Angel in the Family

I was watching this film today and at first I thought it was maudlin and sentimental. Then as it got closer toward a climax I was thinking how wonderful it was for Ronny Cox and daughters Natasha Gregson Wagner and Tracey Needham to get a return visit from his late wife and their mother Meredith Baxter. And just in time for Christmas.

Call me a sentimental fool, but I have to say I wouldn't mind a return visit from both my parents and my sister who've gone from this life.

That's what happens to Cox after he sustains a mild stroke and for his recovery Wagner takes him back to the small town and the house that they grew up in. She also calls Tracey Needham in who has moved to another big city and is an advertising executive. When they get home certain things start to happen as if by magic. Cox knows what's going on, but eventually the daughters are clued in when Meredith Baxter returns from the beyond to spend Christmas with her still earthbound family.

As you can imagine a whole range of issues bothering the still living relatives are thrashed out to the point where the film is getting a bit bogged down. I guess it's what happens when you have an Angel In The Family and they come calling.

Angel In The Family is somewhat talky and verbose, but who could argue with a wonderful concept that I only wished happened in my life. And I suspect those of you reading this will feel likewise.

Beth is a terrible sister. When she first sees her mother, she cries like a nine-year-old "she took my doll"... Beth is selfish and self-centered.. because she has a job in the city. She thinks that because the type of job she has, she thinks that her poo poo don't stink...Sara took on this role of caring for their father.. Sarah put her life on hold to take care of her father which in my book is way above and beyond what a daughter can do. Beth talks to her mother like a little kid..." Certain things she tells her mother "is none of her business"! Beth needs to just grow up. Beth literally looked jealous and tried to flirt with the guy who brought the Christmas tree, like really Beth! No girlfriend, you got your city husband over there and you try to flirt with that guy! Let Sarah have this one! Selfish Beth!! And then Beth is talking to her mom in the kitchen and her mom is telling her that you know that that's why she came back to help her fix Beth's problem, then Beth comes back and tells her" I'm an adult now you make me feel like a nine-year-old"... well proven point she acts like a nine-year-old crying over her doll. She acts like a nine-year-old with her selfish behavior. Enough said.

The story basically is about a widower father and his two daughters who often had disputes. The father got really ill near Christmas, so he and his two daughters spent the Christmas in their old family home.

By some miracle, their mother who passed away several years previous suddenly came back to help straighten things out.

I suppose that this is a fantasy that everyone who lost a loved one has, and this movie was a nice exploration of what could happen in such a case.

Aside from that, this movie has excellent moral values and is perfect for the whole family. Subtly but surely, this movie illustrates mainstream Judeo-Christian values. It successfully showed us the problems of addictions, abortion, fornication and obsessions without showing us the ugly side of humanity -- an extremely unusual feat.

Those who do not like being preached to would likewise enjoy this movie, as even though it is a movie of morality, it does not try to indoctrinate or preach.

This is the perfect movie.

A Must See - especially for those who have experienced the great loss of someone they love... just goes to show us all - that even tho we've lost the physical person we had here on Earth - their love & spirit radiates/stays all around us until it's our time to go to Heaven. The movie reflects Life as it is in Our Time - hard, too busy, full of misunderstandings... Then shows us the bottom line - that Love will get us thru no matter what. That we should all take good care of each other - seeing past our deceiving exteriors - well into each other's true hearts. Meredith Baxter and all of the actors in this movie - did a great job! Want to get this movie for our home collection - will view it over and over and over again!

All the previous comments are on the button. This is a great, family film that I enjoyed a lot. Thank God for Hallmark. They refuse to let the family time die. If it were not for movies like this, I think the holidays would be much less enjoyable. I really miss those evenings when my mom, dad and I would find our favorite chair, hurry to get the cocoa and cookies setup in time for the movie. Just the lights from the tree, a few scented candles and the flicker of the TV. Sit back and be taken into the Christmas magic of a good movie. Those times are leaving us. Everything it too fast, too commercial, to liberal, too "xmas"! Movies like this save the spirit. All season I scan the satellite guide on Hallmark, Gospel Music Channel, TBN and others looking for films like this. And guess what, I am a guy. A 49 year old guy that misses a world where a family was mom, dad and a kid or three. When Merry Christmas wasn't grounds for a law suit. When the City Hall had a beautiful nativity scene and people could say Christmas was a celebration of the birth of Jesus. Shamless ad: Visit Amazon.com. They have a 3 DVD set, this film, A Christmas Visitor and Christmas Snow. All for a really good price.