MOVIE REVIEW
Christmas Comes Home to CanaanPreviously Titled:
Christmas Returns to Canaan
The sequel to 2009's "
Christmas in Canaan,"
Network: Hallmark Channel
Original Air Date: December 17, 2011
CAST:Billy Ray Cyrus ... Daniel Burton
Matt Ward ... Rodney Freeman
Gina Holden ... Briony Adair
Jacob Blair ... DJ Burton
Emily Tennant ... Sarah Burton
Liam James ... Bobber Burton
Julian Christopher ... Shoup
Carolyn Adair ... O.R. Nurse
Marsha Regis ... Receptionist
Malcolm Stewart ... Dr. Marcus Hanson
Jaishon Fisher ... Young Rodney
Simon Chin ... Orderly
PLOT:
In the sequel to 2009's "
Christmas in Canaan," Billy Ray Cyrus again stars as Daniel Burton, a single father raising his children in Canaan, Texas in the late 1960s. In this installment, Daniel takes his son Bob to San Francisco for exploratory treatment to help the boy learn to walk again after he was struck by an automobile. On the trip, Daniel meets someone special and must learn to let go of the memory of his late wife so that he can find the courage to fall in love again.
In "Christmas Returns to Canaan," Cyrus reprises his role as Daniel Burton in the 1960s-era saga of a family's experiences in racially charged Canaan, TX. In the story, Daniel's son Bobber needs extensive orthopedic surgery and months of intensive physical therapy to recover from being struck down by an automobile. Rodney Freeman (Matt Ward, narrates the story), the young black man who Daniel took into his home and raised as another son, has become a famous writer and offers to fly Daniel and Bobber to San Francisco and to pay for the surgery. Once in San Francisco, Daniel meets Briony Adair (Gina Holden), a physical rehabilitation specialist who will be working toward Bobber's recovery. When therapy progresses slowly, Bobber invites Briony to come home to Canaan to spend Christmas with the Burtons and continue his treatment. Briony is a natural at caring for a thriving family, but Sarah, Daniel's daughter, distances herself not wanting to dishonor her late mother's memory with the caring woman who has captivated Daniel's time and attention. A dust-up involving a Burton family Christmas tradition causes Briony to leave, and Sarah immediately feels sad that she behaved so jealously.
Daniel begins to feel just as lonely as he discovers Sarah has applied to college and will leave home soon. Concerned with the thought of losing both Sarah and Briony, Daniel busies himself helping his neighbor Shoup overcome the prejudice of the townspeople who refuse to do business with an African-American merchant. Before long, business is booming and Daniel is too busy to notice that Sarah has made a trip to the West Coast to smooth things over with Briony. When Daniel returns home from work, he questions an extra place setting at the table. Daniel soon learns a very special friend has returned to Canaan.
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