A Hobo's Christmas

This is a great flick from the 80s. Not sure why people are saying its "dated" as if movies didn't exist until now 🙄. It has some funny parts, but more of a drama. Although this is a great family Christmas movie it would be better for older kids due to it being more of a serious film. I would highly recommend it.

This is definitely a tv movie. There's no mistaking it..Especially watching it now, here in 2024, almost 2025 (the future!) on crystal clear, high resolution, high definition flat screens of today. And honestly, this movie is so eighties, it's just too sweet and innocent, it's almost a fantasy.

I lived and was old enough to know that it wasn't just all ooey-gooey back then, either.

Maybe not at pessimistic as now, but far from perfect in 1987. Not bad at all, but not dreamlike, like it is here.

First off, I never really get why this dude bailed on his family.

Oh, they attempt to explain it but it doesn't seem realistic.

Probably because it's a twentieth century television movie, but there's no alcohol or drug abuse, no mental illness. No criminal history.

You haven't seen this guy in twenty five years, you don't know what he's been up to.

I'm just saying.

And his running buddies? His co-hobos as it were.

They all seem pretty functional.

What are they all doing out there?

And why give Gerald McRaney's character, Charlie, such an extensive back story? It's too complicated and unnecessary for a tv movie like this.

He's a widowed former steelworker who hobbies in woodworking and used to live in Pennsylvania before relocating his family to Utah and becoming a police officer.

What?

Okay.

At one point, Barnard Hughes, as the title character, actually makes his grandkids a huge stew in a garbage can. A new can? Okay, cool. A used can? Gross!

And I know it's a movie, but still, 25 years gone and you're just going to up and leave your children with this man?

I don't think so.

And again, it may be 1987, but they're treating the tramps here like they're all Charlie Chaplin or Boxcar Willie.

It's fun to watch because it is so ridiculous but it does have an overall sweet message.

Don't eat stew out of garbage cans.

I'm not someone who easily embraces Christmas. What I do like are simple, eloquent tales of folks reuniting or connecting at Christmas, examining their lives and making small adjustments. This is a compact little story of a painful past and an attempt at resolution. I found myself choking up here and there as the tale progressed, enjoying wise children, the camaraderie of people of the road and overall, the somewhat washed out images of Salt Lake City. There are plenty of sappy Christmas movies trying desperately to become instant classics. I think this might be a true contender. I enjoyed its message. I won't say what that message is but I suspect most will get it.

You know, I've had this as part of a box set of Christmas flicks for quite a few years, and when I found out the plot, I was pretty pumped for it. This film really let my fiancé and I down. It's not really special, even though I'll agree that it has one REALLY touching moment that brought us both to tears.

Every person in this film is awful. Every single one. Not the actors-just the characters themselves. Selfishness abounds, and mercilessness is everyone's motivation. Everyone constantly wants to argue and then avoid more argumentation by just up and leaving everything behind.

This does not make for a good Christmastime movie experience, whatsoever. I surely wouldn't let my kids (if I were ever blessed with any) watch this pitiful movie. There's nothing honestly happy about it, even though I think both the grandpa hobo and the father/main character have some pretty solid moments for their respective performances. They both try hard with what they're given, but there's just not much to work with, when it comes to the script with this flick.

I wouldn't even say this is sweet, at all. It all feels so exhaustive, by the end, to the point that I kind of don't want to watch this ever again. It's certainly not memorable.

Chance (Barnard Hughes) has been a terrible father. Twenty-five years ago, he abandoned his family and traveled the country doing odd jobs and riding the rails. Now, all these years later, Chance has arrived in Salt Lake City in order to see his widower son, Charlie (Gerald McRaney), and his grandchildren. Not surprisingly, Charlie is shocked and angry when Chance arrives...and tells him to stay out of his life. But Charlie's girlfriend is a bit of a meddler and she helps convince Charlie to look for his father and invite him home for Christmas.

The biggest reason I decided to watch this is because of Barnard Hughes. While many folks today haven't heard of him, he was a terrific actor on stage and on television. His talents made me want to see the movie. And fortunately, I was not disappointed as the film turned out to be terribly well acted, directed and enjoyable. It's a very nice holiday treat.

"A Hobo's Christmas" is a very nice made for TV film, though I have a few comments about the plot before I conclude my review. As a trained therapist and someone who has had a couple extremely toxic family members in my life, the story's message of forgiveness and reconciliation is one I like but also one that has some caveats. If you've had some horrible people in your life who have deliberately harmed you and have done nothing to make amends, this film does NOT apply to you. Keeping dangerous and evil people out of your life is a good thing...not something to feel guilty about...particularly if you have children. So while some families can reconcile like they did in the movie, and that's a nice thing, don't let the story push you into opening up yourself to being hurt. If a person hurt you and showed no serious signs of dramatic change, or if they abused you in ways that simply defy forgiveness, don't watch the film or at least beware that its message does not apply to you Ugly, hurtful people should not be allowed back in your life just to hurt you again.