In our effort to overflow our Christmas viewing with good cheer, my husband and I simply could not pass up "Christmas for a Dollar."
Movie Eight
Christmas for a Dollar
Starring: Brian Krause, Nancy Stafford, Heather Beers and Nancy Chuchman
About the movie (from Christian Movie Database):
America is in the midst of the Depression, and the Kamp family is
struggling to get by, especially after Mrs. Kamp’s untimely death. Now
little Ruthie, with her mother gone and her father overwhelmed by doctor
bills resulting from her brother s polio, expects another Christmas
without presents or festivities. But when her father brings home one
dollar in change and lets the children use it to buy special gifts for
each other, the Kamps come to find that money isn’t what fills Christmas
with joy, love, and miracles.
My Review:
We loved the opportunity to watch the portrayal of another simple Christmas. The movie takes place in the Depression so it is expected that times would be simple and also a bit stressful. The Kamp family is struggling like many are financially but also struggling over the loss of their mama. Mr. Kamp is doing all he can to provide for the kids financially and his elder children do what they can to make things work since the loss of their mom. Because times are so tight, the kids worry that Christmas is pretty much going to pass them by, but Dad has been scrimping and saving. The family will have one dollar in change to use to buy a gift for each member of the family. It will take creativity and heart, but the kids are delighted at the task at hand.
"Christmas for a Dollar" contains everything I enjoy in a Christmas film. Sweet kids, a message of hope and a display of generosity and caring. There was a sweetness to it that was charming. It is well written and well acted. I hope that it will be a film we can watch again and again. We watched it on UPtv.
I give this family friendly film a solid four stars. I hope to add it one day to our own personal collection.
Here's the trailer:
Period Christmas films are quite possibly my favorite type. So I had to record (yep DVR time) Mr. Christmas.
Movie Seven:
Mr. Christmas
Starring: Jace McLean, Jen Celene Little, Ireland Rose Maddox, Abigail Knslow
About the film (from Amazon):
A young father can't afford to buy his 5-year-old daughter what she's expecting Santa Claus to bring her for Christmas.
My Review:
Mr. Christmas is a sweet and tear jerking film about a young family celebrating Christmas in 1941. Times are hard for the young Carter family and they only get harder as World War II has pulled into full swing. They do all they can though, to share a wonderful Christmas with their children.
Carol Lee the eldest child (who maybe was 5 on my guess) and her sister Babby are excited about the arrival of "Santa's Catalog" (I remember similar feelings about the Sear's catalog when I was a child). Mom and dad are stunned by the cost of everything in the catalog and try desperately to steer Carol Lee away from her number one Christmas wish, a bicycle. Dad also desperately tries to figure out how he can grant that one wish while mom tries to make it clear to dad that sometimes, you get what you can and be happy with it.
Mr. Christmas is a sweet and brief Christmas story. It made us laugh and made us a little teary eyed as well.
I would give it 3 1/2 stars. It is definitely family friendly.
Here's the trailer:
The next film on my 25 Days of Christmas movies was "Christmas Do-Over." With a child on the cover and Jay Mohr, I was pretty sure I would find something to enjoy.
Movie Six
Christmas Do-Over
Starring: Jay Mohr, Daphne Zuniga, and Adrienne Barbeau
About the Movie (from Barnes & Noble): A ne'er do well father and ex-husband who always raced his way through
the holidays is forced to relive Christmas Day time and again until he
gets it right in this family oriented fantasy comedy starring Jay Mohr.
It's Christmas time once again, and as usual Kevin (Mohr) is scrambling
to get his son Ben a last minute gift before stopping by his ex-wife
Jill's house for a quick swig of eggnog. Ben can't stand Jill's
impossibly perfect new boyfriend, and the prospect of spending the
entire evening with his former inlaws is nearly too painful to ponder.
But this Christmas things are going to be different, because this
Christmas might just last forever. At first Kevin resists the curious
development by simply reverting to his childish ways, though he is about
to find out that sometimes in order to build a better future one must
finally make amends with the past.
My Review: Kevin is definitely a bit on the self-centered side. He is invited to his in-laws' home for a Christmas celebration and drags his feet the whole way. He, of course, wants to see his son, but he is not really thrilled about family time with the ex, her family and her new boyfriend. Of course Kevin's son is thrilled to have the family together and doesn't care about anything other than that and wishes that it was Christmas every day.
In the fame of "Groundhog Day," Christmas repeats itself again and again with only Kevin realizing what is going on. Kevin is not remotely delighted to spend the same day again and again with his ex and her family and acts out like the selfish man he is. But a change may come if he is willing to open his heart and his eyes.
"Christmas Do-Over" is a sweet Christmas film. There is a lesson to be learned which makes it nice for the family. Don't dig too deep though because there are a lot of things that would make you dismiss the magic of the sweet spot of this story. Well, once Kevin stops being a creep. :)
I would give this one 3 Stars. I liked it. I would possibly watch it again, but it would not be a yearly thing.
Here's the trailer:
I have been loading up on all things Christmas. Christmas books, Christmas treats and Christmas movies. I have watched a Christmas movie a day, but I have been a little slack on sharing them. So let's get going.
Movie Five -
Four Christmases
Starring - Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, Mary Steenburgen, Robert Duvall, and Sissy Spacek.
About the movie (from Amazon): A happily unmarried San Francisco couple find themselves socked in by
fog on Christmas morning, As a result their exotic vacation plans morph
into the family-holiday.
My Review: When I started watching "Four Christmases" I was kind of looking for a Romantic Christmas Comedy. It was definitely a comedy, but it wasn't terribly romantic. For me that was no major deal because most romances can almost be too formulaic in a holiday movie anyway.
As the movie begins, Kate and Brad seem like a married couple who like to explore all kinds of activities together. They look like an absolute fun couple who are trying to take the biggest bite of life that they can. At first this seems refreshing but as they share about their feelings against marriage with others, they start to get more and more unlikeable. It was actually kind of weird.
When the weather causes their annual Christmas getaway to be put on the back burner, Kate and Brad instead visit their family who they have actively avoided spending the holidays with. Each visit gives us a little glimpse into who Brad and Kate are as well as their families. As both have divorced parents and are fairly dysfunctional, you can kind of see why they are not married themselves.
Overall, considering the actors in the film, I really expected more. Obviously they didn't write the dialogue nor direct it, but still there just was too much missing. It was funny in parts but not that funny and it completely lacked warmth which is something I would expect in a holiday film. Even when redeemed, these characters were not terribly likeable.
Because of the actors and title, I would have thought this would be a family friendly film. I am not a prude when it comes to movies, but I would say that this is not one I would share with my son. It isn't over the top in sexual nature, but there are moments that would require conversations that I don't think any of the kids in my family would be interested in having. Especially around the holidays.
I'd give it about 2.5 stars because there are moments that are good, but again, I would NOT recommend this as a family Christmas film.
25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MOVIES - HOLIDAY ROAD TRIP
Starring: Patrick Muldoon, Ashley Scott, Kip Pardue, Shelly Long and George Hamilton.
About the movie (from Christmas Wiki):
Co-workers at a high-profile pet supply store in Washington D.C., Pat
(Patrick Muldoon) and Maya (Ashley Scott) couldn't be more opposite.
Maya works in accounting, she’s a driven, ambitious businesswoman
looking to turn her job into a great career. He’s in the design
department and basically plays for a living, which is a perfect job for
the little kid who never really grew up. She wears Manolos, and he wears
Velcro.
When Maya's obscenely successful boyfriend, Davis (Kip Pardue) leaves her right before Christmas,
she begrudgingly decides to volunteer an RV tour along with Pat and the
star of the company, Scoots (Uggie the dog, "The Artist"). At first,
the road trip is a match made in hell. But the whole idea is the brain
child of the company founder Max (George Hamilton), who is Pat's dad.
Once on the road, opposites are put to the test. Pat eats nothing
but junk food, but she wants to be healthy. He listens to hard rock,
while she prefers jazz. He drives 95, while she coasts at a leisurely
55. She thinks he’s an uneducated man-child while he thinks she’s a
self-absorbed snob. But fate has a funny way of intervening. All the
while, Davis, who feels he made a terrible mistake breaking up with
Maya, is one step behind.
My Review:
Holiday Road Trip is one of those awkward yet sweet little Christmas movies that is intended to inspire some giggles and smiles. Polar opposites Pat and Maya head out on a road trip with Scoots the mascot of Pet Products. What starts out as a desperate attempt to just get away from home while nursing her wounded heart, develops into a friendship and romantic adventure.
I believe my favorite part of the film was actually seeing actors from my childhood like Susan Olsen (Cindy from the Brady Bunch), Mindy Cohn (THE Natalie my favorite Facts of Life girl), Donna Partow of Angie and of course Saturday Night Fever, and Shelly Long among others. It was a fun holiday romp that provided a nice evening's escape from shopping and planning for Christmas. Loved it for what it was. Do not expect "It's A Wonderful Life" do expect a sweet and quirky film.
25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MOVIES - MOVIE 3 - CHRISTMAS IN CONWAY
Is it Christmas without Hallmark Hall of Fame? Certainly not. So of course when "Christmas in Conway" was announced, I had to set the DVR for a viewing.
Christmas in Conway
Starring: Mary-Louise Parker, Andy Garcia, Mandy Moore, Riley Smith, Cheri Oteri, and Mark Jeffrey Miller.
About the film: Usually I share a plot summary from Amazon or IMDB, but I really didn't find a good summary there and the one at Hallmark might as well just blow the whole film for you. So here you go: Natalie a home-care hospice nurse moves in with Duncan and Suzy as Suzy returns from the hospital after deciding that she wants to forgo any further chemo and spend her last days at home. A distraught Duncan has to face that he cannot handle it all alone.
My review: Christmas in Conway is the typical Hallmark Hall of Fame Film in that it is absolutely dear with enough conflict to furrow your brow and enough soft moments to have you grasping for a tissue.
Initially I thought Christmas in Conway would focus on some sort of romance for young hospice nurse Natalie and while that is partially the case, the true romance is between Duncan and Suzy. Duncan first enters the film as a rude and arrogant man, but when you realize that his wife is dying and has decided to stop the fight and finish of the remainder of her days at home, it makes some sense that he might be a rough soul. As we learn more and more about Suzy and Duncan's romance, it becomes even more apparent that this man is tortured over the eventual loss of THE love of his life.
Being powerless to provide for certain aspects of her care, Duncan resigns himself to having a live-in hospice nurse, but he is hardly welcoming to Natalie or anyone else for that matter. It is a long road of healing for this man. The most important thing in Duncan's life is his wife, Suzy, and his decision to provide her with one last special gift is also the decision that just might bring healing to his broken heart.
Christmas in Conway is well written and acted. There are definitely some obvious moments, but I figure there are some things that really don't need to keep us guessing. The message of love is strong in this film and although loss is evidently going to rear its head, there is a joyful sadness in the film. It was truly beautiful.
Here's the trailer:
You can preorder the DVD from Hallmark if you missed it at this link.
PS I'm just adding that link in case you missed it. It really is charming, and if you like Christmas movies, this just might be one, you would enjoy owning.
I am enjoying a Christmas movie a day for 25 days. I thought it would be fun to share them here.
About the film (from IMDB):
A grumpy hermit hatches a plan to steal Christmas from the Whos of Whoville.
My Thoughts: I am not going to review this one, because I'm thinking you must know about it. What I do want to do is share why I love this so much.
First:
I loved Max so much. The Grinch's dog Max knew that the Grinch was pretty much a mane ole grouch, but he was loyal to him and loved him anyway. I was pulled in by the hope in Max's eyes, but I also cried for Max as a child. I wanted him to be loved and happy. Seeing the Grinch join all the Whos in Whoville was a delight for me as a child but my biggest delight was seeing Max get the first slice of roast beast.
Second:
I loved Boris Karloff. I always had a soft spot for his part as Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein.
Third:
Dr. Seuss was the first author I actively sought out as a child. When my mom was studying to be a realtor, she would take me to the library. I would spend hours there reading his books.
Fourth:
The message that the important thing about Christmas is not what you get but who you are with.
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.
