Le Noël de mes 10 ans

We went to the premier with out 8 and 10 year old daughters with cautious optimism as there has not been a worthy Christmas movie since Elf. To our amazement we were entertained for the full 90 minutes. The lead actor Wyatt Ralff made his on screen debut with the flare of a seasoned professional (and to think he is only 10). The casting was perfect and the set was realistic 1960's. Growing up catholic, It brought back many childhood memories. The audience was engaged and laughing throughout the premier. Narration by Chevy Chase was perfection. It is destine to become a Christmas classic. A must see for all ages.

A very loving Christmas story, well directed and played by a fine cast. The lead character is especially enjoyable, as such a story demands, and there is not the usual Hollywood overplay on bad versus good characters. Everyone has their own personality as people do, neither dastardly nor saintly, just people/kids. My wife and her sister watched it with me, we are TCM and movie fans in general. All three of us thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I did, by the way, experience many Catholic Christmas school plays as a child. Our parish priest was not a heavy drinker, he smoked a cigar, some of the nuns were certainly way out there, and the kids mostly looked at the old round clock waiting for 3pm. Lay teachers were uncommon but I had one in 4th grade, not as colorful as Molly Ringwald, but just as devoted.

While watching this film, the question of "Holiday Classic" kept coming to mind. First, we thoroughly enjoyed watching this film as a family. The story line is entertaining throughout. The pace is lively and engaging. The slice of time, along with vibrant writing helps bring nostalgia to the forefront. The bits of coming of age humor make the film just edgy enough to keep you surprised. The film has the feel of "A Christmas Story" without repeating it. The seasoned actors such as Molly Ringwald and Conchata Ferrell were great, but I think the young actors such as Wyatt Ralff, Quinn McColgan and Siobhan Cohen helped cement this film into Holiday Classic status.

Wishin' and Hopin' is an untypical Lifetime movie based on a nostalgic book about a Connecticut kid Felix Funicello a 10 year old at a Catholic school whose quirky family own a small diner and are related to a famous celebrity.

He gets to all sorts of scrapes at school with his friends and the film centres on the class preparing for the Christmas play at school when they get a new substitute teacher from Quebec as well as a new student from Russia.

The film did remind me somewhat of A Christmas Story? with all the nostalgia and the narration is provided by Chevy Chase as the older Felix.

The film has a barbed look back at school days of the 1960s, poking fun at Catholic teachers, the Monsignor is played by Meat Loaf! You encounter the kind of classmates I had at school and also see them on the verge of puberty although at 10 years old they were rather early for puberty.

I never really found this plot heavy and nostalgia only can take you so far. It kind of reminded me of shows like The Wonder Years and Chevy Chase's narration told me that Felix must had lived a hard life as its taken it out in his voice.

To say I was pleasantly surprised by Wally Lamb's WISHIN' & HOPIN' would be a huge understatement. This movie is a total joy! As a male, the "Lifetime" label usually turns me off, but WISHIN' & HOPIN' elevates that label to new heights. Baited by the star names of Molly Ringwald, Chevy Chase and Annabella Sciorra, I was happily surprised to find out that the real stars of this delightful holiday yarn are the cast of mostly unknown child actors, who's obvious off screen summer camp chemistry spectacularly shines on screen. Wyatt Ralff as the lead Felix is an adorable charmer who's fresh faced innocence reminds me of other young stars in their heyday, Macauley Culkin in HOME ALONE and Peter Billingsley as Ralphie in A Christmas STORY. Quinn McColgan plays Felix's nemesis Rosalie with sassy conviction effortlessly carrying the film's conflict to outrageous heights. Then there's the new Russian student Zhenya played by Siobhan Cohen with confident playful glee. Felix's best friend Lonny is played with a Corey Feldman-in-his-GOONIES-glory-days zeal by the charming Shawn Ervin. I could just go on about the rest of the young cast, but you might as well just see for your self. Mark my words, in 20 years people will be watching WISHIN' & HOPIN' and saying they can't believe all of these A-listers got their start in this fabulous little film. WISHIN' & HOPIN" is a joyous laugh-out-loud treat to behold. You might as well start the family tradition this year, because there's no doubt this film will be a staple of the holiday season for years to come. A classic is born. ELF, A Christmas STORY, A MIRACLE ON 34th STREET, A Christmas CAROL and IT"S A WONDERFUL LIFE have new company to augment their ranks of holiday greats and so do we. Enjoy!