Once Upon a Christmas

With all the great Christmas movies out there's no need to suffer through this one. This movie has cheap production values / special effects. The formula script show what a severe lack of good writers there are in this industry. Winter storm on que, deserted house, gimmie a break! The John Dye character was married , blessed with two children and yet gets a second chance at happiness. His brother-in-law Uncle Johnny is a bum. We know this because the writers have made him chubby and he wears glasses. WHAT STEREOTYPING. He's not worthy of having Kathy Ireland's character fall for him. The script would have been much better if Kristin and Uncle Johnny are the couple. Finally the happy ending managed by Kristin is ripped off from an old Xena episode. Go rent Miracle on 34th St.

Such an amazing Christmas movie that my family and I look forward to watching every year!

I've been a fan of John Dye, since his performance in Touched By An Angel on TV and when Once Upon A Christmas first premiered on family channel it looked like a charming Christmas movie. Kathy Ireland's role as the younger daughter of Santa Claus was touching and sweet. What can one expect from two talented stars this movie is about the power of having faith again in the Christmas spirit and at an hour and 30 minutes it's enjoyable without being overdone.

Christmas is about to be canceled because there's a majority of children out there who have been more naughty then nice and Santa Claus (Campbell) is deciding to go away on vacation putting his oldest daughter Rudolfa (Haskell) in charge. However his younger daughter Kristen (Ireland) doesn't like that plan one bit, she makes a deal with dad that if one family's name is returned to the "nice list" then Christmas will go on as planned.

But the task is more challenging than ever because the family chosen is the Morgan clan Kyle (Kirk) & his sister Brittany (Prout) are two spoiled brats because their father widower & workaholic Bill (Dye) is always too busy. Then there's Uncle Johnny (Yorke) who is goodhearted but not the ideal guardian. Once she becomes the nanny the two siblings try everything in their power to get rid of her. During a vacation mostly to do with work the car breaks down and they're stranded at an old house in the middle of nowhere. They try to make the most out of this holiday soon everything begins to change not just in the kids but in Bill whose fallen in love Kristen.

When Rudolfa's plans to stop Christmas goes out of control Kristen will make the ultimate decision for the family she loves.

filled with heartwarming moments and romance Once Upon A Christmas is the ideal holiday movie.

Model Kathy Ireland stars as Kristen Claus, the daughter of Santa Claus, out to prove to his father that there is still Christmas spirit out there in this troubled world. She also pays a visit to the Morgan Family and befriends them.

While Ireland might be a gorgeous and kind lady, she couldn't act much, as she hardly shows any serious emotion. John Dye, who plays Bill Morgan, also didn't have an acting performance that blew me away.

Much of the plot is dull and a drag - too much sappy and happy-go-lucky stuff, but nothing suspenseful or attention grabbing. There is also not much character chemistry and not very likable characters, especially the spoiled, cocky kid Kyle Morgan (James Morgan), whom you wish Ireland would just run over with with the reindeer.

Feel free to overlook this movie if you're looking for some good Christmas-themed entertainment.

Grade D

This one's good for young, unsuspecting children at best.

But any other age group would find this movie poorly made and actually pretty atrocious. It's so bad, that it's laughable. Everything from the acting to the special effects to even some of the scenery is quite sub-par. I'll admit, the plot had some degree of potential, but all of the aforementioned qualities made this movie one for the birds.

Though some may be able to, it would still be beyond me if you can somehow see through these disastrous details into its "warm-hearted cuteness." Call me a "Grinch", but I still stand by the fact that this is definitely one holiday movie you could go without.