'Holiday Touchdown,' Inspired by Surge in Chiefs Fans, Follows Hallmark's Winning Formula

by Tyler Glover

Photo: Hallmark

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s romance has taken the world by storm. In September 2023, Swift showed up unexpectedly at a Kansas City Chiefs NFL game to support Kelce and a Cinderella fairytale began.

Their romance helped the NFL gain even more viewership; Swifties began tuning into Kansas City games, hoping to see the superstar. Five of the top 10 most-watched prime-time telecasts of 2023 were Chiefs games.

It was wise of Hallmark to capitalize on the surge of KC female fans with their latest film, “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.”   

To be clear, this film does not retell the love story of Swift and Kelce. That is done in a recent movie for Lifetime called “Christmas in the Spotlight.” I have seen both films and “Holiday Touchdown” is the more superior film.

In “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story,” Alana Higman and her family are lifelong fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and have decided to try to win the team’s “Fan of the Year” contest. The winner gets front-row tickets to the action on the Christmas Day game. Alana (Hunter King) meets Derrick (Tyler Hynes), the Director of Fan Engagement and helps determine the contest's winner. While initially getting off on the wrong foot, they do start to fall for one another.  

The critical thing to note when reviewing this film is that it has an intended audience. If you are not a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies, the Chiefs or invested in the Tayvis love story, this movie is not for you.

This film follows the formula used in so many Hallmark and Lifetime movies for years. There is nothing wrong with that at all. It can be really soothing and comforting to have a sense of what is coming next. Not everything we watch has to be groundbreaking cinema.  
 
With that said, this film is delightful to watch. It is elevated by its leading lady, King. King won two Daytime Emmys for starring on the CBS daytime drama, “The Young and the Restless.” I have seen King deliver powerhouse performances on the soap and felt she was perfectly cast. The leading man, Hynes, is very charming, and the chemistry between King and Hynes definitely helps the audience get more invested in their romance.  
 
The only issue I had with the story is that it never felt that the stakes were ever really high. It seemed extremely obvious that everything that was intended to happen would happen. That is fine because we know that is what we are getting in a film like this. However, it felt like there wasn’t enough drama over how everything would turn out. Even if we know how it will turn out, we want a little bit of a storm before we get there. 

It was so great to see cameos from coach Andy Reid and Donna Kelce. It would have been fantastic if they had gotten quarterback Patrick Mahomes to make a cameo. He is one of the team's biggest stars, but that may be why it wasn’t possible to get him.

Overall, “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” was a delight. As a Swiftie and Chiefs fan, it is a film I will more than likely add to my Christmas movie playlist every year. If you have been a Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movie fan for years, this is a good film.