Frohe Weihnachten - Jetzt erst recht

Here 40-something Kristy Swanson plays 30-something Martha Evans whose husband of 4 years runs off with a woman in the weeks leading up to Christmas, wipes out the bank account, and leaves her with three children aged 3 to about 11. Not sure why but she puts them all in the old family car and heads north, ending up in a small community in Utah.

Once there she has to find a place to stay and a job and ultimately has to rely on the kindness of her new friends to make a go of it. And the kids have to start at a new school with the boy dealing with the school bully.

This is a nice small movie, some of the dialog doesn't seem to fit but overall nicely acted and with a good message. It was nice to see Edward Hermann in a different role for him, he died in 2014.

My wife and I watched it on Amazon streaming movies.

This is a very watchable movie, very typical of the Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, which my wife and I love to watch to get us in the holiday spirit. As is typical, we find a woman whose rodeo cowboy husband has abandoned her; leaving her broke and with three kids to care for. Things go from bad to worse as she battles a series of mishaps trying to find a new home for herself and her children. If you ever think that you've had a bad day or week, you've never gone through anything like this woman faces! The acting is, however, very good, from a variety of veterans, like Edward Hermann, Tess Harper, and others. Ultimately, as with all Hallmark movies, things are resolved in the final six minutes.

This is a very enjoyable movie, and I was especially surprised and impressed with the plot theme of showing the true meaning of Christmas, and the power of prayer, something which most modern movies avoid. It definitely is a "feel good" movie, and one which teaches strong family values. Despite the predicable, and somewhat thin plot, and several loose ends being hastily tied up at the end, it is worth the watch.

Most modern Christmas movies are either fantasies about romance found unexpectedly or about troubled families whose members discover the true meaning of Christmas. Very few have different or original plots. I can't think of another film that has focused so completely upon the plight of a single mother struggling to raise three children after her husband deserts them.

"A Christmas Wish" is a true drama that doesn't have to be set at Christmas or in any particular season. But the seasonal theme adds something to the film. That's significant in providing hope for a happy ending, where this film digs deeply into the intensity and stress of the woman giving her all so that her family can survive.

The film has some light and amusing scenes, with some witty dialog and funny moments. But it also has intense drama. There are sad scenes, depressing situations and incidents that seem almost hopeless for Martha Evans. Some people may not appreciate this as a Christmas movie to cherish and watch in succeeding years. But others may find it especially appropriate.

Evans is a very believable single parent under extreme duress. Kristy Swanson gives a superb performance in that role. It was deserving of an Emmy nomination but the Emmy's seem almost to have a bias against Christmas themed films. Perhaps it's because each year brings out one to a few movies that appear to be just slight moderations of well-worn themes. And Kirstin Dorn is tremendous as the very intelligent and wise young Mel Evans. The rest of the cast all give good performances.

This is a very good drama about a life that far too many women have experienced, and that has too seldom been shown in film. For that reason alone, this is a movie some may want to keep and replay in years to come. It's also a film about hope and perseverance and good rising from dedication, sacrifice and love for family and children. That's what makes it an especially different and memorable Christmas film.

Here are some favorite lines from the film.

Mel Evans, "Why do you call the car Jack?" Martha Evans, "Because it rhymes with Cadillac."

Joe Hopkins, "Gotta help heathens once in a while, or he wouldn't have a congregation."

Lola Metcalf, "Do you know why most women would rather have beauty than brains?" Martha Evans, "Why?" Lola, "Because most men can see better than they can think."

Martha Evans, "Okay, how do you want your eggs?" Les McCallum, "From a chicken." Martha, writing on her order pad, "Right! No fish eggs. Uh, how do you want 'em?" Les, "On a plate." Martha, "Raw?" Les, "Over, easy."

Martha Evans, "Well, being single's not so bad." Joe Hopkins: I'm not single. I'm romantically challenged."

Lola Metcalf, "Here you go (mumbling in a low tone) tall, dark and available."

Lola Metcalf, "In fact, you're the first woman I've seen him take an interest in." Martha Evans, "The destitute mother of three?" Lola, "Yeah, go figure."

Lola Metcalf, "Side of gravy's comin' up." Frank, "I need more butter." Lola, "You want some heart medicine to go with that cholesterol?"

BEWARE OF BOGUS REVIEWS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THAT PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 Christmas MOVIES. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM FARE ABOUT THESE FILMS.

This film is not a ripoff of "It's a Wonderful Life". That is a topic that someone started on IMDb message board. I can assure that it may of drawn inspiration from that film but it has more in common with "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore".

In this film a woman finds herself suddenly single after she wakes up one day and finds out her husband has just ran off with another woman.

She takes off to in a car and end ups in a small town where she ends up living a motel and becomes an overnight waitress at a local restaurant.

You can check off all the boxes on the Christmas movie check off list with this film but that doesn't mean this isn't a good film it really is a nice film to see. The on camera talent is above average. It is enjoyable. Most of all it shows that it is better to give than to receive.

To many people the plot may seem "Unbelievable" but trust me in small towns people really do help each other. They know how to be good neighbors. I am a liberal but trust me "The South" has many good decent hard working and caring people.

Our family likes to watch Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel. While most of the shows are similar it is a safe network to view family style programs. Some of the shows are so bad we just laugh at poor writing, cheap production values and just plain bad acting. Watch "The National Tree" and you'll know what I mean. "A Christmas Wish" was on par with some of the better programs. While the story was familiar to many Hallmark movies the dialog was a cut above. The show was actually filmed during the winter instead of summer with fake snow scattered around. There were some cute moments which caused us to laugh out loud (in a good way), but perhaps what this Christmas movie had that the others did not was the true meaning of the season. Although not over bearing it did mention the birth of Christ and the importance faith plays in our lives. Overall a good effort.