Wer an Wunder glaubt

OK, I'm a sucker for fairy tales with a happy ending, and, I like the understated, lively portrayals by the two lead actresses, especially Hayden Panetierre as...our unhappy heroine as a child. The "fairy godmother" as a ten-year-old with attitude - excellent.

Not Academy Award stuff, but definitely a movie I'll watch with a date next Christmas. I gave it a 9.

I loved "If You Believe!" It was a refreshing look at the Christmas story. Ally was wonderful as was her 7 yr old counterpart Hayden... They made the concepts of faith, hope and joy of the season come alive. Ally shows her versatility as an actress in her character's transition from hopeless to joyful.

I have only seen this movie once but was extremely touched by it. The original concept of having a character's past self being able to relate to the present self is terrific. I enjoyed all performances, but I have to say that Hayden Panettiere left a lasting impression. The movie comes to a satisfactory conclusion, leaving a "what-if-I..." flavour with the viewer. Using the Suzie character as part of the rest of the family created a more believable scenario than simply presenting her "as is". I wondered if we would recognize ourselves as children if in the same situation. I tended to think it would be impossible not to - but then again, having seen lots of photos of family and friends as children, I realize it might be possible to see a similarity without instantly identifying oneself in another. This turned out to be a gentle and satisfying little Christmas movie which left room for thought when it was over.

I watched this movie by accident while flipping -- it caught me and wouldn't let go. Thought I knew in advance what was going to happen, but the plot twists kept me glued. I cried through most of the second half of it. Hayden Panettiere as the young version of the adult is terrific ... a female Jonathan Taylor Thomas sort of wiseass. 9/10

On a sunday morning when I should have been up an at it, I caught the start of this movie while still in bed. Now I've a lot of sympathy for Scrooge, but this little gem had me enthralled. I've never seen Ally's work before, but if she never does anything else again, she should be proud of this. I guarantee success if you bring this movie to the attention of your friends. It has many of the qualities that made 'groundhog day' so good.