Hallmark For All Seasons

“Christmas at the Golden Dragon,” starring a bevy of actors such as Kara Wang, Barbara Niven, Antonio Cupo, and Osric Chau (just to name a few) aired on November 13, 2022 during Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas. David I. Strasser directed, while Melynda Bissmeyer and Emily Ting provided the screenplay.  It was set in Wichita, Kansas but filmed in Vancouver, Canada.

Music (affiliate links): There were two songs that I caught at the end when they were serving dinner on Christmas.  The first was Euphoria by Krissie, Karl and Nicki Karlson.  The other was a song that has been used in previous Hallmark movies, We Wish You a Merry Christmas by Stuart Roslyn and Matthew Foundling.

In a nutshell

I like a movie with a big cast (although I hate those movies in the 1990s that had a billion actors and you didn’t know how they were all connected until the last scene).  Save for one character in “Dragon,” I thoroughly enjoyed this cast and this movie.  Plus, it had a ton of tropes, which made me super happy.

The Plot of “Christmas at the Golden Dragon”

When a beloved Midwestern Chinese restaurant announces its closing right before Christmas, it prompts their clientele to re-examine their relationships in a series of interconnected stories amid the chaos of its busiest week of the year.

Actors & Chemistry

This was mostly a great cast.  Not only that, but they all worked really well together.  At some point I turned to my daughter (who came in halfway through) and said, “I wonder how Mr. Barber will fit in at the end,” and then I saw him enjoying his conversation with widow Jane at the “prom,” and that felt 100% right. I really enjoyed Marian Tarasiuk as Romy’s boyfriend, Blake (eagle eyes will recognize him from one of the weekend’s other movies, “Our Favorite Italian Memories”). Everyone put their best efforts into this movie, and it showed.

HOWEVER.  The one character that grated on my nerves was Romy, who went to Vermont insistent on enjoying her first real Christmas and becoming incredibly pushy in the process.  Rather than enjoying the traditions BLAKE’S family might have, she forced them to do gingerbread houses, and to dress up in Dickens gear to go caroling.  I just kept thinking, “When in Rome, Romy,” when she tried to push another activity onto his family.  If I was Blake’s parents, I’d have pulled him aside and asked him what he was thinking dating her.  She was that rude and grating.   And I don’t fault Kara Wang for her performance – she was good in the movie.  But the character was the worst.  She only redeemed herself at the end when Blake proposed with a twist tie and she honestly cried out that she loved it.

Find the Tropes!

Oh my goodness, so many tropes.  I usually take notes on my laptop, but for this movie I went old-fashioned and used a pad and paper and I ran out of room in the section I provided myself for tropes!

We had a city drone shot near the top of the movie.  We had a grieving widow (Jane) AND a single parent (Nate).  A couple of cute kids (Nate’s). Someone that was a workaholic at Christmas (Veronica).  A family business (the Chinese Dragon, obviously) that was sold to a Big City Developer.  More than one house with a front porch.  A REALLY fake looking snowman.  A short, but funny, snowball fight.

Then we got faked out by a possible meet cute in which the two people already knew each other (Veronica and Nate). Romy forced her boyfriend’s family to make gingerbread houses, then go caroling.  We saw some empty cups.  Rick and Sadie went ice skating. Sadie later wore an elf costume.

But that’s not all! We saw Viva and Jessa in a Christmas pageant.  Some Chex Mix product placement. Veronica wore a circle necklace through most of the movie.  We got some CGI snow.  There were several tree ornaments with special meanings.

See what I mean?  SO MANY TROPES!!

Did I Hear/See That Right?

My biggest issue with the movie is the restaurant plot device, and the end. The parents sold the restaurant without telling their kids FIRST? REALLY?  Their SON is actively involved in the restaurant, and they don’t bother bringing him, or their successful daughter, into ANY of the discussions?  Listen, when my parents were retiring and moving, my sister and I knew the minute that idea landed on the table.  And my parents didn’t own a VERY SUCCESSUL RESTAURANT.

And then at the end of the movie, they show the Chinese Dragon is still open.  But the parents very clearly said they SOLD to a developer with plans to move out of state.  So did they renege on the deal so the kids could have the restaurant?  How could the parents then afford to move out of state if the restaurant was their collateral for that move into retirement? Did they sell to the kids?  How could the kids afford it?

Feelgoods

I didn’t write any notes about having feelgood moments while watching, but I do know that I loved the entire Miguel story.  I also loved the scene where Miguel’s dad and Romy/Rick’s parents shared their immigration stories.  Those are conversations almost never had in Hallmark movies, and I loved that.

Re-watchability of “Christmas at the Golden Dragon”

I’d totally watch this one again.  As I said, I loved the cast, I loved the tropes, and even with the confusion as to how on earth the restaurant was still open, I enjoyed the movie.

The Rankings

I’m kind of shocked how high this one ranked. It’s all thanks to the tropes, really.  I knew it would make top ten, but I didn’t anticipate it making Top 5 for the year thus far!

1. Ghosts of Christmas Always (air date: Oct 30) – 732 pts – weighted score: 122.4 (85.9%)
2. Lights, Camera, Christmas! (air date: Nov 5) – 671 pts – weighted score: 113.1 (79.4%)
3. A Kismet Christmas (air date: Oct 24) – 664 pts – weighted score: 113.2 (79.4%)
4. Christmas at the Golden Dragon (air date: Nov 13) – 665 pts – weighted score: 112.1 (78.7%)
5. Two Tickets to Paradise (air date: June 25) – 664 pts – weighted score: 111.4 (78.1%)
6. Just One Kiss (air date: Apr 2) – 660 pts – weighted score: 111.2 (78.0%)
7. The Presence of Love (air date: Mar 13) – 650 pts – weighted score: 110.9 (77.8%)
8. Wedding of a Lifetime (air date: Sept 17) – 640 pts – weighted score: 108.2 (75.9%)
9. Dating the Delaneys (air date: Aug 20) – 638 pts – weighted score: 106.5 (74.7%)
10. Love, Classified (air date: Apr 16) – 624 pts – weighted score: 106.1 (74.4%)
11. All Saints Christmas (air date: Nov 5) – 624 pts – weighted score: 106.0 (74.4%)
12. A Royal Runaway Romance (air date: Apr 9) – 617 pts – weighted score: 105.9 (74.3%)
13. Jolly Good Christmas (air date: Oct 29) – 625 pts – weighted score: 105.7 (74.2%)
14. We Wish You a Married Christmas (air date: Oct 22) – 623 pts – weighted score: 105.7 (74.1%)
15. The Royal Nanny (air date: Nov 12) – 611 pts – weighted score: 105.5 (74.0%)
16. In Merry Measure (air date: Nov 11) – 625 pts – weighted score: 105.4 (73.9%)
17. Rip in Time (air date: May 22) – 622 pts – weighted score: 105.3 (73.9%)
18. We Need a Little Christmas (air date: Oct 22) – 614 pts – weighted score: 105.1 (73.7%)
19. Campfire Christmas (air date: July 16) – 621 pts – weighted score: 104.9 (73.6%)
20. Noel Next Door (air date: Oct 21) – 609 pts – weighted score: 104.8 (73.5%)
21. Caribbean Summer (air date: June 11) – 636 pts – weighted score: 104.7 (73.5%)
22. A Cozy Christmas Inn (air date: Oct 28) – 626 pts – weighted score: 104.6 (73.5%)
23. Always Amore (air date: Apr 3) – 618 pts – weighted score: 104.5 (73.3%)
24. Hidden Gems (air date: Jun 4) – 611 pts – weighted score: 102.3 (71.8%)
25. A Magical Christmas Village (air date: Nov 4) – 592 pts – weighted score: 101.8 (71.4%)
26. Pumpkin Everything (air date: Oct 8) – 603 pts – weighted score: 101.6 (71.3%)
27. Autumn in the City (air date: Oct 15) – 594 pts – weighted score: 100.2 (70.3%)
28. Love in the Limelight (air date: Aug 6) – 604 pts – weighted score: 100.0 (70.2%)
29. Second Chance at Love (air date: Mar 26) – 585 pts – weighted score: 99.7 (69.9%)
30. Christmas Bedtime Stories (air date: Oct 29) – 575 pts – weighted score: 98.8 (69.3%)
31. Romance in Style (air date: Aug 13) – 562 pts – weighted score: 97.2 (68.2%)
32. Big Sky River (air date: Aug 7) – 568 pts – weighted score: 97.1 (68.1%)
33. Game, Set, Love (air date: Aug 27) – 552 pts – weighted score: 95.3 (66.9%)
34. A Tail of Love (air date: Apr 23) – 557 pts – weighted score: 94.4 (66.2%)
35. The Perfect Pairing (air date: Jan 15) – 563 pts – weighted score: 92.7 (65.0%)
36. Christmas in Toyland (air date: July 23) – 544 pts – weighted score: 92.4 (64.8%)
37. The Wedding Veil Legacy (air date: Feb 19) – 543 pts – weighted score: 92.0 (64.5%)
38. Welcome to Mama’s (air date: Feb 26) – 540 pts – weighted score: 91.9 (64.5%)
39. Butlers in Love (air date: Jan 29) – 527 pts – weighted score: 91.3 (64.0%)
40. Feeling Butterflies (air date: Mar 12) – 542 pts – weighted score: 91.2 (64.0%)
41. To Her, With Love (air date: Sept 11) – 536 pts – weighted score: 89.4 (62.7%)
42. The Wedding Veil Unveiled (air date: Feb 12) – 515 pts – weighted score: 86.9 (61.0%)
43. My Grown-Up Christmas List (air date: July 9) – 514 pts – weighted score: 86.9 (60.9%)
44. Road Trip Romance (air date: May 14) – 492 pts – weighted score: 85.9 (60.3%)
45. Don’t Forget I Love You (air date: Jan 22) – 508 pts – weighted score: 85.8 (60.2%)
46. The Wedding Veil (air date: Jan 8) – 508 pts – weighted score: 83.3 (58.4%)
47. Where the Heart Belongs (air date: Jan 1) – 435 pts – weighted score: 74.5 (52.3%)
48. 14 Love Letters (air date: July 31) – 420 pts – weighted score: 73.5 (51.6%)

To see where this movie lands in my overall rankings of Hallmark movies, visit my Hallmark Movie Rankings page!

What did you think of “Christmas at the Golden Dragon”?  Comment below and let me know!