Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Amy Adler 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.

rgcustomer I'm not sure whether it's Canadians or US citizens who should be more annoyed with this film.I knew when I saw this film being heavily pimped by The Movie Network, with zillions of showings (versus only a handful for Hollywood blockbusters and worthy Canadian films) that it was going to be bad Canadian content filler.But they wore me down, and I caved in to watch it. How sad is it that the best a bunch of Canadians (enabled in part by Canada and Ontario tax credits) can do is to make an embarrassingly bad movie about a foreign country's national tree?As far as I know, the US has no "national tree" of the kind depicted in the film. It has a National _Christmas_ Tree (despite the claimed separation of church and state) in the Ellipse.The near-100-year claim is nonsense in the film. For example, The National Christmas Tree was a new cut (dead) tree every year from 1954 until 1973. Only after that did they decide to return to planted (live) trees. But it wasn't easy. From 1973-1977 it was a Colorado blue spruce from Pennsylvania, which fared poorly. In 1977, it was replaced with one from Maryland that did even worse. In 1978, it was finally replaced with the current one again from Pennsylvania.The actual "National Tree" of the US is Oak (note, not an actual individual tree, but an entire category of trees)As for the film itself: * strong Canadian accents from many characters that even a Canadian would notice are out-of-place * awful special effects (I mean really, if they are this bad, why bother? Yes, I'm speaking to the people who did the falling cinders, and the internet video conferencing -- go find another line of work.) * typically cloyingly earnest characters * I'm not what you'd call pro-Mormon, but I felt that Mormons and Utah were portrayed needlessly unfairly in the film, like they were people from another planet, who didn't understand the National Christmas Tree. If this is actually true in some way, it should have been explained. * for a film featuring I-80, you'd think they'd include such road characteristics as the tunnels in Wyoming, the Archway Monument in Nebraska, the bridge over the Mississippi River, the toll road in Indiana and Ohio, and the varying flat, hilly, canyon, and mountainous landscapes from state to state. Filmmakers obviously ignored the superior example set by the 2008 Canadian road movie, One Week.Who had the bright idea to shoot a road movie almost entirely in close-up? But even then, they still can't hide the Canadian-ness of the surroundings. Lime Ridge Mall (you know, with the Canadian Shoppers Drug Mart that you can see in the film) is in Hamilton, Ontario, not Chicago. And I somehow doubt that the Amish in Pennsylvania frequently fly the Canadian flag, and certainly not by itself.For some reason, Maryland (between Pennsylvania and DC) wasn't worth mentioning. They just drive directly from Pennsylvania to DC.I also didn't like the woman. She reminded me of the alien leader in the recent V mini-series. And if you take a job that requires significant travel separating you from your significant other, then you are not the person in the relationship who gets to complain when you can't get in touch on your schedule. That right belongs to person who stays at home. This woman has a heart of ice.Last, the young man and woman are shown drinking wine. Like many of the states they travelled through (Idaho, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Maryland) the District of Columbia has a total ban on consumption of alcohol by people under 21, even in private with parental permission.So, no, I didn't like it. Why is this junk cluttering the subscriber movie channels in Canada, when we get just one or two chances to see quality films that we actually want to see?

MartianOctocretr5 Most of the goofy flaws are contrivances designed to move the plot forward, though, so poetic license prevails. Not to mention the fact these minor problems are somewhat silly and therefore entertaining.OK, follow this plot: a teen guy who has a somewhat inflated assessment of how interesting his life is likes to video blog/chat with some cyber buddies. I got a kick out of the one who looks like a dozen Chia Pets exploded on her head. She's having a serious bad hair day. Make that a bad hair century.His dad is a widower (like all movies of this ilk), and they have dad/teen son tensions; who could have seen that coming? He wins a contest to have his tree become the new National Tree in Washington. His dad tells him "no" every time he opens his mouth, and that's a lot since this kid shoots off his yap constantly. All the while, he tapes his favorite video subject (himself), and posts it on the net. The movie would have you believe somebody is actually watching his videos, lol. All aboard as Dad and Rock (yeah, that's his name) set out from Oregon over 18 wheels to transport and hand-deliver the tree in DC. But fires, corporate nasties, a hitch hiking gf (not the Chia), a hip grandma, and more stuff awaits on the highway ahead. The final act and its result: only in a TV movie, folks.Much of this story is as stretch, but those parts are funny because of it; yet these awkward moments do not prevent the sentimentality that is intended. With all the contrivances, it's still worth a couple of hours if you're going to be home anyway.

bkoganbing 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.