The best part of the Coming Home for Christmas DVD release is its tie-in with Vudu HD video service. This allowed me to access a digital copy of the film within seconds of opening the DVD case. In fact, the digital movie popped up before my DVD player got the disc spinning.

While its commonplace for big box office films to make digital copies readily available, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that a new heartwarming film was quickly added to my Vudu cloud library after typing in a simple code. In addition, the DVD case held a Norman Rockwell reprint of his 1950 Plymouth ad Christmas painting.

But there was another surprise I received. Amy Jo Johnson (Wendy), who is known for her hard hitting roles in shows like Flashpoint, played a mom struggling with losing her family to a long standing emotional feud. Her performance showcased her diverse acting chops.

The story is about her daughter’s Kate (Carly McKillip) and Melanie (Britt McKillip) who haven’t spoken since Kate walked away from Melanie’s wedding because she was marrying the wrong guy. When Kate learns that the stress has separated her parents, she decides to reunite the entire family back at their original family home for Christmas.

Kate doesn’t allow the home being sold to deter her and heads to the house for a visit. The new owner (Ben Hollingsworth), who seems to be the ideal guy for Kate, interrupts her dreams with a reality check. The two banter in a fun RomCom way and Kate’s new friend decides to open his house to support Kate’s efforts of restoring her family.

It was not surprising to see how well Carly and Britt connected as sisters in the film, especially since they are sisters in life and co-performers in the band One More Girl. They’re gifted with a presence that commands attention from stage and it translated well in this movie.

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