''Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas!'' (also known as ''Good Luck Charlie: The Road Trip Movie'' in the United Kingdom and Ireland) is a 2011 American

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

directed by Arlene Sanford and written by Geoff Rodkey, based on the Disney Channel Original Series '' Good Luck Charlie'' by Phil Baker and Drew Vaupen. The Disney Channel Original Movie stars

Bridgit Mendler Bridgit Claire Mendler (born December 18, 1992) is an American entrepreneur and former actress and singer-songwriter. She first became known as a Child actor, child actress and continued acting into adulthood, which overlapped with a musical car ...

Leigh-Allyn Baker Leigh-Allyn Baker (born March 13, 1972) is an American actress. She had recurring roles on ''Charmed'' and as Ellen on ''Will & Grace'', and a starring role as mother Amy Duncan (Good Luck Charlie), Amy Duncan on the Disney Channel sitcom ''Good ...

, Bradley Steven Perry, Mia Talerico, Eric Allan Kramer, and Jason Dolley as the Duncan family. It follows the Duncan family as they prepare for their Christmas trip to Amy Duncan's parents' house in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

. Things goes awry however when Teddy and Amy find themselves separated from their family after Teddy gives up her seat in exchange for a free plane ticket. With only a few days left until Christmas, the duo will have to face numerous obstacles as they embark on a hitchhiking journey across

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

to get to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

so they can reunite with their family in time for the holidays. The plot point of the film where Amy Duncan is revealed to be pregnant would be carried to the third season, where she would give birth in the episode "Special Delivery", marking the introduction of the fifth Duncan child, Toby Duncan. The film was produced by It's a Laugh Productions (uncredited) and Salty Pictures and distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television. On December 2, 2011, the film premiered on

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

, receiving a total of 6.9 million viewers upon its original airing.

Plot

The Duncan family prepares to visit Amy's parents in Palm Springs for

. Teddy asks Amy for permission to travel with her best friend Ivy to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

for

spring break Spring break is a vacation period at universities and schools that includes the Easter holiday, and takes place in early Northern Hemisphere spring. Introduced in the U.S. during the 1930s, spring break has been observed in Europe since t ...

, but she refuses to let Teddy travel alone. At the airport, Bob tells Teddy that if she can purchase her own plane ticket, she can go to Florida. On the plane, a

flight attendant A flight attendant is a member of the aircrew whose primary responsibility is ensure the safety of passengers in the cabin of an aircraft across all stages of flight. Their secondary duty is to see to the comfort of passengers. Flight attenda ...

announces that the flight has been overbooked and asks anyone to relinquish their seat in exchange for a free ticket. Seeing this as an opportunity to go to Florida, Teddy volunteers. Amy also departs the plane to follow her. They learn from a woman at the

check-in Check-in is the process whereby people announce their arrival at an office, hotel, airport, hospital, port, seaport or event. Office check-in Many offices have a reception or front office area near the entrance to greet or assist visitors arriv ...

desk that the next flight to Palm Springs is in three days, which is after Christmas. Amy gets into a violent confrontation with the woman and is escorted out by security, along with Teddy. Teddy suggests that they take the bus to Palm Springs. When the rest of the family arrives in Palm Springs, tensions arise. Bob faces constant criticism from Amy's disapproving mother Petunia, Charlie breaks several items in the house, PJ gets a severe

sunburn Sunburn is a form of radiation burn that affects living tissue, such as skin, that results from an overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, usually from the Sun. Common symptoms in humans and other animals include red or reddish skin tha ...

after accidentally using suntan oil instead of sunblock, and Gabe teaches Amy's father Hank how to play the video game ''Galaxy of Death'', only for Hank to develop an addiction to it. While on the bus, Amy suffers from

motion sickness Motion sickness occurs due to a difference between actual and expected motion. Symptoms commonly include nausea, vomiting, cold sweat, headache, dizziness, tiredness, loss of appetite, and increased salivation. Complications may rarely include ...

and hogs the bathroom, resulting in her and Teddy getting kicked off the bus. Stranded and desperate, Teddy and Amy rent a worn-out Yugo, which they end up destroying. While the car is taken to a scrapyard, Teddy suggests they hitchhike, much to Amy's chagrin. They meet an elderly couple and hitch a ride in their minivan, whereupon the woman correctly deduces that Amy is pregnant, much to Teddy's shock. When they arrive in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, Amy explains to a shocked Teddy that she and Bob planned on announcing her pregnancy to the whole family on Christmas. They then discover that their luggage has been stolen. After getting a call from Amy, Bob drives to Las Vegas along with PJ and Gabe to retrieve them. Teddy and Amy get into another argument, culminating in Amy angrily accusing Teddy of ruining Christmas, inadvertently causing Teddy to tearfully storm off. In order to earn money to afford dinner, the two do a street performance involving

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...

s mixed with staged fights, and end up reconciling. Over dinner, Amy admits that she didn't want Teddy to go to Florida because she fears Teddy is growing up too fast. Teddy apologizes for disembarking the plane, and Amy assures her Christmas isn't ruined. They later encounter Jordan, the girl who had stolen their luggage. Jordan tearfully explains that she has become stranded after running away from home to go to a cross-country

music festival A music festival is a festival, community event with music, performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock music, rock, blues, folk music, folk, jazz, classical music), nation ...

that her mother forbade her from attending. Sympathizing with Jordan, Amy calls Jordan's mother and helps them reconcile. Teddy gives Jordan her plane ticket to help her get back home for Christmas. Amy finally acknowledges that Teddy is responsible. While driving through a desert, PJ, Gabe, and Bob are mistakenly kidnapped by a team of

paintball Paintball is a competitive sport, competitive team sport, team shooting sport in which players eliminate opponents from play by hitting them with spherical dye-filled gelatin capsules called Paintball equipment#Paintballs, paintballs that b ...

participants. Understanding the situation, Gabe explains that Chuck Jablowsky, the creator of ''Galaxy of Death'', holds a paintball tournament every

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

. After freeing themselves, Gabe convinces PJ and Bob to participate in the tournament. Using his knowledge of the game, Gabe wins the match and even meets Jablowsky himself. Jablowsky offers the trio a free helicopter ride to find Teddy and Amy, whom they locate at a diner. Hank and Petunia arrive with Charlie by car, having gone looking for the boys after they didn't return. With the entire family finally reunited, Petunia reveals that she found a star-shaped tree topper, which Amy lost earlier in the film, stuck between Charlie's car seat mechanism. Amy admits that this was the best Christmas she has ever had before announcing that she is having another baby, much to the excitement of her parents and the Duncans. On the way home, the flight is once again overbooked and a free ticket is offered to whoever gives up their seat, which Teddy quickly accepts once more. Amy tells Bob to go after Teddy. He obediently does so, jokingly promising Amy that they will be back by

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

. Amy smiles and says that she knows they won't.

Cast

as Teddy Duncan, the older sister of Charlie who makes video diaries. *

as Amy Duncan, Teddy's comedic and headstrong mother. * Bradley Steven Perry as Gabe Duncan, Teddy's mischievous younger brother. * Mia Talerico as Charlie Duncan, the toddler the diaries are for. * Debra Monk as Petunia Blankenhopper, Amy's mother. * Michael Kagan as Hank Blankenhopper, Amy's father. * Eric Allan Kramer as Bob Duncan, Teddy's father. * Jason Dolley as P.J. Duncan, Teddy's goofy and airheaded older brother. * Raven Goodwin as Ivy, Teddy's best friend in Denver. * Abbie Cobb as Jordan, a lost girl whom Teddy and Amy encounter in Las Vegas. * Pamela Dunlap as Sue, an older woman who allows Teddy and Amy to hitchhike with her. * David Wells as Stan, Sue's husband. * Joey Nader as Daryl, a car dealer. * E.E. Bell as Lenny, a former car dealer turned car repairman. * Ernie Grunwald as Walter, a former car repairman turned bike shop owner.

Production

The film was executive-produced by Sheri Singer along with three executive producers of the series, Dan Staley, Phil Baker and Drew Vaupen. The script was written by Geoff Rodkey and directed by Arlene Sanford. The film was shot in Salt Lake City and St. George, Utah from March 2011 to September 2011. The Gateway complex in Salt Lake City was used to film scenes that were set on the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits ...

. Other filming locations included the Pirate Island pizza restaurant in Orem, which stood in as a Las Vegas buffet; and the Salt Palace convention center, which was transformed to look like the Denver Airport. Filming also took place at Skull Valley.

Music

" I'm Gonna Run to You", performed by

, who also performed the ''Good Luck Charlie'' opening theme song, was released as promotional single on November 18, 2011. It was written by Bridget Mendler and Jamie Houston and produced by Houston. " Jingle Bells", " We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "

Deck the Halls "Deck the Halls" is a traditional Christmas carol. The melody is Welsh, dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, " Nos Galan", while the English lyrics, written by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, date to 1862. ...

" were also performed during the movie.

Release

Broadcast

The film aired worldwide on

. It premiered on December 2, 2011, in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, on December 16, 2011, in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It aired in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

on December 24, 2011.

Home media

The movie was released on iTunes on December 6, 2011. An exclusive edition of the movie was released on DVD only through Walmart on October 23, 2012.

Reception

Critical response

Emily Ashby of

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave the film 4 out of 5 rating, writing: "''Good Luck Charlie'' fans have reason to celebrate this holiday special, which hones in on the most appealing aspects of the popular sitcom and glams them up for the festivities. Amy's frazzled nerves, Bob's fumbling efforts to hold things together, and the kids' determination to chart their own courses are the catalyst for the movie's plentiful funny moments… and that's not even counting the impish toddler who throws their lives into turmoil at every turn. In other words, there's no shortage of laughs in this merry movie that will appeal to parents almost as much as it does their kids. Happily, there's also a heartier side to the story, one that reflects what parents (if not their offspring) hold dear through the holidays. This is a kid-targeted movie that spends two anticipatory hours building up to Christmas but makes no references to gifts, stockings, or even Santa. Instead, the focus is on the family, and rather than fighting crowds for the must-have toys of the year, these family members are racing the clock just to spend time with their loved ones. Feel-good messages nestled within the movie's shiny packaging -- plus a few Christmas surprises -- make this one to add to your family's watch list. If nothing else, it's a great way to shed the stress of the season by getting some laughs at a different family's dysfunction."

Ratings

It was watched by 6.9 million viewers, the premiere also delivered 3.3 million kids 6–11, 2.4 million teens and 1.4 million adults 18–49. The movie became no. 1 live-action cable movie of 2011 in total viewers and the no. 1 live-action scripted telecast across all TV in kids 6–11. In

it was watched by 111,000 viewers and in the

there were 562,000 viewers.

References

External links

* * {{Disney Christmas films 2011 television films 2011 films 2010s teen comedy films 2010s television Christmas films American Christmas comedy films American Christmas television films Disney Channel Original Movie films Films based on television series Films directed by Arlene Sanford Films set in California Films shot in Utah American comedy road movies 2010s comedy road movies Good Luck Charlie American teen comedy films American comedy television films Television films based on television series 2010s Christmas comedy films 2010s American films 2010s English-language films English-language Christmas comedy films