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Brian is back to review a brand-new holiday movie that fans have been buzzing about: Christmas Above the Clouds. Featuring the return of an Erin Krakow and Tyler Hynes pairing, this movie is a little Christmas magic at 30,000 feet.

Workaholic CEO Ella Neezer tries to skip Christmas by boarding a flight to Australia. But her plan takes an unexpected turn when she is visited by three quirky spirits representing her past, present, and future — and she finds herself face-to-face with her ex-fiancé Jake. As Ella navigates these encounters, she’s forced to confront the choices that prioritized success over connection, ultimately rediscovering love, compassion, and the true meaning of Christmas.

November 8, 2025 | Hallmark Channel

• Erin Krakow as Ella Neezer
• Tyler Hynes as Jake
• Directed by Peter Benson

Meet Ella Neezer — a certified holiday grump. She runs a fancy-pants travel company and all of her employees hate her. It’s Christmas Eve, but she could not care less. The new ad campaign isn’t good enough and she wants improvements by the 26th. “I’m not saying you have to work on Christmas… it just has to be better by then.” Very chill.

Ella and her assistant Bobbi head to the airport to catch a flight to Australia so Ella can skip Christmas entirely — even though Bobbi has a son, Tim, that she’d clearly rather be home with. On the way, Ella’s sister calls trying to convince her to come home for Christmas. Absolutely not. Ella looks at a photo of her mentor, Marlene Jacobson, and for a second it looks like Marlene is moving. Weird, but let’s brush that off.

At the airport, Ella bumps into her ex-boyfriend Jake — the one she broke up with six years ago today. Even worse? He’s seated right next to her on the plane.

The plane takes off and suddenly things get spooky. Lights flicker. Window shades go up and down. And then — Marlene Jacobson appears on the seat-back screen to haunt her. She announces that Ella will be visited by three spirits. Buckle up, bucko.

Ella falls asleep and is woken by the Ghost of Christmas Past, who is obviously a flight attendant. She shoves Ella out of the plane (casual) and Ella lands in her own childhood. She sees herself and her sister stuck at boarding school over Christmas. Then she jumps to college, where she meets young Jake, the cute librarian who gives her his scarf. They were happy once! Next, she sees an old company Christmas party — back when her employees liked her — and she and Jake are very in love. We get a memory montage: years together. He even proposes at Christmas. But as her career ramps up under Marlene, Ella gets busier, misses more time, and eventually the relationship breaks. She watches herself end it, placing the ring down. Finally, she sees herself snapping at Bobbi last year when Bobbi needed to rush home to her sick son. It hurts.

Ella wakes back up on the plane and apologizes to Jake for all the Christmases she worked through. She could have done better.

Then comes the Ghost of Christmas Present, who takes her to a bar where her employees are having their own mini Christmas party — and talking about how much they dislike her. Ouch. They visit Ella’s sister’s house, where her sister wishes Ella could just share in the joy. Ella sticks around long enough to remember how fun Christmas used to be. They visit Jake’s charity, which is thriving. There’s a woman clearly into him. Ella is jealous. They stop by his old friends’ annual “Dive Bar Christmas” — the tradition Ella used to love. She misses those days. Then they visit Bobbi’s house — Tim is sick with asthma, and the family resents Ella… until Tim says he’s thankful for Miss Neezer because the job helps afford his medicine. Ella is crushed.

Back to the plane she goes. Bobbi’s asleep, so Ella goes to talk to Jake instead.

Finally, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come arrives. Ella sees her employees talking like someone is gone — but who? At her sister’s house, everyone is dressed in black. Jake shows up with flowers. Someone has died. Eventually, Ella realizes Jake gave up on love. Then she sees Bobbi’s home. Tim’s chair is empty. And then — she sees her own grave. She’s devastated, begging for a chance to change.

Suddenly — she’s back on the plane. The flight has landed in Utah due to engine trouble. Coincidentally, her sister lives in Utah. It’s Christmas morning (technically 1 AM).

Ella snaps into action. She tells Bobbi she’s getting a promotion, double salary, the best health insurance imaginable, and a first-class flight home to be with Tim. Bobbi is stunned.

Ella and Jake go to breakfast. Ella tells him she doesn’t want to go through life alone — especially not without him. She apologizes — sincerely. They slow dance. He dips her. They kiss BIG ONES.

They surprise her sister. Ella apologizes for not being the sister she should have been. They spend Christmas together. Jake tells Ella he loves her. She tells him she’s always loved him — some might say it was always you. They kiss again.

Bobbi FaceTimes. Tim says, “God bless us, everyone.”

The end. 🎄✨

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