In viaggio verso il Nord

This is one of those Christmas movies about modern day redemption and reconciliation. The plot of "Christmas Comes to Willow Creek," is good. The script, acting and direction are just fair. Improvements in any of these areas would lift the rating of the film a notch or two. John Schneider and Tom Wopat of "The Dukes of Hazzard" TV fame are two brothers on the outs over a woman. The plot jumps between the brothers in California at the trucking firm they drive for, headed by Hoyt Axton as Al; and Al's hometown, Willow Creek, Alaska.

I enjoyed the scenic shots, especially once Ray and Pete hit the road, with Pete's son, Michael, in tow. The incidents they get into on the trip add some zest to the movie. The northern end of the trip was filmed in the Yukon Territory. All in all, this is an OK movie that most will enjoy. Those who remember watching The Dukes of Hazard on TV may think they're watching scenes from that series – in some of the skirmishes Ray gets into. Minus Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco Coltrane, of course.

This is one of my all-time favorite movies. This film proves that you don't have to use profanity every other word, endless scenes of meaningless violence, and that hope does still exist. Yes, it does look like a Dukes Of Hazzard reunion, but they make this film work. Hoyt Axton is excellent as Al Besinger.

The scenery is beautiful to view. The plot is wonderfully set, with a heart-warming ending. It is a perfect film to watch at Christmas time. I would not be worried about letting my young children watch this film because of the message it sends out.

I wish that movies made today would take some lessons.

Tom Wopat and John Schneider team up again -- post-Dukes of Hazzard -- for this made-for-TV movie. This time they play feuding brothers who both work for the same trucking company.

The owner of the company is a native of the small Alaska town of Willow Creek and each year he sends a truck of presents back to the folks at home. This year he plans on making the trip himself, but his health keeps him bedridden in sunny California. Ray (Schneider) is already scheduled to make the run with him, but the owner insists that Pete (Wopat) go along too.

Along the way the two face many obstacles that force them to think over their differences. Pete is the older, dependable, sensible one (think Luke Duke), while Ray is the younger, undependable, irresponsible one (think Bo Duke). Finally they work their differences out in time to bring the Christmas spirit to Willow Creek.

Wopat and Schneider fall easily into their roles and turn out admirable performances. Schneider is at his best as his character grapples with giving up the carefree, reckless life for doting fatherhood. Notice the dramatic turnaround his character has made by the end of the movie. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the rest of the cast, especially the Willow Creek townspeople. Their characters are underdeveloped and overacted, bringing the movie down with them. The story is a good one, but the miserable performances of the supporting cast destroy the impact the movie could have achieved.

Still this movie is a must for any die-hard Dukes of Hazzard fan. It is the only project Wopat and Schneider have done together that isn't related to The Dukes. And it is a good family film. It has the nice happy ending, with the re-affirmation of the importance of family that makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy.

This is the title of a famous radio show in France and this applies to this movie. Sure it's strange to have country songs for Christmas season, Kim's character is a bit flat as well as the road trip ; the magic of the season is a bit ridiculous but at the end, no one can deny that the movie has good intentions, is full of loving feelings and just for that, it's refreshing ! for one time, no guns, no violence, no blood, no terrible villain, no gratuitous nudity, no discrimination quotas, just the simple life with simple people, happy to be together ! In addition, it offers a new meeting with faces i know from my childhood : the « gremlins » father, the « dukes of Hazzard » and the future Billy Miles from « X-files » . So it's not the movie of the century but it's worthy to be on the good side of the rating !

This movie centers around a very dysfunctional family. One one hand, we have two brothers, Ray and Pete who had a disagreement over a girl (Jessie) years ago, and can hardly stand each other now. They lost their father when very young, and were raised by Al, the owner of the trucking firm they work for now. Pete has a teen age son (Mike) who he is struggling with, trying to raise alone, and getting nothing but resentment and trouble from the boy. Mike resents the fact that his mother is no longer with them, and that his dad has spent most of their Christmas's on the road, hauling freight. Ray brother has his own struggles, having had his wife Jessie walk out on him after finding out he did not want any children. He didn't know she was expecting at the time. Now let's bring Willow Creek into the story, way up in Alaska, Al's hometown. It seems the town is on it's last legs, having lost all hope of bringing in any industry to replace the now closed cannery. Al has a special plan, but a near heart attack keeps him from being able to go. Someone has to deliver the load, and for reasons Al won't divulge, Ray has to be there too. So we head for Alaska, two brothers who can't stand each other, with Mike hand-cuffed in the back seat of the truck. They meet up with a very pregnant Jessie on the way, and as the baby arrives, find out that there are things more important than the things they have been fighting about. They put their differences aside, and a family is restored. Al's surprise brings about not only the salvation of the town, but a new start for Ray and his new family. Pete and Mike also manage to have the heart to heart communication that they needed to have had years before, and become a father and son again. I have to watch this one every year. If you can get past seeing Pete and Ray as the "Duke Boys) you'll love it.