The One about Day 38 of my Holiday Film Marathon for 2023: The Dog Days of Christmas (2022)

“The Dog Days of Christmas”, it’s a film that really does promote being with family, no matter how difficult things may be.  So, if you are feeling that way, I definitely recommend watching this film if you can. 

Watch or Purchase this film on Amazon


TITLE:  The Dog Days of Christmas

FILM YEAR: 2022

DURATION: 86 Minutes

CHANNEL: Lifetime


Directed by  Tori Garrett

Written by Holly Hester

Producer: Steve Jaggi, Spencer McLaren, Kelly Son Hing

Co-Producer: Kylie Pascoe

Associate Producer: Robbie Earl, Ben Sarner, Robin Shelley

Line Producer: Kylie Mascoird

Executive Producers:  Jack Christian, Patrick Fischer, Larry Grimaldi, Julianna Hays, Ben Kaye, D.J. Mcpherson, Hannah Pillemer

Music: Craig McConnell

Cinematography: HB Gibson

Edited by Charlotte Cutting

Casting by Marianne Jade, Lou Mitchell

Production Design by Ross Wallace

Art Direction by Matthew Crocker

Costume Design by Jan Hurley


Starring:

Georgia Flood as Annie Blake

Ezekiel Simat as Dylan Hawkes

Anthony Phelan as Dan Blake

Christine Amor as Aunt Claire

Kaushik Das as Gary

Charlotte Stent as Iris

Anna McGahan as Remy

Leon Cain as William

Ling Cooper Tang as Stacy

Mansoor Noor as Phil


While visiting her family during Christmastime, Annie Blake decides to help three stray dogs get adopted before heading back into her career working for a global non-profit.  But when she runs into Dylan Hawkes they team up to save an animal rescue.


For day 38, our latest holiday film is the 2022 Lifetime holiday telefilm “The Dog Days of Christmas” directed by Tori Garrett and written by Holly Hester.

The film stars Georgia Flood (“Here Come the Habibs!”, “Wentworth”, “Anzac Girls”) and Ezekial Simat (“Lambs of God”) and more.

The film is actually interesting as usually films about one who is waiting for a big job and visits home for Christmas is usually about someone trying to land a huge corporate job but in this film, it centers around Annie Blake (portrayed by Georgia Flood) who is just finishing a mission as an aid worker and hasn’t been home for Christmas in three years since the passing of her mother.

Her father and family want to see her and as she arrives home, the first thing Annie does is volunteer to save a local animal shelter, ran by vet and her former debate partner Dylan Hawkes (portrayed by Ezekiel Simat) and takes on more work to the chagrin of her family.

For Annie, taking on more jobs helps her deal with the pain of her mother’s passing but not knowing that even though she is home, she is still remaining distant from them.

Meanwhile, while taking care of three dogs and trying to find them a home and helping Dylan’s animal shelter, the two frienemies managed to grow closer.

For the most part, the film follows the usual banal storyline of woman comes home from Christmas, waiting to find out if she gets a new job, but meanwhile things change when she visits home for Christmas.

But the storyline is different thanks to showing how the protagonist volunteers and keeps herself super busy to avoid the holidays and being with family.  She has a good heart of helping others, but when it comes to family, it’s difficult.

And in ways, I do appreciate these kind of films because Christmas is not always the most joyous of occasions for some people.  There are people who, like Annie, keep themselves busy with work and try to mask that pain they had with the death of a loved one.  I hear it a few times each year and you can only hope these individuals will find the spirit of Christmas in their heart someway, somehow.

And for “The Dog Days of Christmas”, it’s a film that really does promote being with family, no matter how difficult things may be.  So, if you are feeling that way, I definitely recommend watching this film if you can.


Watch or Purchase this film on Amazon