2020’s Operation Christmas Drop puts us firmly back in cookie-cutter yuletide romcom territory. At least this one has splashed its substantial Netflix financing on a spectacular Western Pacific island setting and on two charismatic, bootylicious leads. Alexander Ludwig is Andrew, the handsome, warm-spirited navy captain whose passion project is the charitable operation of the film's title, where the navy drops much-needed supplies and Christmas gifts off to the deprived communities of Micronesia. Kat Graham is Erica, the unfortunate, bean-counting lackey of Virginia Madsen's cold congresswoman who sends her off to Andrew's island base, determined to find a way to shut them down. All this, despite the base being the number one strategic spot in the whole of the Pacific. Seems silly.
So, it's another tale of the stuffy but smart big city business type being sent off to a small community to do a cold, business-like deal but having her frosty heart melted by the joys of charity and, in this case, island life. And she just might find love in the process. I'm not telling.
I'm not shocked to discover that the inflexible Washington pencil-pusher and the laid-back, carol-singing navy dude do not initially get on but slowly come to appreciate and even adore each other's world-views. I guess a few days snorkelling, sight-seeing and ukulele-led carolling will do that.
Gigantic, burly Ludwig is very agreeable as the fresh-faced navy man with a soft spot for cute lil' Micronesian kids. It's a sweet performance and this guy sn't afraid of looking a little sappy. He's pretty swoonsome but also 'one of the guys', even if all these military men and women look and behave more like the cast of a teen romcom, than Full Metal Jacket. Honestly, everything about this movie makes life on a navy base seem really appealing.
Graham too is dependably chirpy, with just the right amount of take-no-bullshit sass, even if she seems to be playing almost the exact same character as in The Holiday Calendar. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
This is a relentlessly chirpy, hard-to-dislike film that extols the virtues of charity, while showing us loads of pretty scenery. It's to the film's credit that, amidst all the sun, sea and surfing, this still feels very much like a Christmas film, albeit one that unapologetically flies the flag for the U.S. armed forces, while ignoring the real reasons these bases exist in the first place.
Interestingly, this is all based on a real festive tradition that's been going on since 1952. With all the cool military hardware on show, I'm half-hoping for some kind of Die Hard-esque terrorist threat or Top Gun-style dogfight action. Maybe even some real pirates? But no - it's just that very familiar, yet durable festive romcom formula transposed onto a slightly more exotic location. Still, for the purposes of my sanity, a few tweaks to that formula goes a long way.
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