Um Amigo Para o Natal

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.

A movie I saw about four years ago around Christmas time and have been looking for it since. The acting was great and believable. I am so glad that the networks air such movies as these. I would recommend it for all ages but especially the young. It serves as a great learning tool as to what real compassion and respect is all about and a reminder to all who are more fortunate to help those who are not. I loved the movie and wish they would air it yearly. Hats off to the creator of such an outstanding story and thanks.

This movie is not just a "tear jerker," it is an honest depiction of the homeless plight in America (right in our own home towns). People, some who are young children, are starving and dying. And, even those who are surviving become "invisible" (quote from the film). 'Paul Newmannites' continually teach me, more and more, about what real charity is (Paul Newman was a master of the acting craft--and a person, for charity, who 'put his money where his mouth is').

The most important lesson I learned from this film was Fred Savage openly and proudly declaring "He's not a bum. He's my friend!" Not surprisingly, Hume Cronyn (a great and legendary actor), gives a magnificent portrayal of an "invisible" homeless man who gives love and gets love. The end of the film sums up the plight of those who are homeless. We must trust some strangers, or we will never get to know anybody. To do this, I am required to come out of my "comfort zone," and share with others less fortunate than myself.

I am a physically-disabled man, living on a fixed budget, but I give every spare dollar to the homeless. And, I give to Westport Country Playhouse (one of Paul Newman's many causes), so that the poor can enjoy live theater at its best (Paul Newman once said that "theater is a sacred place").

This movie should be a classic, and shown on television every year, just like "The Wizard of Oz".

I Have Reviewed OVER 500 "Christmas Films and Specials". Please BEWARE Of films and specials with just one review! For instance When "It's a POSITIVE" chances are that the reviewer was involved with the production. "If its Negative" then they may have a grudge against the film for whatever reason. I am fare about these films.

Fred Savage stars as a 14-year-old shy boy named Trevor Atwood who befriends a homeless man named Cleveland Meriwether, played by Hume Cronyn. The film is loosely based on actual events in the life of Trevor Ferrell.

The film is is very enjoyable. The plot moves along at a nice place. Most of all the message of compassion is not lost and you are not hit over the head with it. Worth watching

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.