The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey - 2007

Charming adaptation of the well known children’s Christmas story. A grieving and reclusive woodcarver (Berenger) agrees to replace a loved wooden nativity that has been lost. Surprisingly, this well written film managed to remain true to the original book, a feat not always achieved, especially when so much must be added in order to reach the time frame of a movie. Performances were excellent by the entire cast but especially the three central characters. Filming was exceptional with rich colors and lighting that enhanced the emotions portrayed. Wonderful musical score! This is definitely a new Christmas favorite that will be watched many times.****

The Three Gifts - 2009

Entertaining family holiday film. When the orphanage must close for repairs, a toymaker and his wife (Cain & Kelly) agree to temporarily take three energetic orphans for the holidays. Although this pleasant, predictable story had few surprises, it managed to convey some gentle heartfelt moments anyway. Performances were good, especially those of Dean Cain and Jean Louisa Kelly as the temporary “parents” as well as those of the three kids. Often young “troublemakers” have completely over-the-top or slapstick performances but the kids were actually fairly believable. Plus the story itself was a nice change of pace from the usual holiday fare available. Definitely one we will watch again. ***

The Preacher's Wife - 1996

Ok holiday movie but poor remake! This story follows a preacher who is struggling to hold things together with his church and congregation. After a prayer for help, an angel (Denzel Washington) is sent to help. This is a pale comparison to the original movie (The Bishop’s Wife). I am a fan of several other movie remakes but this one is really lacking. With the exception of Denzel Washington, the acting of the main characters is pretty wooden. The preacher (Courtney Vance) seems to only have one expression. He is so passionless about his role as a preacher that its hard to believe he would have had the desire to pray for help in the first place. As his wife, Whitney Houston is also barely believable both as a wife and a mother. Her lines seem rehearsed as if she is reading cue cards. The charisma of Dudley came across fairly well as played by Denzel Washington, although his role seemed minor in this version. The plot changes and updates were clever but the plot moved very slowly and I found myself longing to fast forward. An ok movie for the family but there are definitely better holiday movies out there.  ***

The Bishop's Wife - 1947

Charming holiday movie! This film is about a Bishop ( David Niven) and his wife (Loretta Young) and the struggles they are having in their marriage as the Bishop struggles to build a cathedral. As he prays for help, an angel (Cary Grant) comes to his aid. What follows is humorous, inspiring and fun as the angel maneuvers the Bishop into realizing what is really important. This movie has a great story with the plot being developed well. The characters are interesting and fun and well done by both the main characters and the supporting cast. This movie is definitely filmed in the old classic style for black and white movies but the story flows well without the need for color to put across the emotions. Definitely a favorite in our home.*****

12 Men of Christmas - 2009

Light-hearted romantic comedy. Leaving her high powered job and moving to Montana, E.J. (Chenowith) finds herself promoting a male calendar. This predictable story had few twists but moved along smoothly. (It has even loosely included a few plot elements from Austen's "Pride & Prejudice") Along the way E.J. falls for Mr. December (no surprise) but the romantic elements were pretty low key. Performances were Ok but nothing special and the chemistry between the characters struggled a little. Although billed as a Christmas film, there were few actual references to the holidays making it a definite change of pace from the usual “Santa” or “It’s a Wonderful Life” variations. It certainly would not be at the top of my favorite Christmas films, but as a soft touch when it comes to the holidays, I still found this enjoyable. ***

The Christmas Wife - 1988

Enjoyable drama. Facing his first Christmas as a widower, John (Robards) answers a personals ad hoping to meet someone to share Christmas Day. The woman (Harris) who responds to his request is obviously hiding something. This quiet story was well written with a touching storyline that managed to avoid getting too sappy. As you watch the characters, you can feel their loneliness without it becoming overly sentimental. Performances were excellent by both Robards and Harris, easily making you feel at ease with their characters. Although this was a family friendly film, the storyline was definitely geared more to an older audience and would not be that entertaining for the very young. Definitely worth watching, though. ***

Christmas Do-Over - 2006

So-so Christmas comedy. A divorced man (Mohr) finds himself repeating Christmas Day, each time trying to change the outcome. With an almost identical plot to the successful “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray, the premise for this story had potential. Unfortunately, this film didn’t have the charm to pull it off. Performances were Ok, but Jay Mohr was really over-the-top obnoxious which only succeeds in making you vote for the other guy! In fact, few of the characters were very likable which made it hard to care about the outcome. The filming was Ok, but the Christmas Day repeats start to get annoying. You feel as if the story is trying to pound its point across rather than letting the emotions evolve naturally. Definitely better choices available. **

Christmas Is Coming!

With Christmas just around the corner, I often find myself buried in Christmas movies and TV specials. Anything that creates just a little Christmas spirit will usually find its way into to my home sometime during the holidays. :-)  I find most holiday films fall into just a few categories. There are your inevitable Santa stories, your Christmas Carol or It's a Wonderful Life variations and finally your heart-warming dramas.

Although I enjoy them all, its never far from my mind the real reason we celebrate Christmas:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6

If you truly desire to find the true spirit of Christmas during this upcoming holiday season, find time to turn your heart to the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Having His spirit with you will be the greatest gift you can receive this Christmas!

The Christmas Cottage - 2008

Somewhat entertaining look at the events that shaped one of today’s most endearing artists, Thomas Kinkade. Returning home for the holidays, Thomas (Padalecki) discovers that his mother (Harden) is about to lose her home. This film definitely had its ups and downs. The first half is a little slow moving, struggling to decide what kind of story its really going to be. The film has its heart-warming moments but also has its fair share of cursing and vulgar innuendos. The characters vary from the exceptional performance of Peter O’Toole, the artist next door, to other townspeople that seem little more than caricatures. The last half of the film finally seems to come together, delivering some very heartfelt moments. Was definitely disappointed that the film seemed to tiptoe around the Christian aspect of the story.  In spite of its problems, however, we enjoyed the film. It was worth watching if only to see the incredible performance of Peter O’Toole. ***

Noelle - 2007

Slow moving, somber Christmas drama. Two troubled priests struggle with the course their lives are taking. This dreary storyline was obviously meant to be uplifting but fell far short of the mark. In fact, parts of the plot actually felt somewhat insulting. With some of its darker issues, this was definitely not family friendly. The acting was dreadful and the main characters were so unlikable it was hard to care whether or not they worked out their problems. The scenes with the community Christmas pageant were somewhat humorous and the final scene was mildly touching but this was certainly not enough to redeem the rest of the movie. On the plus side, filming was actually pretty good, with some beautiful scenes of the Cape. Of the three viewers in our family, I’m the only one who actually finished watching and I certainly would never watch again. Definitely better choices available. **

Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe - 2009

So-so sequel. When Santa (Sorvino) decides to retire, he wants Mary (McCarthy) to take over the job. Unfortunately, there were some pretty big holes between this storyline and that of its predecessor. Even well into the movie there is little explanation for where the first story left off and this story begins. Mary must go home and again save the day, but you are surprised that she wasn’t already there in the first place! It was also disappointing to have new actors in more than one of the major roles. Santa was apparent immediately, but the boyfriend took some time before we realized that he was the same character, just a new actor. The main outline of this film’s “Christmas conflict” was fairly clever but it really struggled to come together. Nor was Mary’s character as enjoyable this time around. In the first film you felt she just hadn’t “found” herself but in this one you were annoyed she was acting so selfishly. We are pretty forgiving of holiday films so even with its problems we still moderately enjoyed this one. ***

Santa Baby - 2006

Likeable Christmas film. After her father, Santa (Wendt), suffers a mild heart attack, Mary (McCarthy) must leave her corporate job to help with Christmas. This light-hearted holiday film included the usual concerns that Christmas would be ruined, the failure of any attempts to change Santa's system and the love triangle where a choice must be made between the "bad" and the "good" boyfriend. Although completely predictable, the storyline was still fairly charming with some fun comic moments, especially watching the elves try to cope with Mary's addition of new technology. There was also some wonderful chemistry between the characters. Performances were good from both the main and the supporting cast. We were particularly fond of the portrayal of Santa (Wendt) and Mrs. Claus. Definitely an enjoyable addition to our Christmas viewing. Maybe 3 1/2 stars. ***

Most Wonderful Time of the Year - 2008

Enjoyable, light-hearted Christmas romance. The storyline included the usual single, suspicious mom (Burns), the stiff “almost” fiancé who only pretends to like her son, and the caring, handsome, spontaneous stranger (Christie). With the help of her match-making uncle (Winkler), both the Christmas spirit as well as a romance blossoms. Although this was certainly a predictable film, it somehow managed to be fairly charming anyway. Performances were pretty good with a fair amount of chemistry between the characters. It was especially enjoyable to see the great performance of Henry Winkler as the lovable, interfering uncle. The film also included some enjoyable humor as well as several heart-warming moments. Definitely one we can enjoy watching each year. ****

Jingle All the Way - 1996

Moderately enjoyable Christmas comedy. Workaholic Howard (A.S.) has forgotten to purchase the coveted Turbo Man for his son’s Christmas. Finding that everywhere is sold out, Howard ends up on a fervent hunt to find one. Admittedly, this is an unrealistic, goofy story. In its defense, though, it never actually pretends to be anything deeper. The situations are mostly ridiculous, the acting is often over-the-top and the conclusion is completely off the wall. But it all seems to be part of the intended outcome. The comic aspects of the film are a little forced with much of the humor coming from comic violence. And the underlying message that at all costs you must get your child whatever they are demanding is moderately uncomfortable, but the story is so improbable that it’s hard to take either of these issues very seriously. In spite of its problems, we usually watch this one every year.  ***

Ernest Saves Christmas - 1988

Light-hearted comedy from the memorable Ernest (Jim Varney). For those of us who remember the lovable Ernest, this was probably the best of his films. Ernest steps in to aid an aging Santa in his search for his replacement. Along the way we meet some of Varney’s most unforgettable characters. (His snake man really had me chuckling!) Even my teens, who are certainly too young to remember Ernest, found themselves laughing at some of his antics. The story itself is somewhat cheesy (as are many Christmas films), but the special effects are surprisingly pretty good. Although not at the top of my Christmas watch list, this film was great fun. ***

Christmas Caper - 2007

So-so romantic comedy Christmas film. After she narrowly escapes being arrested during a robbery, Cate (Doherty) hides out at her sisters while she is away on vacation. Gradually Cate finds herself changing as she cares for her sisters kids. The storyline for this film was certainly predictable, unbelievable and cheesy, with few changes to this often used outline. However, this is certainly the case with many of the Christmas shows being churned out these days. Still, if you are a holiday film enthusiast like me, you don’t seem to mind some mindless fluff with its sentimental, happy ending if a little Christmas spirit is thrown in. Performances were good, although I’m not a fan of Shannen Doherty. She was perfect in the role, however, and made a good transition from the cynical thief to a loving, caring human being. Definitely not at the top of my Christmas film list but Ok for at least one viewing. ***