Christmas at the Golden Dragon Movie Review: Hallmark (2022)

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Christmas at the Golden Dragon Movie Review

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The Golden Dragon restaurant has been at the heart of so many family traditions, so when the restaurant decides to close, those families gather one last time to celebrate. In the Hallmark Channel's Christmas at the Golden Dragon, siblings struggle with their parents decision to close their family restaurant.

Table of Contents

Christmas at the Golden Dragon Storylines

Romy (Kara Wang) and Rick (Osric Chau) grew up in their parents Chinese restaurant. When their parents immigrated to the United States, they worked hard to build a business and a life for their children. But long hours and a desire to do something different has prompted them to sell the restaurant. They announce the decision during a staff meeting where they inform their employees that Christmas Eve will be the last day for the restaurant.

Romy and Rick are shocked by the news, as are the loyal patrons who visit the restaurant every week. And especially those who make the restaurant part of their family tradition at Christmas. Christmas at the Golden Dragon has multiple storylines running through it. At the heart of each of those stories is the Golden Dragon. The restaurant has been influential in all of their lives and the movie shows us how all of their lives are intertwined.

There are the stories of Romy and Rick. Romy is in love with Blake and has gone to spend the holiday with his family. When she learns about the restaurant closing, she can't imagine not spending one more Christmas at the restaurant. Then there's Rick. Known as the kid who can't stick with anything and doesn't have any direction, his parents feel that selling the restaurant will force him to grow up. What they don't realize is that Rick has a passion for cooking. He loves the restaurant industry and is shocked by his parent's decision.

Additional storylines follow the lives of patrons and staff. There's Jane (Barbara Niven) who lost her husband and uses the restaurant as her connection to others. Her daughter Veronica (Sara Canning) is struggling with the loss of her father and some regrets she has about their relationship. She's also battling some challenges in her personal life. Spending time with Nate (Antonio Cupo) and his daughters is just the medicine she needs to brighten up her holidays.

And last but not least, there's Miguel. A delivery boy at the restaurant, his life is intertwined with all of the characters in Christmas at the Golden Dragon. In fact, Veronica is shocked to hear how most of the people in her life have a Miguel story to share. Miguel had interviewed with Veronica for a scholarship, and during the interview he down played his community service. For him it all came naturally. He didn't think of the shoveling, or handyman work he did for others as anything to brag about.

My Review

The verdict: Something different. I enjoyed that Christmas at the Golden Dragon is different. First, it doesn't just focus on one person or one family. It follows the lives of several people, so that makes it a little more entertaining. But at the same time, when a movie is trying to fit so many storylines into a short time period, it's hard to go into a lot of depth.

I think it's also interesting to see how lives are intertwined. We may not always think about it when we're visiting our favorite restaurant, cafe, or coffee shop, but many times these daily interactions have an impact on our life. Christmas at the Golden Dragon shows how those relationships impact each other and while the parents were thinking of what was best for them, closing the restaurant has a ripple effect on the community it served. Just like in life, our actions impact others.