Reviews

I grew up when NASA first started sending people into space and it captivated me so much so that I would build models of the spacecraft and hang them out my window when a mission was on. I'm also a fan of Ridley Scott but this movie missed the mark by a wide margin for me.

First of all, it is WAY TOO LONG and I found my inner child constantly saying "are we there yet?" This was the result of a lack of dramatic tension in the screenplay and lack of depth to the characters. I agree with other viewers who say there should have been more angst about being alone on a planet millions of miles from home. If it was me, I would be freaking out! (Then I would pray). Also some great shots of that isolation against the magnificent universe would have been awesome but we were given none of these.

We have seen these movies before done better - my standard is always "Independence Day" where you had real character development, dramatic tension, and excellent humor in the script. None of these elements are present in this script. In fact, we know we have been here before, and just like making copies of a tape, successive versions aren't quite as sharp as the original. This movie must have been the 10th copy!

Not good enough for a Ridley Scott movie. Matt Damon does well with what he has but he is not given a whole lot to work with. And was it me, or was that a stand in doing the nude scene of Matt emerging from a shower?

I would have preferred to see Jeff Goldblum do the lead, though I get it that he is not a big enough box office draw. I think he would have done much more with the thin gruel given to the lead.

Waste of talent all around.

It's no secret that some of the best writing today is happening on the small screen. A "Christmas to Remember" is one of those hidden gems of television destined to become a Christmas Classic. There is hardly an off note in the whole production which is superbly written, directed, acted, and edited. The story works on several levels at once, as both story and metaphor, and a larger message about finding your good in the most unexpected places and what it takes to find the hidden life within. The excellent editing and story makes this seem one of the fastest 83 minutes of reel time you'll spend, like one of those great amusement park rides that seems over before it has begun. You will want to watch the many memorable moments again and again, alone or with family or friends. This film contains the "secret" formula that most of Hollywood has forgotten. And that secret is a truly touching story that rings true with few false notes, great characters, a magical story, a cast you can enjoy and appreciate, and something nice happening on the screen for once -- instead of your worst nightmare! It reminds me much of the beloved classic holiday films that many of us watch each year as one of our Christmas and holiday traditions.

We enter the story as Jennifer Wade, an emerging celebrity chef, is having a meltdown on the NYC set of her Christmas Homestyle show. Everything seems designed to disturb her plans to produce the "perfect" Christmas show. She mourns the loss of the simple and easy Christmases she spent with her mother, now deceased. Her sage and steadfast best friend and agent, Paula, correctly reads Jennifer's need for a break from the stress of success. She generously loans her chalet in Colorado for a quick get away but not without a string for she is a savvy agent. In return, she asks Jennifer to attend her Christmas party with her boyfriend --a successful sportscaster -- so she can be "seen." Everything revolves around their careers and it is from this life that Jennifer desperately needs to escape. Even though she is nearing the top of her game, deep down she senses that she is only living a "half life" but feels hopeless at finding the rest of it.

Meanwhile we see John Blake, a widower with three children, driving around the snow piled streets of North Creek Colorado making his veterinary rounds. At once we understand him to be a kind and generous man, but a man still mourning the loss of his wife three years before. Later that day he is called out to birth a foal in a neighboring farm. On the way back home with his young son, a serious snow storm begins and they almost hit a dazed and confused woman standing in the middle of the snowy remote road.

It is Jennifer Wade who loses her way to the chalet and has just crashed her car into the woods leaving her baggage, ID, and the memory of who she is behind. You can see the metaphors working already right? He takes her into his car where she sits on a pie and falls asleep on his young son's shoulder. And this is where the magic begins. She has no idea who she is and this allows her to become enveloped in their wonderful log cabin home, a beautiful cocoon of warm sights, their too cute dog Biscuit, 3 sprightly children, and easy family relationships. These experiences bring back the memories of her childhood Christmases and the joys she once felt in life but lost on the way to success. But one thing she does remember is how to cook and decorate which she does to the delight of all.

Over 7 days and 7 nights John, Jennifer, the children, and the in laws form a close bond and Jennifer, through many special and joyful moments, comes to realize what she has been missing in her life. This is a story of healing, of resurrection, of finding what one has lost, and all of it out of the personal control of any of the characters. The "lights" of Christmas show them the way back to Eden and wholeness, one day at a time, in the best possible ways, and away from the expectations and pressures of the modern high tech world. Above all, "A Christmas To Remember" shows us that Father really does know best, even if He was not listed in the cast of characters. In the end, to find one's best self, one must be willing to lose everything that is known, because "the unknown is where everything you don't have lives."

I hope that Hallmark will release this fantastic movie to DVD.