The National Tree

Corey (Andrew McCarthy) and his teenage son, Rock (Evan Williams) live in rustic Oregon country. A widower for a long time, Corey once planted a tree for his day-old son that has now grown quite large. Unknown to the father, Rock entered the tree into a contest to be chosen as the official National Tree for the approaching holiday season. He wins! Rock is appropriately excited, especially since he has a blog site to spread the good news to his cyber friends. But, Corey initially is reluctant. Only after the lady in charge, Faith, assures him that the tree will be transported "live", not cut down, does he relent. But, Corey insists on driving the huge truck that will take the tree cross-country. Rock will ride shotgun and is looking forward to stopping at his grandmother's in the Dakotas and at the house of a good looking Internet gal pal in Wyoming. The trip turns dangerous quickly, when father and son run into a forest fire. But, after making it through that hazard, they land in Caspar, where Rock is thrilled to meet Katie. So happy is the young couple that they go against Corey's wishes and sneak Katie into the truck's hold for the journey. Will they make it all the way to D.C. and will Corey get angry when he discovers the stowaway? Also, could strong-and-silent Corey actually have eyes for Faith, despite her upcoming nuptials? This is quite a lovely film for the holidays, with plenty of romance and adventure for most family members. McCarthy has a nice turn as the somewhat grouchy and stoic father while Williams is wonderful as the talented son. All of the other cast members do a fine job as well. The cross country trip is a visual treat while the costumes and other production values are well above average. All in all, you won't be barking up the wrong tree if you seek out this film to share with your family. It is another fine choice for holiday viewing that will please most everyone who plops down for a showing.

"The National Tree" is a holiday film with an interesting idea for a plot, but it has too many downsides. How much it followed the book it was based on, I don't know. That is a fictional 2001 novel of the same title by David Kranes. The main characters are the same as in the book, Corey and Rock Burdock. But they live in northern California, not Oregon. The tree wasn't picked in a competition that Rock entered. In the book, his dad, but Corey offered it. And, the president of the U. S. calls Corey to accept his offer of a Sitka Spruce. Rock's mom didn't die when he was a baby, but she just up and left them then. And the heart of their cross-country trip to deliver the tree is a strong bonding of father and son in the book.

So, with those changes, one wonders if the whole theme was changed in the movie, with characters added. The film was all shot in Ontario, Canada. That may explain why the change of the Burdock's tree farm California to Oregon. Since the theme is built around the cross-country trip, they try to put film segments in that have scenery that closely resembles what would be seen on a road trip from west central Oregon to Washington, DC. And, the film is fairly close - I have driven this half a dozen times from Oregon to the Midwest, and about the same number of times from the Midwest to Washington, D. C. A map scene shows that they cross Oregon in the middle, which would be through Bend and then on U. S. 20 to Ontario, Oregon, and I-84 at the Idaho border. Then I-84 across Idaho to I-80 in Utah. But they would have been hard pressed to find in eastern Canada scenery that resembles the desert country that is seen on a trip across Nevada and Utah (I've done that one three times -- much of my driving comes from years of travel to see and take in the national monuments, historic sites, and natural and scenic wonders.) Anyway, the bonding of the father and son is almost buried in this story which looks more like a propaganda film for the big social media platforms.

Rock's camera shooting, social media posts, and the scenes of the sponsoring company offices with all the media hits, get more attention than the actual road trip scenes. Instead, this would have been much more interesting with the adventure itself, and the scenery and more attention to the dad and son bonding. Instead, Rock is a teenager - like so many portrayed in movies, whose dad doesn't understand him. If his dad has to get on him about being late for work so often, Rock obviously had problems with dependability, habits and personal discipline. And the fact that he had the camera and related equipment for live video feeds, says that he surely wasn't denied anything. He's mostly a very self-centered teen, focused on himself. He shows little respect for his dad. And, that he would help a teen girl stow away under the tarp on an 18-wheeler for a road trip shows how dumb Rock is, with a lack of common sense. The film showed this again when he leaves her out there at night in very cold temperatures.

One doesn't expect films like this to be factual or accurate with most of their details. But when portraying travel anywhere, the plots should try to be as real as possible for the many people who may know areas and see something so out of sorts. While the producers did a fairly good job of implying the route of the cross-country travel, with scenery like what one would see in some of the states, the forest fire that they have to drive through on a detour in Wyoming is notable. It would take something on the order of an earthquake that would demolish miles of I-80 through Wyoming to force a detour that would take traffic through the forest. There is no Highway 32, as in the movie, but there is a Highway 130 that goes through the mountainous area of Medicine Bow National Forest (which I have also driven), which rejoins I-80 at Laramie - 50 miles West of Cheyenne.

One wonders if Hallmark was specifically trying to make this film appealing to teens, with the social media exchanges Rock has with three other people around the globe. That, and the frequent selfies and live video feeds along the way to show the progress of their trip. Also, the teen girlfriend. Then, there's the company representative, Faith, who follows along with planned staged stops for publicity. During this trip, she breaks up with her fiancé, and a couple days later she's fallen for Corey Burdock. That's real love? Especially after most of the time Corey is in a scene, he's frowning and skeptical or grumpy. The film clearly shows him as the 'uncaring" or overly critical father.

All of the silly hoopla at the end, to keep the National Park Service from cutting the tree and put it in a stand, instead of planting it, is pure hoke. My five stars are for the idea from the author's book, and the fairly good shots of the scenery along the way. It did give a sense of following this trip across America.

The National Tree as a story hit home for me because I remember back in 1965 my mother planted a tree for my grandmother the same way that Andrew McCarthy planted a tree for his dead wife and the mother of Evan Williams. When in 1997 my brother and I sold the house the tree was still going strong. I've not gone back to Brooklyn to see if the tree is still there though. I hope it is.

Which hangs the tale of The National Tree. That tree is saved because the President of the USA has chosen it to be the national Christmas tree to be lighted at the White House and replanted there. Otherwise it would have been scheduled to be bulldozed because Andrew McCarthy is selling off his property in Oregon.

But since the tree is saved McCarthy and Williams are driving a big rig to Washington, DC to deliver it to the White House in person. Along for the ride are Kati Matchatt from the company who bought the property and are reaping the publicity and Paula Brancati a video chat room pal of Williams whom they meet in the flesh in Wyoming. In fact the scenes with Williams chatting with Brancati and his other pals around the world are the best in the film. In fact they are the hope of the world as young people make connections beyond national boundaries.

The film is a pleasant two hours viewing with an easy to take cast and a story while not Citizen Kane is still entertaining.

Flaws everywhere! I-80 doesn't run through Oregon or Idaho ... that I-84. It's I-84 until you get into Utah. The Interstate does NOT go through Salt Lake City. It goes through east/northern suburbs and then cuts to I-80. It's also VERY flat along both highways EXCEPT a small area in Eastern Oregon and Eastern Utah/Western Wyoming. ... no mountains or forests along the way. Mostly grasslands and farms.

ALSO - all radio/TV stations west of the Mississippi River use call letters that start with K - not W. The reports of the forest fire (where's the forest on I-80???) Re on a TV station with W call letters. So we have this woman watching an Eastern US in Oregon? Good trick in the days before Cable/Satellite TV was prolific!

As far as the story - nice father/son road trip. The relationship was strained because dad doesn't get teenage boys - but in the end, they come together for the same cause. Could have been a better story - not in a truck cab. The video blogging was ridiculous.

Watch this only if you have NOTHING else to do...

Andrew McCarthy stars in this film. I am not sure if he is playing the part as "Too old" or it was poorly executed screenplay. Now the general outline of this film got me interested so that it was I viewed it. The film started off okay but it slowly sank into the abyss of melodrama. Every plot point is telegraphed. Now I don't mind a "By The Numbers" story but I do mind a story that is poorly executed. In this film the "The National Tree" a father and son are en-route from Oregon to Washington DC to deliver the National Tree to DC. This film becomes a road trip but upon closer inspection you can tell that don't travel far. The terrain never changes. Funny that an ALL American STORY was produced by Canadian Production company!

Andrew McCarthy is miscast. He is about 19-20 years too young for the part. He acts like a 70 year old. He alone sinks the movie. It could of been much better had almost anyone else was cast as the lead.

There is plenty of enjoyable Christmas theme movies. This is not one of them