Did the Chiefs score with Holiday Touchdown?

Hallmark partnered with the Kansas City Chiefs to bring viewers a cross branded Christmas romcom, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. Even before Taylor Swift attended her first Chiefs game in 2023, the NFL was growing with female audiences. The NFL has seen a steady increase in female viewership since 2017 where 46% of their fanbase is now made up of women and 56% of women and girls self-identify as NFL fans. 

In 2023 when Taylor Swift began dating famous Chiefs Tight End, Travis Kelce, and began attending football games at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, teenage female viewership spiked 53%, young adult female viewership spiked 24% and viewership for women over 35 spiked 34%. So Hallmark wasn’t crazy to jump in and try and capitalize on the movement with their core demo. 

Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story celebrates Chiefs fans with a story about fan superstition, a family brought together by the Chiefs and less importantly, a romance with a Chiefs marketing executive. Does it hold up against other Christmas romcoms this season like Hot Frosty and Christmas in the Spotlight (also inspired by Taylor Swift and the Chiefs)? 

The Conservative Critic asks: Is it entertaining? Does it have artistic/intellectual value? And is it liberal propaganda? 

The Conservative Critic Meter Check: Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story 

Overall rating: Sweet homage to the Chiefs

Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story (Holiday Touchdown) is a sweet nod to Chiefs fans with enough Christmas heart to be a passable, enjoyable movie. The writers did not follow the perfect Hallmark formula in creating the story and for that reason may have missed on the entertainment value of the offering. While there were plenty of Chiefs references, easter eggs and visuals, the story had little to no real tension to make it a bit more interesting. 

Holiday Touchdown out hit its rival on Lifetime, Christmas in the Spotlight (which is loosely based on the real life love story of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce). The movie had better performances, stronger ties to the NFL, guest stars and the story had ten times the heart. But even in besting other similar movies, it didn’t deliver much in terms of quality. Without the Chiefs tie-in, the movie doesn’t have anything going on. 

With no political agenda, Holiday Touchdown is a good one to watch for Chiefs fans, Taylor Swift fans or Hallmark movie fans. Casual viewers may not appreciate it. 

Is it entertaining? 

Rating: It could have more tension

The most fun thing about Holiday Touchdown is its many Chiefs easter eggs and references and lore. Because they come up so often, they keep viewers engaged wanting to catch them. Both Donna Kelce and Catrick Mahomes make appearances in the movie along with Arrowhead Stadium itself. The movie also had several nods to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce who made the movie plausible. For example, the leading lady is played by Hunter King who is Joey King’s sister. Joey King starred in a prominent Taylor Swift video (‘I Can See You’). There is a full list of Taylor Swift Easter eggs here. 

But the story has almost no tension. The plot follows a family vying for the Chiefs ‘Fan of the Year’ award. The leading lady heads up the charge and falls in love with the Chiefs marketing/PR executive who is in-part in charge of selection. Right there, there is a pretty major ethical question which goes entirely unexplored in the course of the story. A lot of other opportunities to create rise and fall are missed or ignored making the story pretty flat. 

But if a viewer loves the Chiefs or Taylor Swift, Holiday Touchdown does enough to be watchable. 

Does it have artistic/intellectual value? 

Rating: It shows up for Chiefs fans

The nicest thing about the movie is how polished and branded it looks. A feature length ad for the Chiefs, the real life marketing department did not miss their shot. Throughout the whole movie, every character is donned in very nice looking Chiefs gear that makes even non-Chiefs fans want to purchase. Arrowhead Stadium looked at its best in all it’s segments and the respect paid toward fan lore like superstitions and key history was well done and celebrated not only the Chiefs but the NFL in general. Holiday Touchdown does a great job of telling a story which feels a little familiar. 

Additionally, the cast was well matched. Hunter King who plays the lead Alana Higman looks like she could be from Kansas City and so does Tyler Hynes who plays her opposite Derrick Taylor. What does that mean? I don’t know but it’s definitely true. The leads didn’t seem like they were from the coasts which is to theirs and the Directors credit.

That being said, the story was a disaster in that a) it didn’t make a ton of sense and b) it had no levels or emotional arches and additionally the leads didn’t have any particularly special chemistry or turn in extraordinary performances nor did their characterization make them especially memorable. In a romcom of this scale if the movie neither has a strong story nor strong characters it doesn’t really have anything. 

As an homage to the Chiefs, it’s high quality. As a movie that stands on its own, it doesn’t. 

Is it liberal propaganda? 

Rating: No

There are no political messages one way or the other in Holiday Touchdown. 

Conclusion

As an homage to the Chiefs, it’s fun and worthwhile. As a movie that stands on its own, it doesn’t do so.