The National Tree

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.

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.

Bad, even by "Hallmark Movie" standards. Look, I understand that Hallmark have a very specific audience they are trying to reach - but there are many, MANY other movies in this genre that are at least watchable. They do at least TRY to give it a modern edge with some ridiculous chat-room nonsense at the beginning, and our hero the son hams it up to his camcorder for most of the movie. Plus, they do throw in a girlfriend into the mix, and lets not forget the evil corporation trying to kill the tree. Oh no! In end, however, it's yet another rehashing of a "Father-son relationship rekindled" plot (and not a very well done one at that). The movie starts to drown in clichés by the end. Watch it if only for the amusement value, or to make your Mother happy.

"The National Tree" is a holiday film with an interesting idea for a plot, but it has too many downsides. How much it followed the book it was based on, I don't know. That is a fictional 2001 novel of the same title by David Kranes. The main characters are the same as in the book, Corey and Rock Burdock. But they live in northern California, not Oregon. The tree wasn't picked in a competition that Rock entered. In the book, his dad, but Corey offered it. And, the president of the U. S. calls Corey to accept his offer of a Sitka Spruce. Rock's mom didn't die when he was a baby, but she just up and left them then. And the heart of their cross-country trip to deliver the tree is a strong bonding of father and son in the book.

So, with those changes, one wonders if the whole theme was changed in the movie, with characters added. The film was all shot in Ontario, Canada. That may explain why the change of the Burdock's tree farm California to Oregon. Since the theme is built around the cross-country trip, they try to put film segments in that have scenery that closely resembles what would be seen on a road trip from west central Oregon to Washington, DC. And, the film is fairly close - I have driven this half a dozen times from Oregon to the Midwest, and about the same number of times from the Midwest to Washington, D. C. A map scene shows that they cross Oregon in the middle, which would be through Bend and then on U. S. 20 to Ontario, Oregon, and I-84 at the Idaho border. Then I-84 across Idaho to I-80 in Utah. But they would have been hard pressed to find in eastern Canada scenery that resembles the desert country that is seen on a trip across Nevada and Utah (I've done that one three times -- much of my driving comes from years of travel to see and take in the national monuments, historic sites, and natural and scenic wonders.) Anyway, the bonding of the father and son is almost buried in this story which looks more like a propaganda film for the big social media platforms.

Rock's camera shooting, social media posts, and the scenes of the sponsoring company offices with all the media hits, get more attention than the actual road trip scenes. Instead, this would have been much more interesting with the adventure itself, and the scenery and more attention to the dad and son bonding. Instead, Rock is a teenager - like so many portrayed in movies, whose dad doesn't understand him. If his dad has to get on him about being late for work so often, Rock obviously had problems with dependability, habits and personal discipline. And the fact that he had the camera and related equipment for live video feeds, says that he surely wasn't denied anything. He's mostly a very self-centered teen, focused on himself. He shows little respect for his dad. And, that he would help a teen girl stow away under the tarp on an 18-wheeler for a road trip shows how dumb Rock is, with a lack of common sense. The film showed this again when he leaves her out there at night in very cold temperatures.

One doesn't expect films like this to be factual or accurate with most of their details. But when portraying travel anywhere, the plots should try to be as real as possible for the many people who may know areas and see something so out of sorts. While the producers did a fairly good job of implying the route of the cross-country travel, with scenery like what one would see in some of the states, the forest fire that they have to drive through on a detour in Wyoming is notable. It would take something on the order of an earthquake that would demolish miles of I-80 through Wyoming to force a detour that would take traffic through the forest. There is no Highway 32, as in the movie, but there is a Highway 130 that goes through the mountainous area of Medicine Bow National Forest (which I have also driven), which rejoins I-80 at Laramie - 50 miles West of Cheyenne.

One wonders if Hallmark was specifically trying to make this film appealing to teens, with the social media exchanges Rock has with three other people around the globe. That, and the frequent selfies and live video feeds along the way to show the progress of their trip. Also, the teen girlfriend. Then, there's the company representative, Faith, who follows along with planned staged stops for publicity. During this trip, she breaks up with her fiancé, and a couple days later she's fallen for Corey Burdock. That's real love? Especially after most of the time Corey is in a scene, he's frowning and skeptical or grumpy. The film clearly shows him as the 'uncaring" or overly critical father.

All of the silly hoopla at the end, to keep the National Park Service from cutting the tree and put it in a stand, instead of planting it, is pure hoke. My five stars are for the idea from the author's book, and the fairly good shots of the scenery along the way. It did give a sense of following this trip across America.

Andrew McCarthy stars in this film. I am not sure if he is playing the part as "Too old" or it was poorly executed screenplay. Now the general outline of this film got me interested so that it was I viewed it. The film started off okay but it slowly sank into the abyss of melodrama. Every plot point is telegraphed. Now I don't mind a "By The Numbers" story but I do mind a story that is poorly executed. In this film the "The National Tree" a father and son are en-route from Oregon to Washington DC to deliver the National Tree to DC. This film becomes a road trip but upon closer inspection you can tell that don't travel far. The terrain never changes. Funny that an ALL American STORY was produced by Canadian Production company!

Andrew McCarthy is miscast. He is about 19-20 years too young for the part. He acts like a 70 year old. He alone sinks the movie. It could of been much better had almost anyone else was cast as the lead.

There is plenty of enjoyable Christmas theme movies. This is not one of them