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Obviously taken from It's A Wonderful Life, it's turning out to be a bad wish for Christmas that young teen Anna Frick asks for and gets. Her father and mother Joey Lawrence and Leigh Allyn Baker are both attorneys and are most generous with time and money donating their services in a lot of pro bono work. But purportedly it's because of their faith. When their daughter begs off going to church Christmas Eve because she's on the dance committee for the Christmas school clambake also scheduled for Christmas Eve, they say no.

Like Jimmy Stewart who wishes he had never been born and gets an alternative universe, Frick's wish is that her parents never became Christians. Guess what, the next day they are money grubbing secularists and real shysters. Among other things they are retained as counsel to a bank that is busy throwing people out of their homes including the parents of a boy Frick has her eye on, Ryan Boudreau.

Gradually she comes to the conclusion she does not like how her world has changed. Given this is a Christian Christmas movie with certain parameters all of course gets righted in the end.

The cast is a likable one, a good ensemble has been assembled. Get the bathtowels ready folks though you're in for Johnstown Flood type crying jag.

The idea is interesting. The acting is acceptable. The story is a bit weak and the ending a bit anticlimactic. However it makes a good family, Christmas flick. Like a lot of Christian movies the foundational ideology and philosophy is assumed rather than built, which may leave non-Christian viewers a bit confused. Nonetheless, it's actually a bit better than many Christmas movies I've seen.

Wish for Christmas won't win any Oscars, but it is well made and has a thought-provoking premise. This story has been told many times, and better, but Wish for Christmas gets most things right. I'm a Christian, so it may sound ironic that my biggest complaint is concerning the faith message, or rather HOW it's told. It's always tough to work that message into a script so it flows naturally. Unfortunately it feels a tad forced here. The message isn't wrong, it's just told wrong. (Uncle Paul's big talk with Anna never feels real, even though he's speaking the truth.)

Overall, Wish for Christmas is well made, the acting pretty much holds up, and the message is clear. Reading through the comments here has been a hoot. Atheists seem to be highly triggered. That tells me the message is correct, even if the delivery is a little clunky. You could do a lot worse than Wish for Christmas.

Wish for Christmas is a terrible festive movie in an ocean of already bad Christmas movies. Every year we see dozens of these low budget clones pounded out ready for television premieres but they aren't usually this bad.

Now the three words that tend to be used excessively and badly out of context are agenda, objectification and propaganda. I hate seeing them used in reviews because they usually aren't but conflict with a persons stance on something. I however for the first time will use one of them.

This is a propaganda film. It tells the story of a girl who not getting her own way makes a wish to make her Christian parents lose their faith. In doing so everything goes to hell (Pun intended and hilarious).

From there I'm sure you can work out exactly how the movie goes and I don't see how anyone could claim that isn't the definition of propaganda. I haven't seen a worse Christmas movie of this type since the embarassment that was Kirk Cameron Saves Christmas (2014).

Beyond that it's cheesy, poorly acted and the plot makes me hate this time of year more than ever.

The Good:

Nope

The Bad:

Cheesy

Dreadful acting from start to finish

Simply religious propaganda

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Christmas movies need more Santa and less Jesus to be even remotely bearable

My wish for Christmas is a year without Christmas movies

1) Not all atheists are evil. 2) Not all people who believe in god are nice people. 3) If you agree with either of those statements you will find this film vomit-inducing, I certainly did. 4) I wish you could rate a film zero

Just awful. Bad acting. Poorly directed. And the worst element is the rancid message of the film that you need Faith to be a good person. Avoid.

If Christians want to end the alleged war on Christianity, then they should stop creating content that suggests that only those who share their particular faith are remotely decent people. This made me hate people of faith even more than I already do. Thanks.

A 30 to 40 year old teenager finds the true meaning of Christmas when the school dance is inexplicably moved to Christmas Eve, and her parents won't let her go. If that's not too much plot for you, she wishes her parents were atheists, and all heck breaks loose! For example, instead of being lawyers for poor people who don't pay their mortgages, they are lawyers for a bank -- because that's something a Christian would never be. More evil atheist moves: they give their daughter more money. They try to make their pure daughter wear a Scarlet Woman of Babylon gown. And they want to be paid back when someone's child breaks a vase. Wish for Christmas reveals all.

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.

I want to make one thing clear at the beginning of this review. I am not a fan of "organized religion". I believe that there is a God and I thank him daily. I am not a fan of some of his fans. However this also doesn't prevent from not believing in Jesus. Again I thank him daily but I do not like some of his fans as well. They always seem to use The Bible and Jesus to pass laws and "Pass judgment on people they don't Know".

Now On to the review of this movie and in a nutshell I did like this. What I like is the fact when you put something first "Above your own needs" you do become humbled and you do see the need of your place in the universe. I also love the message that "Looking down on people" doesn't make you superior.

The plot however is that a high school senior finds out from her parents that she has to miss the town's winter dance to attend Christmas Eve service at church, she successfully wishes their faith away, bringing disastrous consequences to her family and community.

"Big Brother Fans" will get a kick that Jeff Shroeder has a major role in this.

Not my favorite Christmas movie. It is a plot stolen from "It's a Wonderful Life". What was different was this is the first time I seen the plot device used on a teenager. Now I bet you are thinking "Does she change her ways"? Let's just say "The ending is typical but enjoyable".

I agree with the other reviewer that it would be a shame to listen to religiously bigoted folks and miss this delightful movie. It may have elements slightly reminiscent of other films, but they are remotely similar, at most. A fabulous reminder that what the world truly needs all year long is less Santa and more Jesus. If you think that we're all here due to an illogically intricate bunch of cosmic randomness and genetic mistakes, you'll probably hate this movie. But if you're convinced there is eternal wisdom at work and it affects everyday life, enjoy!

I'm a big fan of Joey Lawrence. It's a pretty good movie but have a real issue how it makes it look like you have to be a religious fanatic who expects a prayer to solve all of their problems instead of of making things happen yourself. That if you're an atheist you aren't caring, sympathetic, helpful. Which isn't true at all. Atheists are just as caring, sympathetic, and helpful as religious people if not more so as we do it because we care not because we fear a imaginary being. This movie makes it look like you either got to be a fanatic or a selfish, uncaring jerk. I wish they could have swung it with some kind of middle ground.

Absolutely wonderful! This movie tells the true meaning of Christmas and does not apologize for it. Very well written and very well acted. Thank you American Movie Classics for including this movie in your Christmas lineup.

Thank you for the beautiful perspective in a world that is so materialistic and selfish. It was well directed/produced and my husband and I really enjoyed the message sent through the movie.

Now this is just MY opinion bit this movie was great! It has been a long time since I've seen a movie with the TRUE meaning of Christmas in it. These new hallmark movies, while great, dont have that. It was a breathe of fresh air!

Please God haters..move along nothing to see it learn here. This movie was warm and endearing. The acting was fine and the message was sweet. Be careful what you wish for. Those that hate God will have nothing good ever to say so who cares what they say.

Great to see a movie like this. I am surprised that AMC aired it since it captures the true meaning of Christmas. An inspiring watch.

In the vein of A Wonderful Life, a young lady gets exactly what she wished for, only to find out it's not what she wanted after all. Good acting, good story.

A little bit of Christmas magic in a movie of Faith. Pretty cool. Girl gets her wish granted, then finds out. It's not all she really wanted, matter fact she finds out it's not what she really wanted even at all.

This movie got heart. This young girl wants to live out her dream and be the queen of the Christmas dance, but her parents convictions get in the way. Then, suddenly, she gets all she wants, or does she.

Pretty good acting I say the story isn't flimsy besides the basic premise it, you can make a wish and it would happen. Nothing that happens after that seems unrealistic at all. Very solid movie set at Christmas time and revolving around the holiday. Good for anyone to watch to get you in the true spirit of Christmas.

In my opinion, people who give this one star are very offended by the Christian faith in general.