either save him or make it clear that she is interested. Their entire romantic plotline is very subtle but Winternitz uses her expressions and body language in a way that it’s clear to the viewer she is interested in Cal. Harry Ditson (who some may recognize from 1984’s Top Secret!) is delightful as Felicity’s grandfather Ron. He gives the character a comic charm as he finds ways to exit a scene so Felicity and Cal can be alone together. Anand Desai-Barochia is also good as William, but he has a very difficult role in that he has to keep everything so close to the vest, generally having to use his very expressive face to say more than he does with his dialog. Frédéric Brossier is absolutely charming as Noah, a delightful host for the passengers on the cruise and as their tour guide at various stops, and finding that connection with Emory that builds slowly throughout the story, making us wonder if he will actually express his feelings. He works so well with Sher that you want them to find each other sooner rather than later.
Overall, A Keller Christmas Vacation has a wonderful story that balances both humor and pathos, making you laugh out loud one moment and on the verge of sobbing the next. The locations are stunning — who doesn’t want to live in a Hallmark movie? — and the cast is outstanding, breathing life into the characters on the page of the script. This is the first Keller family vacation we’ve been on, but is it the last? Perhaps they can do some prequels!
A Keller Christmas Vacation has a run time of 1 hour 23 minutes, and is rated TV-G. The film is streaming on Hallmark+.
Preview – A Keller Christmas Vacation
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Listen to songs featured in A Keller Christmas Vacation – Time with You by Nelly Joy, I Want To Dance with Father Christmas by Roger Drew, Need a Little Christmas by Piper Nicoles & Let Christmas Bring You Home by Jordyn