Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘My Southern Family Christmas’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘My Southern Family Christmas’.
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The holiday season truly is a time for family. Where we gather round the dinner table or at various activities to just… be together and reminisce about days gone by or look forward to days ahead, as a family. So that we receive all the love and warmth, and support we need during this critical time of year, where reflection and celebration also rule the day. But while so many of us head home and don’t think twice about it because that is just how the holiday season goes, we need to be mindful of the fact that our sometimes frustrating and exhausting experiences in going home, or joyous in nature, because we get to see those, we love, isn’t a consistent experience during the season.
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For there are some who are heading into the holiday season, mourning the loss of a family member which is hard and there are others… who simply don’t spend time with their family for various reasons. It could be because their family is toxic, or because they have yet to spend time with them. For perhaps they were given up as a child and only know of the existence of their parents from afar, which is no easy place to thrive, and that is why it is important during the season… to not only be grateful for what we have, but to put ourselves in the shoes of those that long for what we have. To have a proper understanding of worlds we don’t fully understand, and to see how we can help those in search of family cope during the season, and it just so happens that a recent Hallmark Channel release works to do just that in My Southern Family Christmas.

A feat that this story accomplishes by introducing us to a reporter named Campbell. Who despite having a great and successful career and a family that loves her, is longing. For she has never known her biological father, Everett Bergeron, who left years ago and is constantly on her mind, and oddly enough… she just so happens to be in his thoughts as well, despite him not knowing much about Campbell and her path. To the point where his wife searches for Campbell and locates her and contacts her, to try and bring this duo together, which Campbell is of course hesitant about. But a chance to write a story about her father becoming the new Pere Noel of his quaint Louisiana town, might give her the chance at last to finally spend time with her father and find the bond they never had in her youth. Provided of course, she can muster the courage to tell him who she really is and how badly she wants him in her life.

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Which is… the perfect way to put us in someone else’s shoes. Because by traveling through Campbell’s eyes… we are indeed privy to the different kind of holiday season that exists for others. Since she does spend a lot of time during the season, pondering on what it would feel like to have a complete relationship with someone that she knows she is connected to, and that leads to some wonderfully powerful moments for certain. The kind that provides us with an understanding of longing and the need to belong and of course, it also speaks to the need to support one another during the season if we know someone in this situation, so the hurt doesn’t overwhelm. Or in this case, to see how we can help them obtain the fulfillment that everyone involved is searching for.
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Because this is a Hallmark Channel movie and happy endings are a staple, but make no mistake about it, the overall plot and subject matter, make this a vastly different kind of Hallmark story. Since it genuinely covers a bevy of deep and important topics that go beyond Cameron’s plight. For this is also a story that dives deep into the power and importance of communication and honesty. And how not communicating with the people that matter to us and not being honest with them, or ourselves for that matter, stunts us and creates more strife. Since Campbell and Everett could have solved a great deal of their suffering with honesty in this particular tale and being honest with themselves would have gone a long way as well, which are lessons that already add to a supremely engaging and meaningful story. One that also works because of the performances present here.

Because Jaicy Elliot, who plays Campbell, sells the realism of the character and her internal pain. Allowing for us to easily connect with her and the story, and she isn’t the only one that shines here. For Bruce Campbell, who plays Everett, brings his A-game to this particular role. Adding a magnificent depth and complexity to the character and at times… he plays the character with such a raw honesty that you forget you’re watching Campbell act and believe you’re experiencing Everett’s emotions in person. If anything, all of these elements make this a delightful holiday watch, simply because… this really is a refreshing and unique Hallmark Holiday Movie. One that tackles fresh subject matter and features depth and humanity and a perspective that truly reminds us of the power of the season and the wonder of family.  

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