"Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story" - A Sportsish Review
Travis and Taylor aren't the only love story in the Chiefs universe anymore! Hallmark premiered their highly anticipated movie "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story" this weekend. As the superstar's relationship with the Chiefs tight end brought a new wave of fans to the sport, this movie was a way to keep us dreaming about a sideline romance without having an overload of Tayvis content. With the Chiefs' recent rise in the spotlight, both for their success in the league and their high-profile attendees this past year, this story was a special way to introduce new audiences to the team while honoring the fans who have been beside them for years.
Holiday Touchdown on IMDB (IMDB)
The story follows Alana–played by Hunter King–and her family, a close-knit group of die-hard Chiefs fans who are competing for the "Fan of the Year" award. However, as fate may have it, she will meet Derrick (played by Tyler Hynes) in the process, a Chiefs executive who is a Christmas miracles skeptic with a charming personality. As every good Hallmark rom-com dictates, the two will embark on the process of getting to know each other while trying to help the family get recognized for their years of unwavering support for the team.
While this is the main plotline of the movie, the following piece might contain some minor spoilers!
The movie was released as part of Hallmark's "Countdown to Christmas" program, and it's definitely the perfect blend of two of our favorite seasons: holiday and football! On the surface, it's clear that it's a love story waiting to happen. Small moments fill the movie with heartfelt scenes, using Christmas as the perfect excuse to make everything that happens feel even more magical.
However, once you get past that layer of well-known rom-com tropes and Santa Claus appearances, the movie's true meaning shines through. It's definitely a love story, but not between the two main characters. Of course, Alana and Derrick start to catch feelings as the plotline unfolds, but the strongest bond depicted here is the ones the Chiefs fans have with their beloved team.
In the movie, we see Alana's parents meeting at a game when they were children who got season tickets for Christmas, but it feels like the perfect analogy to how the team has brought people together for decades, making them become one big, loving family who has made Arrowhead their home. Alana said it best when she talks about the team during her granddad's health scare: "It was actually the first thing on his mind, even throughout his whole recovery. I think it's because it's not just football to us, it's what made us a family."
Overall, it's a cozy, heartfelt watch for everyone who loves love, football, Christmas, or all of the above. Even the cameos are perfectly curated for each type of fan. The Tayvis romance fans will be happy to see Mama Kelce, the football fans will be happy to see Trey Smith, and everyone *should* be happy to see Patrick Mahomes show up more than once. However, no one should be happier than the Chiefs Kingdom to see their fandom depicted as they truly are: passionate, loyal, supportive, and with one of the best BBQs in the league.
Alana says it best: "It is all about fate, and love, and coming together as a family."