Christmas Comes to Willow Creek
Christmas Comes to Willow Creek
G | 20 December 1987 (USA)
Christmas Comes to Willow Creek Trailers

Two brothers' lives are changed forever when they hit the road to a snowbound Alaskan village. Brother Ray and Pete had been feuding for years. So, when their ailing father asks them to drive a semitruck full of gifts and supplies from California to the isolated Alaskan village of Willow Creek, they agree ---- reluctantly. Along the way, they pick up trouble when they're joined by Jessie, who is Ray's estranged wife and Pete's ex-girlfriend. Then, a blizzard strands the truck deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Miles from help, with time running our fast, they realize only a miracle can save them. But, as they are about to be reminded, Christmas...is the season for miracles.

Reviews
Christmas-Reviewer

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.The film stars John Schneider and Tom Wopat[1] (reunited from The Dukes of Hazzard, and one of the few projects in which the pair didn't play the Duke cousins), with Kim Delaney, Zachary Ansley, Joy Coghill and Hoyt Axton. Music for the film includes songs written and recorded by Billy Milo.In this film Willow Creek is a small town in Alaska. It has fallen on very hard times. The local cannery closed and the town is no suffering because there is no jobs for them anymore. Now a former Willow Creek resident still has a a soft spot in his heart for his former hometown. What he does is really what the Christmas Spirit is about. Even though I liked this movie some of the stuff is "Silly". What is nice that film does so well is that "Forgiving is Important" "Nobody is perfect", "Help when you can" and most of all "Never give up hope". It is worth watching.

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LaBelle1979

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.

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john-shelman

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.

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Delphian

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.

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