Le plus beau cadeau du monde

Ethan (Ethan Randall) and Hallie O'Fallon (Thora Birch) live with their divorced mother Catherine (Harley Jane Kozak) and grandmother Lillian (Lauren Bacall) in their upper class New York townhouse. Their father Michael (Jamey Sheridan) opens a diner based on a place important to his relationship with Catherine. Ethan is infatuated with Stephanie from Boston. Hallie asks the store Santa (Leslie Nielsen) to have her parents get married again. Then she overhears her mother agreeing to marry her boyfriend Tony Boer (Kevin Nealon). She realizes that she failed to ask to have her parents marry each other.

The kids are adorable. They're laying a parent trap. The divorced parents' chemistry is obvious and unflinching. Nealon is not necessarily a jerk but kind of a jerk-lite. This is cute but not actually funny. The movie has its heart in the right place but this is not really classic.

All I want For Christmas is about two kids that are very upset by their parents divorce and the only thing they want for christmas is for them to get back again and be a happy family. It's a cute nice little story, but this stuff never happens in real life. Divorced Parents hardly ever get back together, it's an ugly reality, but that's why we have movies such as these to make us feel happy. Thora Birch gives a great performance, cute little thora. I would give All I Want For Christmas 8/10

A brother (Ethan Embry) and sister (Thora Birch) attempt to bring their divorced parents back together for Christmas.

Apparently this film did poorly at the box office and critics hated it, too. I can understand that, as it is sort of a lame version of "The Parent Trap", except less quirky and the kids try much less seriously. Really, this one had me wondering why the parents broke up in the first place. (Presumably if it was worth divorcing over, they probably should not get re-married).

What makes this average film worth watching is the kids. Ethan Embry is decent and it is no surprise he has gone on to a remarkable career. Thora Birch is fantastic. Just amazing. Exactly what happened to her, I do not know. After "Ghost World" she seems to have faded away.

"All I Want for Christmas" is a good modern Christmas movie. Film critic Michael Medved described it best as, "The satisfying family picture that we've all been waiting for." That was alluding to the plethora of Christmas films that are made every year for the holiday season. So many are syrupy, silly or assembly line melodramas. While the plot for this film is predictable, that doesn't mean it isn't or can't be very good. Most comedy romances are predictable, and there have been many very good films in that genre, especially in the mid-20th century. It's the details of a plot, the quality of the screenplay, and the performers that make the difference. And, those are all good in this movie.

This film might also be considered something of a comedy romance, but the focus here is on two children and their efforts to get their divorced parents back together. The final plot on Christmas eve is a lot of fun. The settings are good, and the performances are quite good.

Lauren Bacall plays the grandmother, Lillian Brooks. Harley Jane Kozak and Jamey Sheridan play the divorced parents, Catherine and Michael O'Fallon. Some other roles are fine, including Leslie Nielsen as the store Santa Claus. But the best of the roles are Ethan Embry as young teenager Ethan O'Fallon, and Thora Birch as the nine-year-old Hallie O'Fallon. She is especially good and very adorable as an intelligent and cute third grader.

This is a good Christmas season movie that the whole family should enjoy - even well into the 21st century.

Here's my favorite exchange of lines.

Hallie O'Fallon, "Hi! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah!" Mr. Chase, "Hallie, darling, happy holidays." Hallie, "Teacher says you should always say both things in New York because people are really sensitive."

There is something about the older Made For TV Christmas Films that were just so much more charming and sweet. Before the "Formula" and Hallmark Channel took over and made them all the same.

This is no exception and I remember watching it when I was much, much younger and having a huge crush on Ethan Embry. Now I have a huge crush on Jamey Sheridan, who plays the Dad, instead.

It doesn't actually have a lot of Christmas elements to it. Yes they visit Santa, but that's about it. However the spirit of the season, love and family are definitely very prominent.

The whole cast play their parts well and the snowy setting of New York, although it has since been overused, is perfect for the shenanigans. It flows well with pace, but without compromise and you really feel you know the characters as you go through their Christmas build up with them.

It's a nice story without that harshness that some of them can have and it even has a little magic.

If I see it on DVD, I'm buying it!