Natal Ás Escuras

Why?

This movie was hard to watch even when barely watching.

I can't wrap my head around how someone wrote this and thought it was good enough to make a movie out of, like it could compete with even the worst movie that already existed.

I can't wrap my head around the amount of people that gave this 2+ stars much less 10

It's not even funny bad.

I agree with another review that said the lone girl stuck in the elevator with the creepy dude was like watching a horror movie hoping she makes it out alive or at the very least, unharmed, and the writers tried to makes this romantic. Cringe.

It's very rare I find books or movies so bad I have a hard time finishing them. This is one of those times.

Out of all the movies that exist, literally not a single reason to watch this one.

WHY??????

I was surprised to read that critics initially panned this movie.

I saw it on cable and found it amusing, entertaining, touching, inspiring and intellectually stimulating. I was quickly involved in the plot and the off-beat characters and remained engrossed through the end.

Even after the movie was over, I continued to worry a about the fate of some of the characters: What happened to the woman with the fatal ailment? Did she end up telling her husband that she was going to die?

I suspect that one reason that critics underestimated this film is that it is different. For example, the humor is not slapstick or laugh-out-loud hysterical. Instead, it is quirky, droll and subtle.

Another reason that critics may have been put off is the fact that the story seems more appropriate for a stage play rather than for a movie.

The action is mostly confined to the interiors of a series of stuck elevators. Hence, there is not much physical activity. Because the setting is static, the movie, naturally, is talky---something that is not to everyone's taste.

This movie has been under-appreciated. As more people are exposed to it on cable, I suspect that it will grow into a cult classic.

Christmas Eve is a light, charming Christmas movie. It works mainly because of all the talented actors involved. (You can look at the IMDb listing to see who they all are.) The plot involves different groups of people being stuck on elevators in New York City for several hours on Christmas Eve. We get to know the people and see how they react to missing their Christmas Eve plans. I didn't really care for a couple of the groups, mainly the hospital elevator and the group of musicians. However, the elevator with James Roday and a neighbor was especially sweet and touching. And I would just like to hang out with the people in the mall elevator! Give this a try if you're looking for a sweet Christmas movie to watch.

As the message boards and the limited reviews have been somewhat merciless on this good-but-not-great movie, I feel duty bound to write a few good words.

I decided to invest a small amount of money on the film, because I was curious how James Roday would do outside of 'Psych' (which I have generally liked). But I had a pretty good experience watching the movie. Critical and audience reaction doubtless has reflected the fact that it is not a comedy, nor is it particularly warm (!). The writer-director (I believe) wanted to discuss a number of large life issues. (The movie actually might have worked better on some ordinary day, as very few of the subplots actually resolve with reference to the holiday).

Some of these are successful, some not. I particularly enjoyed the musicians in the elevator, and also doctors and patient. The scene with the five millenials (flaky girls, know-it-all, docent, and body builder) worked. So did the duo of Jon Heder and Max Casella. The solo of Patrick Stewart and the James Roday (sigh) did not work so well.

All that said, however, the different reactions of the trapped groups was interesting and dramatic. The critics' views that they are all unlikable is Grinch stuff. The reveals of the interconnections among them (done with some subtlety) were the script at its best.

All in all, a sort of Ship of Fools movie that ultimately worked, maybe because the formula is so strong. The critics and some of our acerbic friends on this site are way too negative.

"Deus ex machina" can be clearly read on the side of the copier repair van at the beginning of the movie(and the trailer), but as opposed to it being the divine intervention plot device to save the protagonist, in Christmas Eve it is the basis of a story where we see God manifested in multiple ways, all from the machine.

The story is slow at times, the dialogue is fair, but has its moments. This is a story designed to make you feel connected to the people around you and maybe even care about a stranger. It is not an action movie, it is not a romantic comedy, it is not 90 minutes of CGI. You have to engage in a little suspension of reality for the given situation and spend the night in an elevator with the characters that have normal lives and experience everyday outcomes.

Not the best Christmas movie I've seen. I would have liked more more time focused on Patrick Stewart's character, but in fairness I've never seen anything where I thought it had too much Patrick Stewart. In the end I took my children(10&4yo) and had less to worry about in the content than I do with prime time television. For that I am immensely thankful and will watch this with my family again next Christmas.