El reno mágico

Not many people seem to remember Prancer, but I saw it in the theater when I was a little girl. The storyline escapes me, since I haven't seen it in years, but I remember I cried quite a bit while I was watching it. Maybe I'll rent it one of these days. It doesn't deserve to be so forgotten.

There's two things I can say about this Christmas movie. One: It made me cry. Not just tear up but gush in an Oprahesque out pouring of emotion. That hasn't happened since I watched 'Old Yeller' when I was nine. Two: I watched it in July. It's that good. Heartfelt, credible performances (especially by Sam Elliot) and great direction and strong script turn this sentimental Christmas story (that could have easily been another one of those horrible Christmas themed 'Lifetime' channel TV movies) into a rich and uncompromising story. It makes my short list of top 75 movies of all times!

Few movies inhabit the world of childhood quite as authentically as "Prancer." Until the very last moments, it doesn't matter whether young Jessica's belief that she has found one of Santa's reindeer is literally true. The fact that she could believe such a thing so strongly, and selflessly act on her belief to help the lost reindeer, is compelling enough on its own. Children occupy a world where naive clarity mingles with a confusing knowledge of how much of adult life remains unknown. "Prancer" creates an atmosphere that lets adults dip back into that almost-forgotten way of experiencing the world.

Sam Elliott delivers a fantastic performance as Jessica's father, a farmer who has recently lost his wife and will soon probably lose his farm. He is on the verge of losing his family, and the father-daughter relationship at the heart of the movie feels unaffectedly real. Cloris Leachman's turn as an embittered neighbor deserves note as well.

The film's greatest flaws occur in its last two minutes. First, a critical continuity error shows that the reindeer has shed a jingle-bell harness just before the sound of the harness is supposed to indicate the animal's presence. Finally, at the very end, the movie shatters its ambiguity about the literal truth of the reindeer's identity. In doing so, it negates the foundation of the story's authenticity and dramatic power, and trivializes the final reconciliation between Jessica and her father. If the reindeer is not a supernatural being, then Jessica is a silly little girl and the audience has been had. But if the reindeer is a magical beast from Santa's stable, then it is not a leap of faith for Jessica's father to accept her improbable belief in the animal. By revealing the answer one way or the other, "Prancer" cheapens itself and significantly undermines the emotional power of an otherwise subtle and moving drama.

I have to say, as for the quality of the movie, I am a bit biased, because if was filmed largely in my home town. A small town like ours (LaPorte, IN) doesn't get national attention (except for the movie "Daylight" where Sly asks Amy Brenneman's character where she's from), so it was exciting to have all the celebrities in town. Still, I think it is a great family movie that was well done.

And on the topic of celebrities, I don't think you could have assembled a nicer, more gracious group. Chloris Leachman came and spoke at our high school, Rebecca Harrell and Ariana Richards visited with kids at one of our elementary schools, and all of them met with fans at an autograph session. In addition, the producers showed their thanks in several ways. They had a giant mural painted that was autographed by the celebrities and placed in our mall during Christmas time. Also, they bought all new light post Christmas decorations for the city's main streets.

Check this movie out!!! Don't listen to those people who say it's for little girls only...

While not without a couple of problems [like pacing], PRANCER is one of the better family/holiday movies I've seen. I didn't see this until after I saw PRANCER RETURNS about a week ago on cable. After PRANCER RETURNS [the sequel to this] was over, I went to the video store and rented this. Now while this one seemed to have a lower budget than PRANCER RETURNS, it still is just as well-acted and heartwarming [if not even more so]. Most holiday movies tend to show the holidays as times where everything is perfect, but this one shows that the holidays aren't as perfect as we'd like them to be. It's able to capture the ups and downs of the holidays while keeping everything pretty close to reality. Though I really enjoyed the film, CHRISTMAS VACATION remains to be my favorite holiday flick.