Operation Christmas (2016)

I think tricia does a good job of acting along side the bozo marc...he's very smug about himself...the big problem i have with him is his lack of regard for wearing the uniform properly...white tee shirts are never worn under the sweater unless you wear the proper blouse over it...sweaters are never decorated with ribbons or badges, only the epaulets...similarly, the light weight jacket is never worn over a tee shirt unless the tee is covered by the proper blouse...recommended tee shirts are v neck so they don't show under the blouse....head covers are never worn indoors...if you are doing a film about the military its necessary to get it right please

I have tremendous respect for the military. A movie like this always makes me nervous because I hope that the movie makers don't inadvertently cause anguish for those who live it.This movie deals with a lot of emotional issues for those in the military. The family left behind have a difficult life and for many of them, the emotional situation is not helped by the financial situation. As for the emotions of family of someone you know is going into the most dangerous situations possible, I am pretty sure I couldn't do it. This is what Olivia has never faced before and she has already lost a husband to divorce. And she tries to make an honest decision. I totally disagree with one statement made by her sister (when you see it you will know what I mean).Tricia Helfer has an emotional role and for me, this is one of the better performances I can remember on a made for TV movie (or a someone put it, the so-called B actors). This was not a B movie performance. Over and over she captured the raw emotion.The story was excellent even if perhaps some technical details were incorrect. The way the story was introduced at Whisper and then finished at the base was great. Seeing the lives of wives waiting at home, including a pregnant one was great. Seeing the toy drive and fundraiser put together was great. And there was plenty of good singing. (And even some bad singing for humor.) The other actors were good. Some of the scenery in the beginning gives reality to the word breathtaking.This is a Hallmark movie. It has a Hallmark ending. They all do. You expect that.

I saw this one for the first time this year and wasn't sure if I would like it for some reason. But I was pleasantly surprised. Emotions are up and down but overall it's a feel good movie with a tearjerker ending. I'm not sure how it happened but these two lead actors were new to me but WOW Tricia and Marc were great together. I have since seen them each in other movies and they have both become favorites.

I'll start off with saying that I really liked this film. It was obviously shot in the summer, which made all of the snow (other than the glacier scene) a little comical. The unending sunshine is also only possible in the summer in the Pacific Northwest. It's all stuff we can overlook.The idea of meeting someone whom puts themselves in danger for the greater good is a theme used throughout the years, and for good reason. It's an underlying theme of Christmas as well. Tricia Helfer knocked her role out of the park in this film, and I'd have never found this film had it not been for her mentioning it on Twitter. The military stuff was entirely annoying as a veteran, but I understand that most writers have only a cursory knowledge of the military when doing their writing. Firefighters say the same thing when watching firefighting movies. Writers are rarely experts in their subject matter. I'd like to have seen active duty military there to advise on dress & appearance. I'd also wished that deployments were more accurately depicted, but this isn't a film about the military. It's a film about giving, and what it means to come together as a community for Christmas. One has to understand that distinction. I, as a veteran, understand that. They did a great job with this film once you get past nit-picking, and I'll watch it every Christmas from here on out.