Christmas on Division Street

Hello, my name is Virginia Bagnato. I had the privillege to work as an actrees in the film Christmas on Division Street and I am incredibly honored by the great reviews its gotten. I want to comment that being in the film made me change my perspective on life by experiencing situations that I would of otherwise not of experienced in real life. I got to play the role of Lupe ( a poor little girl struggling with poverty). It took me some time to really understand what Lupe felt, what she faced day after day, her work, her family situation, what the birth of a new baby meant to her family (the joy of a new born yet the worries it brought considering her family's situation). Yet it wasn't until many years after being part of the film, that I got to see first hand what people in extreme poverty conditions face. At the age of 18 I got a chance to visit my home country (Uruguay, South America) for the first time. Uruguay is a small but beautifull country with everything you could ask from nature (great coast, lands, sites, etc). Yet inside all this natural beauty lies a country with a divided economy of high,low and a vanishing middle class. For the first time I got to meet, talk with, and see hundreds of "Lupe's". Little girls and boys living in extreme poverty situations. I got to re-live my role through the eyes of these kids, through their experiences, through their situations and family life. Since then it has been a personal goal to one day be able to give something back to my people, a doorway of hope, a channel-way for their talents which are rich yet unexplored. I want to reach out just like Fred Savage did in the movie, to these people, and touch their lives in a positive way. It's the message the movie tries to portray and it's a philosophy 12 years later, I still try to live by.

The comments from viewers on this site says it all. Sob! This is a touching and endearing movie that will leave a lump in your throat. Fred Savage plays a role not very different from Wonder Years, but it is the performance of Hume Cronyn as the homeless man with a big heart that deserves grand applause. This movie makes you remember that there are others out there who's got it worse -- whether they deserve it or not. Give them a thought when you are nestled in your warm home everytime you celebrate Christmas.

An excellent well directed TV movie that tugs at all heart strings, no matter who you are.

If you are not moved to tears at the end of this film, then you are as cold as a Philadelphia Winter.

First, you will experience tears of sadness as you see the plight of the homeless in America; then you will experience tears of joy as you see, at least in the movie, when some are moved to respond.

Fred Savage ("The Wonder Years") and Hume Cronyn (The Seventh Cross, To Dance with the White Dog, Broadway Bound) were simply outstanding in this tale of friendship between a new boy moving to Philly and a homeless resident. Tremendous support by Badja Djola and Virginia Bagnato made this a most enjoyable film for the holidays.

Young prep school kid Fred Savage late of The Wonder Years is a preppy kid who has to write a book report on the how the other half lives. So this would be Jacob Riis goes to Philadelphia's skid row for some live derelicts. He finds one in Hume Cronyn.

The two bond in some interesting ways and the scenes between Cronyn and Savage make this holiday film something special. No sugarcoating here in describing what goes on with the daily lives of the homeless. as portrayed by Cronyn and his companion Badja Djola who is a saxophone player who has seen some better days.

Old age is tough enough and I'm now old enough to experience it first hand and for me it's with a state pension and social security and an apartment I can afford at this point. For Cronyn he had a tragedy that scarred him permanently and now he is a derelict in the sense he has no real direction.

The young and old have a memorable Christmas together in this wonderful and surprisingly not that sentimental holiday tale.

You know, they say Sundays are the best days to curl up on your sofa and watch a good movie..and not just any movie, a sort of feel-good film that matches a Sunday mood. So i got up this morning and did just that. So i scroll down my movie list and come across this film, a holiday piece about a adolescent who befriends a homeless man he meets in a public library. I wasn't interested at first, so i scroll down some more until i could find no other film i liked. So i go back to this one. I reluctantly select...

The movie ended 10 minutes ago and i am still in tears. I have never felt this good since i saw "It's a Wonderful Life" for the first time and i STILL cry at that one. Not only did Fred Savage and the rest of the cast give brilliant performances, but the film delivers an important life lesson: Love and companionship are two of the most greatest gifts you can give anyone...and they don't cost a thing.

I highly recommend this movie to people of all ages and parents should definitely sit down and enjoy this film with their children. I give you my personal guarantee you will love it!