Noël en été

This beautifully done movie has all the makings of a Christmas classic. As soon as it's available, I'm going to buy it. The writing, the acting, the photography (done in warm, glowing reds with touches of green), and the story are all perfect. It's done with taste,imagination, wit and subtlety.

The movie is a perfect blend of reality (depicting real-life people and situations) with fantasy (the Santa angle)-- the two essential elements of a moving Christmas classic, in the tradition of Miracle on 34th St. and One Magic Christmas (underrated and unjustly neglected).

Try by all means to see it while it's on this season. If you miss it, make sure you catch it next year.

This film could actually be a sequel to one of my seasonal favourites "Santa & Pete", where Hume Cronyn plays Saint Nicholas who gradually grows in to the Father Christmas we know and love today. It is quite possible that he is still going strong at the time of "Off Season/Secret Santa" and staying at the hotel where Macauley's little brother Rory meets him.

It's a charming little story that has twists and turns and isn't your typical made for TV Christmas film with it's focus on a romance. In fact it's not even set in December. The younger Culkin brother, similar in many ways to his brother as Kevin from "Home Alone" plays his part well as does Mr Cronyn, although he's not what you'd call a typical Santa.

There is humour and schmaltz and thoughtful moments. With a bit of Hollywood polish, it would make a great film for the big screen and could be made today, but this one does the job well enough. I wish I could write a story like this.

Beautifully written balancing act. If you value words as much as you do effective visuals (cute kids, rumpled geezers, Sherilyn Fenn's loopy charms) you might enjoy this one as much as I did. And while it's not going to do anything to diminish a 10 year old's vision of Christmas, the film does a nice little roller-coaster number; keeping a tight grip and always staying on track to that wispy, fine line between Fantasy and Real Life. (Right through to the last fade out before the credits.)

In my opinion this is one of the most beautiful movies made. It is well acted and well put together. Hume Cronyn is always worth watching but the biggest surprise for me was how Sherilyn Fenn has matured - a first rate performance. However, the main thing is that this is a lovely story with a charming, and quite unexpected twist near the end. I wish they would make more movies like this instead of the unending stream of "over the top" or "ugly" rubbish which seems to be so popular these days.

You're probably familiar with Rory Culkin's detached persona in Signs 2002. Replace Mel Gibson's helpless grimace with Sherilyn Fenn's impossibly perfect face and signing voice and you've got the setup for the juxtaposition of grief and holiday magic.

For a movie with a strong cast and an even stronger script, it's almost impossible to see on cable or rent. I've seen it once and can't get it out of my head. I connected with this and even identified with Jackson (Rory) because I lost a parent when I was 9. Off Season brought back the weirdness of my slo-mo wanderings through the minefield of good intentions. Hume Cronyn's last performance will be remembered as a holiday classic but I see it as children's fantasy noir.

The real magic happens when we shift from feeling powerless to help Jackson to believing that Sam Clausner (Cronyn) IS Santa. Don't get too comfortable because you'll never be completely sure. As a bonus Sam & Jackson deliver memorable adages like, "I'm in the Joy Business... now do you wanna join me?" It's a Christmas gift without the tinsel.