When focusing solely on Holiday movies, one has to do a lot of searching to find something different.  Luckily, El Camino Christmas was not a long hunt for me.  That might be the only way in which “luckily” is attached to this movie.  I wanted something that would be a departure from the usual romantic comedy fare that typifies almost every entry in this sub-genre.  It is either that, or some kind of slapstick involving kids.  If you do not believe me, go back and look all the seasonal reviews I have posted thus far this year.  Still, is there not a middle ground between The Naughty Nine (2023) and Die Hard (1988)?  El Camino Christmas is more on the latter side of that spectrum, and for some reason both are considered Christmas material.  I maintain that the only reason they are considered as such is because these action flicks take place on this holy Christian day.  Hey, but I guess the good guys win in the end, so that is something, no?

Usually, one would think of the police as the good guys, but that is not necessarily the case with El Camino Christmas.  Sheriff Bob Fuller (Kurtwood Smith) and Deputy Bill Calhoun (Dax Shepard) of the eponymous county in Nevada are panicked as they take cover behind a squad car.  The reason for their distress makes up the subject of the rest of the film.  Thirty-nine hours earlier Sheriff Fuller is arriving in the office to send another of his deputies, the increasingly drunk and erratic Deputy Carl Hooker (Vincent D’Onofrio).  This will turn out to be bad news for Eric Norris (Luke Grimes), who has come to town to look for his estranged father.  This will be revealed later, but for now the stranger’s presence arouses the suspicion of Deputy Hooker as Eric checks into the local motel.  Deputy Hooker is there visiting Deputy Calhoun, who runs the lodgings on the side, and suggests to the impressionable inn keeper that Eric is a drug runner.  Deputy Hooker has no proof of this, but that makes little different to him.  With the constabulary watching his movements, Eric goes to the address of an apartment on the envelope of a letter that is supposed to be from his dad.  Upon knocking on the door, it is answered by Larry Roth (Tim Allen).  The old man does not appreciate being disturbed, but uses the younger man’s desire for information to get a drink out of Eric.  Unsure of what he is getting into, Eric takes Larry to the bar to ask about the person on the envelope.  Larry’s answers are vague and it is clear that the only thing he is interested in is liquor.  Eric decides it is not worth his time, leaving after Larry almost gets into a fight with other patrons.  When he gets back to the motel, Deputies Calhoun and Hooker are there waiting for him.  In Eric’s car they find a bottle of tequila, Drano, and a bag of weed left there by Larry.  This proves all of Deputy Hooker’s theories, in his mind anyway, and they take Eric into custody.  When the newcomer claims his innocence, Deputy Hooker takes out his Billy club and knocks out Eric.  The next morning, a shocked Deputy Calhoun opens the door to the cell and lets Eric depart.  Deciding he has had enough, Eric decides to get out of town immediately.  Unfortunately, as he is pulling out of the motel parking lot, Deputy Hooker passes by in his squad car.  A brief pursuit ensues in which Deputy Hooker feels it is appropriate to fire his gun at Eric’s car.  Though the cop is run off the road, Eric cannot go much further when the bullet that struck the front of his vehicle soon brings it to a halt.  The nearest place Eric can take shelter from the rampaging Deputy Hooker is Vicente Santos’ (Emilio Rivera) convenience store.  At that same time, there are a few others there who we have already met, Larry among them.  There is also Vicente himself, along with his one employee, Kate Daniels (Michelle Mylett), and her young son Seth (Ashton Bright).  They are all inside when Deputy Hooker comes charging into the business randomly firing his weapon.  Larry, who served in the armed forces and carries a pistol, shoots back and wounds Deputy Hooker in the leg.  The injury causes the officer to drop his gun, which is picked up by Eric.  With all this, you have a makeshift hostage situation.  Deputy Hooker’s radio has also been taken from him, so his fellow deputies that comes to the scene, led by Sheriff Fuller, do not have a complete picture of what is happening.  Whatever it is, it is serious enough to draw the attention of Beth Flowers (Jessica Alba), a reporter hungry for a bigger story than the human-interest pieces to which she is usually assigned.  Meanwhile, inside the store, Deputy Hooker remains obstinate about pinning everything on Eric despite it becoming evident to everyone involved that it is the cop that is to blame.  All the same, Deputy Hooker convinces Vicente to take out a hidden gun that the former cannot reach because he has been handcuffed by Eric.  Despite his sympathy for Eric, Vicente helps Deputy Hooker with the promise of letting everyone go.  Instead, when Eric unlocks the shackles, Deputy Eric starts shooting.  Eric is wounded, but is able to return fire and kills Deputy Hooker.  At this point, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) have come, learning of the situation from the news, and Eric suggests that Kate and Seth take their leave.  With just Larry left, he finally admits to being Eric’s father.  It being Christmas, he decides to take the fall for everything, first wiping fingerprints off the gun Eric took from Deputy Hooker and then going outside.  Being a bit tipsy, he feels it is necessary to point the weapons at law enforcement, who promptly but several bullets into him until he is dead.  A few months later, Deputy Calhoun is running for sheriff and Eric is meeting up with Katie and Seth.

As I approached the conclusion of my synopsis of El Camino Christmas, I wondered if I was going to get the chance to mention the holiday in the title.  Despite it having little to do with the spirit of the season, there are more references to the date in question than Die Hard.  It is not just the fact that it is called El Camino Christmas.  One important aspect of this time of year is being with your family, and that is what motivated Eric to come to this part of the country.  It is fair to think of this simply as the thing you do on December 25^th, or any other holiday for that matter.  Yet, Christmas is literally about family.  Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, and they would form the Holy Family for much of Jesus’ life.  There are those who quibble about Mary’s virginity, mainly protestants or people who want to be contrary, but she was Jesus’ mother.  As for Joseph, Jesus’ true Father was in Heaven, but Joseph was more of a surrogate to Our Savior.  It was an important position since Luke 2:51 says that Jesus was obedient to His parents on Earth.  This may not have a lot directly to do with the film, but I discuss it to illustrate the importance of what Eric desires on this day.  At one point, Kate asks him why he did not seek his dad sooner.  Part of his answer involves it being that time of year when people try to be with their family.  There is also what Larry does for his long-lost son in the end.  Though I wish he could have made a different decision, he does specifically say that taking the blame for everything that happened (including abandoning Eric as a child) is his Christmas present.  He unnecessarily sacrifices himself when the best gift we can give sometimes, like Jesus coming into the world to be with us, is our presence.

Thus, despite saying it is a gift, ultimately Larry deprives Eric of the stated present by letting himself be killed at the end of El Camino Christmas.  Indeed, there is not a lot that makes sense in this movie, and that is why I would recommend other choices in any season.