Operation Christmas Drop Parent Guide

Erica (Kat Graham) is a rising congressional aide, with an eye on being the next Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Bradford (Virginia Madsen). So, when the Congresswoman orders her to fly to Guam and investigate a Christmas charity program run by members of the United States Air Force, Erica swallows her disappointment and packs her bags.

Meanwhile, at Andersen Air Force Base, Captain Andrew Jantz (Alexander Ludwig) is given the unwelcome news that he’s expected to babysit the upcoming visitor from Washington DC. It will be his job to make sure she understands the base’s strategic importance as well as the value of Operation Christmas Drop.

With both parties unenthused about meeting each other, it’s not surprising that their “meet cute” moment is awkward. As they loosen up, they not only review base operations; they also see the sights and Erica gets fully involved in preparing for the big Christmas charity. Traveling to the islands and learning about the people’s needs and then packing up the Christmas crates makes her an advocate for the project. Erica’s horrified to learn that the Congresswoman expects her to write a report that will recommend not just ending Operation Christmas Drop, but closing the entire base in order to protect a base in her own district. (Swallowing this little plot development takes a fair bit of work – Andersen AFB is one of the most important bases in the Pacific and suggesting its closure is ludicrous. I fully face palmed at this part of the movie.)

Since this is a Christmas romance, I’m not giving anything away by telling you that everything ends happily ever after. It’s what’s expected in the genre. The film is so upbeat, so cheerful, and puts such a positive spin on the military that it could probably be used as a USAF recruitment tool. And Captain Jantz is as altruistic, intelligent, and honorable an officer as you would want to meet. He might be too good to be true, but it’s great to see a leading man demonstrate such stellar qualities on the screen.

Operation Christmas Drop works as a feel-good, squeaky clean movie in a pleasant tropical location but it struggles to hit its beats as a romantic drama. The love story feels perfunctory and the chemistry between Erica and Andrew is flat. Where the movie shines is in exploring the power of kindness and generosity. After all, Christmas celebrates the birth of the man who said “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” If you want a movie that will give you that nice romantic glow, this one isn’t quite up to the mark. But if you want a story that will make you feel happy and hopeful about the power of good and decent people to help others, this could be a place to start.