Mary Christmas

Wasn't expecting much, but this TV movie presses all the buttons for a great Christmas movie With a really good cast and a wonderful Dickensian plot this has that X factor that so many movies miss. Gives you a warm glow. Very soppy but very enjoyable from a 50 year old bloke.

"Holiday" theme films get a bad rap. That's too bad because I enjoy many of them and this one is near the top.

The description of this film on IMDb doesn't really isn't accurate. What I will say is that the film is self aware not to send the audience into a diabetic coma.

IN this film a reporter must do a Christmas story after her boss forces her into it. She all work but to call her hard nosed is 100% wrong. She is not hard at all. She is not mean to anybody at all. Even her jerk-off boss she is nice to. She is however disappointed that she always has to do this "Soft news" segments. Her contract however is up and if she doesn't deliver a good story she maybe out of a job. Cynthia Gibb plays the reporter.

Now I am a huge Cynthia Gibb fan. I loved her work in "Fame", "The Karen Carpenter Story" and she more than held her own in the film "Gypsy" playing opposite Bette Middler.

The story she must do is a story on a man who is a single dad at Christmas. Now you may think you know what is going to happen BUT there is some nice surprises in this film.

If you can't find this playing on television during the holidays then buy it. Its worth the $10. Buy it and share with friends.

This movie is simply wonderful! Cynthia Gibb and John Schneider work well together. Jenna Boyd is a terrific actress, and I have a feeling that her career is just going to take off! This film is a great, feel-good Christmas flick. It's not one of those ordinary, could-never-happen-in-a-million-years stories, because stranger things have happened. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who's in a Christmas-ey mood.

Excellent acting by John Schneider (Dukes of Hazard County & Smallville), Cynthia Gibb, and nine year old Jenna Boyd, who played Schneider's nine year old daughter, Felice Wallace, who wrote a letter to Santa Claus asking for a mommy. The letter ended up on the desk of Gibb's Mary Maloney, a TV reporter who was goaded into filming Felice and her family's Christmas. Tom Bosley did an excellent portrayal of a mysterious temporary governor, i.e., a male nanny, for Felice. Renee Ridgeley of "The Young And The Restless," portrayed the woman in Schneider's life whom Felice felt was intrusive in their relationship. My wife and I were spellbound watching this movie with a heart. This movie crosses age groups and I would recommend it to anyone wanting good clean entertainment. This review was of the November 26, 2005 showing recorded from PAX television and viewed several days later.

This is another feel-good Christmas movie that is made for TV, where nine year old Felice (Jenna Boyd) writes a letter to Santa Claus asking for a mommy. Her father is widower Joel Wallace (John Schneider) who is a workaholic and lets reporter Mary Maloney (Cynthia Gibb) get the scoop of Felice's story inside their home. She soon learns that miracles can happen.

Schneider and Gibb make a great duo and had great on-screen chemistry. Much of the acting was spot-on and the story was mostly entertaining, if a bit too slow at times. But, there is a nice plot twist to the story.

It's another nice movie for Christmas time, providing you with some good, clean entertainment and with some heartfelt moments that will make you feel good.

Grade B