Sunday, December 1, 2013

25 Days of Christmas Movies - Day One - Review - The Christmas Child


CHRISTMAS MOVIE REVIEW

One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is the abundance of Christmas movies.  I am not terribly sappy, but I love a good Christmas movie (especially if it causes me to get a little teary-eyed too).  To keep myself in the glow, I've decided to watch a Christmas movie a day until Christmas, and do my best to share them here.

This past week, I picked up a new-to-me Christmas movie called "Christmas Child" at Family Christian Store.  It seemed to be a great way to start.  It is based on the book "The Christmas Cross" by Max Lucado.  I had not heard of either so it seemed to be a great way to go. 






About the film (from Amazon): 

Jack, a Chicago journalist dealing with a midlife crisis and a troubled marriage, is sent to Dallas, but a detour to a small Texas town that's home to a life-size Nativity scene leads him to a discovery about his past and the courage to face his future.

Starring:  William R. Moses, Megan Follows, Steven Curtis Chapman, Tonya Bordeaux, Vicki Taylor Ross, and Muse Watson

Impact Productions and Bridgestone Multimedia Group

My Review:   
Christmas Child brings us into the life of Jack Davenport, a journalist who is at a cross-roads in his life.  Jack's adoptive father has passed away, his wife and he are simply not getting along and he is on the cusp of turning 40.  With many heart questions and quite a bit of emptiness, Jack hits the road for another inconvenient assignment from his magazine.  Leaving behind an upset wife who is simply ready to close up her own heart.

The small town that Jack stops in is exactly the small town you would envision in your mind.  There is a large nativity in front of the church and the town is loaded with character and characters that brought me lots of smiles and a little bit of aggravation.  Almost everyone in the town is extremely open and helpful to Jack who really needs the kindness at this time in his life.  The genuineness of the townspeople caused me to hope that Jack would scrap it all, grab his wife, and move there....maybe in another film?

The actors were well cast though I must admit, Steven Curtis Chapman reminded me of Ned Flanders of the Simpsons (but I liked that about him).  It was also nice seeing William R. Moses who I remember from my young...young...young years when he was on Falcon Crest. 

Christmas Child is a story of searching, struggle and hope.  It is a story that shows the importance of reaching out to others.  There was a strong focus on adoption and redemption.  I enjoyed it a great deal and highly recommend it.  


If you can't find it in the store, I suggest you stream it.  I saw it was available on Hulu.  Myself, I'm glad I purchased it.  It will definitely be a part of our Christmas traditions.   Here's the trailer:

 
Christmas Child trailer from American Family Association on Vimeo.

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