Nicole Ramsey (Candace Cameron Bure) is a US army reservist and orthopaedic physician who spends her days dedicated to serving military service members and their families at the Joint Military Base in Lacey, Washington. During work one day Nicole meets Major Ross (Gabriel Hogan), who shows a keen interest in dating her. Determined to keep things professional, Nicole asks Ross to help her find out how her grandfather died during World War II. As she embarks on her deeply personal journey, Nicole struggles to fight her growing feelings for her new partner in crime.
‘My Christmas Hero’, directed by Martin Wood and written by Jim Head, plays squarely into a few themes that Americans love. Firstly, the film is very much a love letter to the service men and women that put their lives on the line for America. Secondly, while the film is essentially a love story, it does touch upon hot topics such as mental health in service men and women, and the trauma they have to overcome once they’ve been in battle. With this film debuting over Thanksgiving Weekend, it’s sure to hit many of the right marks for its core audience.
Those two elements give the film a little more weight than your average Christmas romance and amazingly, they don’t get the lost in the romance that emerges between Nicole and Major Ross. Nicole’s refusal to give in to her feelings straightaway means that the love story takes some time to develop. Ross makes no secret of the fact that he’d like to date Nicole, and he has the backing of her mother who is trying to play matchmaker, but Nicole wants to keep a strict line between professional and personal. Of course, asking Ross to help her on a deeply personal journey of discovery is a recipe for romance to blossom.
The journey takes Nicole to unexpected places as she begins to learn about the life of her grandfather and how his death came about. Her overall aim is to discover that information to share with her mother, to offer some closure. There are emotional bumps along the way, as you’d expect, and the story plays out very nicely.
Candace Cameron Bure is a staple of these kinds of movies and she took an executive role at GAC Media in 2022 so it’s no surprise to see her leading this. Despite her being a somewhat divisive figure, there’s no denying that she’s good at what she does. Bure always plays her roles with authenticity and sincerity and her turn as Nicole is no different. She has a knack for comedic timing and she soars during the more dramatic moments of the film. Bure is matched by Gabriel Hogan, who makes a dashing male lead as Major Ross, and quickly forms a nice chemistry with his co-star. He has a cheeky charisma that will have female viewers swooning and he’s so incredibly wholesome, you can’t help but love him.
‘My Christmas Hero’ is a film that will hit its core audience squarely in the feels. It’s a feel-good romantic drama that touches upon some really serious issues, and the admiration and respect for service men and women runs throughout the film. With two very capable leads forming fantastic chemistry, ‘My Christmas Hero’ is definitely a film to add to your watchlist over Thanksgiving Weekend (and to rewatch closer to Christmas).
Cast: Candace Cameron Bure, Gabriel Hogan, Robin Dunne Director: Martin Wood Writer: Jim Head Certificate: Unrated Duration: 84 mins Released by: Great American Family Release date: 24th November 2023
Find out more about ‘My Christmas Hero’ at https://www.greatamericanfamily.com/movie/my-christmas-hero/.
