Christmas Do-Over

The last reviewer said it was a remake of Groundhog day or a rip off and that's not true. This film is a remake of Christmas Everyday which is a film i grew up with and stars Erik Von Detton was aimed more at teenagers. It's a funnier film and has a warmth to it. This film however lacks snow, and likable characters at first. This is one of the shows I catch every year on ABC Family Channel as well as Christmas Everyday. However this isn't as good as the original, and lacks a little bit of warmth and charm that the original had. The only funny thing really about the movie is Jay Mohr, who it's kind fun to see go crazy and psychotic. It was nice to see Daphne Zuniga in something new, but other than that it's average at best.

Take the plot of GROUNDHOG DAY, in which Bill Murray has to do the same day over and over again until he finally gets it right, remaking himself, in the process, from a surly lout into a genuinely caring individual. Change the setting from a real Punxatawney, Pennsylvania to a stand-in-for-everywhere, ill-defined location. Replace brilliant comic lead Bill Murray will talented Jay Mohr and some good supporting actors like Daphne Zuniga and Ruta Lee. Sprinkle liberally with many of the identical incidents from the original movie, changed slightly to fit the different holiday and avoid lawsuits and replace top comedy director Harold Ramis with someone I've never heard of before and you get a dull TV movie. Don't bother with this one, folks.

An obvious "do-over" of Groundhog's Day, where a foolish man is shown the error of his ways by being doomed to repeat a day again and again (this time Christmas), until he gets the message and changes. This movie can be difficult to watch, unless you enjoy an anti-hero with no apparent redeeming qualities.

There's a vague parallel to Scrooge, too, except in Scrooge's case you rapidly learn that there's a great deal of suffering in his heart, and there is a good man locked inside somewhere. When confronted with the truth about himself, he repents, and changes. No such case in "Do-Over."

Why his ex and her folks put up with this vile self-absorbed slimeball on Christmas is anyone's guess. All he does is create trouble and make a jerk of himself, hurling sarcastic mockeries at anyone in sight. He shows no human feeling or positive qualities, at all. Why does his kid want him around? From action that occurs early on, you learn even his kid means nothing to him. Even when magic steps in and locks him in this endless cycle, he still doesn't learn. Instead, he exploits the process to hurt everyone even more. Naturally, he gets in fist fights with Christmas icons such as Santa Claus and a Nativity scene Joseph. His self confrontation process is painfully slow, if it occurs at all. It appears he manipulates events only for the selfish intent of escaping the do-over cycle.

The only value to the movie are the performances of the victims of this guy--they are really an endearing bunch of people, endowed with patience and kindness that gives the movie what level of Christmas cheer it does have. A nice cast overall; I liked all the family members. Even the actor playing the jerk is good; too bad the script didn't give him something better to work with.

If you find mean-spirited thugs funny, you'll find this guy hilarious. He makes Scrooge and the Grinch seem like Santa's elves by comparison. However, if you want a movie with a cheerful, positive Christmas spirit, see "Miracle on 34th St.," "Wonderful Life," or "Scrooge." But not this.

An obvious "homage" to Groundhog's Day with not so obvious results. This movie takes chances and succeeds. Jay Mohr ("Action" and "Jerry McQuire") is great as the down-on-his-luck Dad who gets many "Do-Overs" until he wins his wife and family back. Not only does he see the error in his ways, he becomes a better a person. Isn't that what the holiday season all about - a time to reflect upon past, both good and bad!? Daphne Zuniga ("Melrose Place," "Sure Thing") is sensitive and funny. Grandma, Adrienne Barbeau ("Escape from New York"...need I say more) and Grandpa, Tim Thomerson ("Volunteers"), are wonderfully comedic sidekicks playing it very dry.

All in all, this movie may not be for everyone (there is belching and fighting), but the heart is in the right place. Similar to Groundhog's Day, Family Man, etc., the chance for a self-centered man to see his life inside-out to gain a greater perspective is always entertaining and sentimental this time of year.

I was not about to say "Groundhog Day for Christmas," as one poster has noted that the "do-over" concept has been done before. I recall a short dramatic piece called 12:01 PM that was later turned into a film that was quite good. However, when you take a concept from another comedy film and almost plagiarize the thing, we need to talk.

This brings us to the abysmal "Christmas Do-Over." I don't normally review TV movies, but the whole thing was appalling. Jay Mohr plays a divorced father spending Christmas with his former in laws. Jay Mohr has a cynical view towards Christmas, contempt for his ex-wife's new boyfriend, and is not the most successful father. He starts to repeat Christmas over and over and comedy supposedly ensues.

This is where the film gets very uncreative, delivering events that are like Groundhog Day hand me downs. Like Groundhog Day, Mohr starts by making a sham of the holiday, tries to kill himself, starts to do things right, then has a day where he helps people, impresses, and puts on a break dance show at a fair following repeated days of practice. It's kinda like playing the piano, if you get my drift. Characters even spout out lines that sound like they were lifted from Groundhog Day. Trust me, it's bad.

Then there's the casting. This is an impressive set here. Given, the actors aren't A-list, but are talented. All do a fine job. Jay Mohr seems as though he was either horribly miscast or badly directed. Given this script, he may have just not cared. The problem is that he is not able to ever be likable, even when he's doing things right. Groundhog Day was successful because even though Bill Murray's character was slime at the beginning, we still had a desire to follow him and watch him grow. The writing on that film had a lot of heart. This film does not. Jay Mohr never achieves a believable likability to make the premise of the film connect with its viewers.

The only good point I'll say about this film is that there are occasional bits of humor that are good. Most notably, a comment made by Jay Mohr's team of dancers as they win a competition against some people acting out the Nativity. There's a great one liner. But a one liner does not make a good movie. Originality does. Not recommended.