A Family Thanksgiving

Claudia (Daphne Zuniga), a rising attorney, is very happy to be summoned to the office of her firm's managing lawyers. She believes she will be asked to become a partner, for, after all, she does work many hours and has won important decisions. Yet, as she soon finds out, now is not her time. Not yet. Instead, they plop still another difficult case in her lap, one they are taking from another colleague who is not making progress. So, if Claudia can bring victory to the firm, a partnership is hers. Swallowing her disappointment, she goes back to tell her staff they will be working until three on Thanksgiving Day, plenty of time for them to join their families for dinner. Also, she phones her work-at-home sister to tell her sib that, once again, she can't make it to their family celebration. When asked for good reasons, Claudia's explanation reveals that her own SISTER is getting a neighborhood group together to fight the company Claudia will be defending. Uh oh. Then, too, Claudia who picks up coffee each morning at 6, has always brushed off the smiles of a businessman named Bill (Dan Payne). Someone else has been watching Claudia, too, a mysterious woman (Faye Dunaway), who may just be the "alternate universe" fairy. She knows all and sees all. Therefore, to give Claudia a rude awakening, this woman plants Claudia in a "what if" new life. In this one, Claudia is married to Bill, having given up her career, and is the mother of two adorable children. But, wait, Claudia doesn't even know how to change a diaper or pack a lunch! Also, Bill thinks she is angry about a previous fight, but just how long can she give him the cold shoulder in the bedroom? Most importantly, she gets to know her sister's point of view about the case she could have had, and her sister may be right. Please, can't she just go back to her normal life, Claudia pleads, or does she really want to? This film is in the long tradition of such flicks as Sliding Doors and 17 Again, where one can go back in time and choose a different path to pursue. Happily, its not too much of a good thing, as the film is funny, clever, and sweet. Zuniga is a great and pretty comedian while Payne is a real find, quite handsome and appealing. The rest of the cast, including Dunaway, is nice as well. The look of the film, with its well-picked costumes, sets, and art direction, is winning as is the polished script and energetic direction. Hey, Thanksgiving is coming soon, as of this writing, but even if it weren't, this is a mood-setting movie that would aid in the true meaning of the holiday.

I liked the story. I did find it a little far fetched that a German company would have a factory that does not practice environmental safety. The Germans have been cleaning up rivers and practicing forest management for many years. Your research was not very good.

Funny, I was looking for this movie but the W network/hallmark had renamed it, "it's a balancing act"!

It's a cute for TV movie as expected!!

Gave this 5 stars simply because 5 is right in the middle...as in no better, no worse than any of the other movies in the "Hallmark Holiday" genre.

If you like the sappy, all wrapped up in a heartwarming, happy ending type movie, you'll probably like this one too. If you're not a big fan of these movies, this probably isn't going to change your view.

It follows the same basic "story" or "message" as so many others. Sure, maybe the details differ, maybe the scenario is reversed (riches to rags vs. rags to riches, a woman vs. a man etc.). But yet.... Just another holiday movie.

So, like I said in the title... If you've seen one, you've seen them all!

I will say though, the acting in this one is better than a lot of others, but again, nothing extraordinary to make you want to run out and see it.

A hard working attorney is shown how her life would be is she had a husband and kids. Claudia (Daphne Zuniga) is the successful trial attorney who graduated at the top of her class from Harvard Law School. She's working hard to become the first female partner within a high-powered firm. She believes her life is 'perfect'. Her sister asks her the day before to prepare for the family Thanksgiving a homemade apple pie. Claudia, however, is everything but the homemaker her sister is, and is annoyed by the request because she doesn't have 'time' for such things.

Meanwhile, Claudia is directed to assist a corporate client in reversing an injunction so that it can demolish a park to build an enormous development. In order to realize this, she insists her subordinate employees work on Thanksgiving Day, because the court hearing is the day after. During this process, Claudia meets Gina (Faye Dunaway), a mysterious older woman who makes it her goal to teach Claudia some moral lessons. Gina takes Claudia to an alternative world, where Claudia is a lower profile happily married minivan-driving 'soccer mom' with two children.

Claudia is perplexed by the situation she is now in, but while experiencing her new life, the way it could have been, she learns that she is missing out on a lot; despite past prejudice regarding married life, she eventually finds she's falling in love with the man to whom she is married, and she becomes accustomed to the new life she is leading. Furthermore, she grows closer to her sister. Just as she is about to settle with her new life, Gina returns to take her back. Claudia is reluctant to return to her corporate life, and thus must consider what she is most thankful for.

What I hated about this film that is shows that women are not happy until they have a husband and kids. This very stupid. I think a better story line is that she breaks with her husband and would of been shown what life she will miss out on.

The performances in this film are good. I just have a huge problem with the hidden message that "Women are only happy when they are married. That is insulting.