lindajean4044
I gave this a 10 because it did what movies are supposed to do: make us feel good. Ignore the negative criticisms made by some reviewers and just enjoy. Even though the grandmother was obviously too young looking, it did not keep me from enjoying the movie. By the way, David Sutcliffe was about 41 when this was made, so he certainly was old enough to be the father of teen boys. I put this movie in the category of the Hallmark movies.This is a wholesome movie and I had a big smile on my face the entire time. I love the more dramatic series such as Daredevil, but once in a while it is nice to take a break from murder and mayhem and watch a simple, clean movie. Teens would probably find this boring, but not this old lady and many others like me out there!
CranberriAppl
OK, I get what the movie was trying to do, but in the real world, Joy would have been told to calm down and mellow out. Honestly, before she went on strike, she just seemed a tad too neurotic, so I couldn't even cheer when she did it. Not that I think something like this is that serious, but again, I know what the movie was going for. I get that her hubby and sons were too dependent on her, and that's fine, but she had a few issues as well. I liked Daphne's Hallmark Thanksgiving movie, but this one wasn't as good. David Sutcliffe was funny as always and so were the sons. Oh, and I don't consider myself to be a feminist, but it was not lost on me how Daphne's character was the only woman in her house, and the other wives only mentioned their husbands and male children. Typical We-Have- Issues-With-Men Lifetime.
HallmarkMovieBuff
Joy Robinson goes "on strike for Christmas" because she's doing all the preparation work herself with no help from her apparently unappreciative husband and sons.The movie starts out well enough, but by the time the men take over in the kitchen, it starts playing like a bad sitcom. The plot picks up and starts turning the corner into a decent watch in the scene wherein Joy (Daphne Zuniga) and her mom (Julia Duffy) have a serious mother-daughter talk about what Joy really wants to come out of her strike. The proceedings pick up from there, and the movie would deserve a higher rating overall were it not for the slapstick scenes in the early going."On Strike..." differs from most Christmas movies in that the children here are not a couple of cute tykes, but seniors in high school preparing to leave home soon to pursue their educations, and in one case, a football scholarship at Bowdoin, while in the other case, music and girls at Oberlin.The real value in this film is its message. Yes, Christmas is for kids, but Mom deserves more appreciation for all the hard work she puts in for the good of the family.
kulbreez97
It was difficult to get past the fact that Julia Duffy was too young - or Daphne Z too old - for this role. With only an 11 year age difference they were not a believable mother/daughter casting....Other than that it was typical low-budget holiday fare.All the actors did a fine job. This must have been Christmas in a warm area - because no one ever seemed cold and all the trees were full of leaves! Oh - and the character from Texas (redhead) should have gotten better direction... the scenes she was in did seem a bit annoying. One last comment - the timeline was also a bit contrived.... I guess a 5 rating was my holiday gift to this movie!
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