A Very Quantico Christmas
In “Christmas on Duty,” Hallmark’s latest Christmas romp, director Jake Van Wagoner takes audiences to Quantico, Virginia, for a holiday caper that tackles a subject all too familiar to many Marines and veterans: Standing duty on Christmas. While the cozy flick features many of the standard-issue tropes that the holiday romance genre is known for, the Marine Corps angle will make it particularly intriguing to those who have served. Within the first few minutes, it was clear that the filmmakers possessed more than a cursory understanding of the Marine Corps, but anyone who has served (especially Marine officers) will find the glaring misfires to be a riot.
This is not the first time Hallmark has ventured into military-themed work. In fact, it's an area they have stated they want to focus on in recent years. So how does this one stack up? This review will cover the basic plot, the military accuracy, and lastly, a recommendation on whether you should check it out.
Bitter Rivals at The Basic School
The movie starts with 2nd Lieutenant Blair Birch (played by Janel Parrish) and 2nd Lieutenant Josh Cannon (played by Parker Young) nearing graduation at The Basic School (also known as “TBS,” a six-month course that all Marine officers attend after commissioning, but before their occupational school, intended to prepare lieutenants to serve as provisional infantry platoon commanders). The Hallmark synopsis describes their background at this point as follows:
“Blair and Josh have been bitter rivals ever since they trained together at The Basic School in Quantico, where they were both top of the class, competing to be number one.”
The two gear up to run the obstacle course on a snowy day in “Quantico” (that looks suspiciously like the Rocky Mountains in Utah). While racing, they remark to each other about what job they are gunning for with “selection day” looming on the horizon. They both want to be infantry and (apparently) only one of them will be awarded this illustrious honor. An argument ensues as Josh makes it clear that he needs that infantry slot because of how much it will mean to his family. Blair refuses to back down, however, and we are left with the understanding that the infantry position is hers.
Fast forward a few years, and Blair is now a captain at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (also known as “MCWL”) in Quantico, Virginia. Her time at MCWL is coming to an end, and Blair, competitive as ever, is dead set on being a Company Commander at TBS next. At the unit Christmas party, she talks to her boss, Colonel Clarkin (played by Antonio D. Charity) in hopes that he can engage her monitor (the individual responsible for issuing orders to follow-on assignments) on her behalf about the Company Commander position. But when her former rival Josh shows up at the party, chaotic shenanigans commence.
Duty on Christmas
Sparks fly as the two cross paths once more in Quantico. The ensuing argument results in Josh accidentally knocking a cake into some of the guests, smartly dressed in their MARPAT camouflage (why they are wearing this uniform at an after-hours Christmas party is never made clear). Colonel Clarkin, enraged at his final Christmas party before retirement being ruined, takes aim at the two rambunctious captains:
“Monday morning. My Office. Oh-Eight-Hundred.”
Monday morning rolls around, and both Blair and Josh are six-and-center in front of Colonel Clarkin’s desk. The punishment for wrecking the Christmas party? Both of them will stand duty on Christmas; a responsibility they must shoulder for 24 hours… together.
While both loudly groan that they had important family obligations for Christmas, they ultimately accept their fate. The duty will go from 0900 on Christmas Eve til Christmas morning. Their families, chock full of former Marines themselves, are in disbelief that the two couldn’t stay their competitive natures for one night to preserve their Christmas traditions. Josh’s brother is deployed, and his nephew will be devastated that his uncle won’t be there on Christmas Eve. Blair’s father, a retired Sergeant Major, is disappointed that he will now be spending Christmas without his daughter while he tries to navigate the season in retirement without his recently deceased wife, who had loved Christmas (a deceased family member that absolutely loved Christmas will come as no surprise to anyone who has seen more than a couple of these types of movies). There is a subplot in the movie that follows her dad (played by Peter Jacobson, a Hallmark staple) going through a regimented Christmas operational plan while Blair’s friend, Captain Zoe Butler (played by Aleta Myles), tries to break him from his overly military style now that he’s retired.
The weary outgoing duty crew excitedly welcomes the pair to Christmas duty, and this is when the plot really kicks in. A pending snowstorm has cancelled all mail delivery to the base and… apparently, everyone in base housing had their Christmas presents slated to arrive on Christmas Eve. Recognizing that Christmas is now going to be ruined for hundreds of Quantico children, Josh and Blair spring into action. Blair and Josh march to Colonel Clarkin’s office (who was thankfully still at work on Christmas Eve) and pitch a plan to dispatch a 5-ton Motor Transport asset (which, in reality, has not been in Marine Corps service in decades), abandon their post as the Officers of the Day, and then pick up all the toys for the families in Quantico, and then deliver them to base housing before the kids wake up on Christmas morning.
A logistically challenging endeavor that would put Santa himself to shame!
Colonel Clarkin approves the plan on the condition that they also pick up a specific pink skateboard for his granddaughter. The stakes are high enough as it is, but they are compounded by the inference that Blair’s dream assignment as a TBS Company Commander will be pulled if she fails to come through.
The two put their differences aside to work together to provide a merry Christmas for the kids in base housing. In doing so, they visit several off-base toy stores, in their camouflage uniform to boot (this is not authorized by Marine Corps standards, but this emergency calls for all suspension of disbelief to be thrown out the window). Their competitive natures flare throughout the adventure, but through it all, they learn that they make a good team. Their 5-ton breaks down due to the snowstorm, and they end up missing their time hack. They ultimately end up on Colonel Clarkin’s “nice list”, however, by completing the delivery dressed as Santa and an elf, and thereby saving Christmas. The two embrace and kiss, in costume, as the feel-good movie ends on a high note.
What the Movie Gets Wrong about Marine Life
While there does not seem to have been any official cooperation with the Marine Corps and Hallmark, there are a number of things in the movie that indicate an understanding of Marine Corps life. Not surprising given that the executive producer, Ryan Murphy, is himself a Marine Corps veteran.
However there are a number of creative decisions that are not consistent with the reality of Corps life. Some of which were caught in stride during the review.
For starters, the setting is supposed to be Quantico, but the snowy Rocky Mountain backdrop is in stark contrast to the reality of the “Quantico highlands” (as TBS alumni jokingly call it). The movie was actually filmed in Utah, making for a beautiful Christmas aesthetic, but not realistic for the supposed setting of the movie. Additionally, it is uncommon for Quantico to get snow in December; much less snowstorms that would prevent Christmas deliveries.
While at TBS, Josh says that after TBS, he plans to go to IOC (Infantry Officers Course) in “Washington, D.C.,” which doesn’t make sense since IOC is literally co-located with TBS at Camp Barrett, in Quantico.
The “Company Commander” billet at TBS that Blair is so desperate to win is actually a billet for a Major, not a Captain. Realistically, as a Captain, she could seek out a position as a Staff Platoon Commander (or “SPC” as they’re called) - though doing this following a tour at MCWL would indicate too much time out of the Fleet Marine Force to be desirable for her career progression.
Officers driving tactical vehicles? Forget about it! Marine Corps Order 11240.66D (licensing policy for military motor vehicles) stipulates that officers are not allowed to operate these vehicles except in certain circumstances (which were not met in the movie). Not to mention that substituting a 7-ton for a 5-ton was an interesting choice given that the 5-ton was phased out in favor of the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (“MTVR”) two decades ago.
The entire premise of the movie is also relatively unhinged from a Marine Corps perspective. 1) Duty cannot be assigned a punishment as depicted in the movie. I am willing to suspend my disbelief a bit here, however, when I consider that perhaps Colonel Clarkin was trying to be a matchmaker for these two young officers. 2) The duty officers leaving their post to deliver toys for Christmas, while heartwarming, completely defeats the purpose of having officers stand duty to begin with. What if something happened on base? Who had the watch?!
Uniforms. Josh and Blair both wear their MARPAT camouflage out in the civilian community, which is a big no-no for Marines. But they mostly wear their uniform with pride; both Josh and Blair look like prototypical Marine Corps officers. If I saw either of them in uniform on base, I probably wouldn’t question it. Blair’s eight-point cover, however, looks like it’s fresh from the Marine Corps Exchange and not properly broken in. It's not an uncommon look for a boot, perhaps, but certainly unbecoming of a rock-star Captain.
Wrapping Up - Should You Watch “Christmas on Duty”?
Yes! If you love the traditional fare of Hallmark Christmas movies, then this one will scratch that itch. Or - if you are in the military and looking for something to cringe watch, then you will not be disappointed. The movie is fun, heartwarming, and gives the fans what they want. And it wouldn't be a Hallmark Christmas movie if we didn't all learn a little bit about the magic of Christmas ourselves by the end. Highly recommended for any Marines standing duty this holiday season.
Christmas on Duty is airing on the Hallmark network and is available for streaming on Hallmark+.
