Front Street Pictures,
Dermot Mulroney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Danny Glover, Holly Elissa, Joan Cusack, Kirsten Prout, Anthony Konechny
Reporter Tom Langon (Dermot Mulroney) has become very jaded. He’s kind of hit a slump, and decides the way to get out of it is to take a train ride across the country at Christmas time. During the four or five day trip from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles, his hope is to find inspiration to write a book about the journey dedicated to his father. But to his surprise, Elenor Carter (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) is also on the train writing a screenplay for master director Max Powers (Danny Glover) who are also sharing the ride. Tom and Elenor have a past, but even though they are bitter enemies at the start, it is clear to everyone on board that they still have a spark between them. During the long journey, they bond with a number of colorful characters on the train, each of which have a story of their own, but director Max is a sneaky guy and may have an ulterior motive for the team.
With the release of the remake of Murder on the Orient Express this holiday season, this Train movie fit right into the mood. The mystery on-board this train is almost as intense as the previously mentioned film. It was really interesting, and a good mystery in itself. As we get to know the various characters, all of them somehow fit together, and it is a very intriguing little film. Quite an unusual Christmas movie, the Hallmark Hall of Fame series has done an excellent job with this one, and it’s definitely part a highlight of their premiers in 2017. The eventual reveal came as a surprise to me and I must admit I didn’t see that coming. All in all this is an excellent story filled with great performances and really good mystery script that keeps us entertained. Kudos to Joan Cusack who is a master at playing quirky roles. This is one of her best, and she was very good in this movie. This is one I am going to have to watch over again!
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