The Erin Krakow Hallmark Movie That Just Didn't Land With Fans

Erin Krakow is a Hallmark superstar, but certain fans of the feelgood channel's holiday offerings weren't impressed with "Christmas Above the Clouds." In fact, some viewers even complained that the "When Calls the Heart" star was miscast in the TV movie — and that was far from their only criticism. For those who haven't seen "Christmas Above the Clouds," the 2025 film is a retelling of "A Christmas Carol." Krakow plays the Ebenezer Scrooge character, called Ella Neezer, and her adventures to Christmases past, present and future take place while aboard a flight to Australia. 

On paper, it sounds like a fresh take on a classic tale. And indeed, some viewers agreed that it was, but unfortunately, not everyone was convinced about Krakow's performance in a darker role. One of the reasons many cited was the way she spoke pre-ghost intervention. As one such Redditor put it, "The way they had her changing the tone of her voice to sound like a cold bad boss woman didn't work for me." Another argued that Krakow's voice early on in the movie sounded, "Like she was a rich person who has only hung around rich people for her whole life." The problem, they continued, was, "For that vocal characteristic to be gone when she was nice made no sense." 

Others simply couldn't picture the Hallmark star as a nasty character. "I watched the first half and just had such a hard time believing her as a mean and cold hearted person," one Redditor wrote. "I think she was unconvincing when she was supposed to be cold [...] Much better when she started to warm up," another agreed. Coming across as nice isn't the worst thing in the world, but we can understand why longtime fans might have preferred someone slightly edgier play Scrooge. 

Several Redditors' main gripes with "Christmas Above the Clouds" revolved around the hairstyling and wardrobe choices. As one quipped, it didn't work for them, "Mostly because I hated [Erin Krakow's] hair." Others pointed out how that seemed to be the case with a number of Hallmark's leading ladies' hair. As one Redditor lamented, "Those awful Hallmark [hairdos] for its female leads have GOT TO GO!" Erin Krakow's male co-star Tyler Hynes wasn't spared either, with another unimpressed Reddit user joking, "I'm sorry to be the one to say it but he looks like he snaps his hair on like a Lego guy." 

Some were more frustrated with the costume choices. One viewer even professed that the white tracksuit sported by Krakow's character didn't gel with her personality. Responding to a fan who actually enjoyed the movie overall, but believed the tracksuit Ella Neezer wore on her flight was "unflattering," they asserted, "I also don't know if new Ella would wear a track/sweat suit on a plane, even if it is more comfortable." Regardless, "Christmas Above the Clouds" has its fans. In fact, one YouTube commenter dubbed it, "My new favorite Christmas movie this year!" 

High praise for a network known for their holiday fare. Likewise, even though plenty of critics complained about Krakow and Hynes' lack of chemistry, others were thrilled to see the beloved Hallmark duo working together again. "About time they're back together. Hope Hallmark doesn't wait another 4 long years to reunite them again!" one gushed. Luckily for the haters, if they do collaborate again soon, there are tons of other Hallmark Christmas movies to choose from.