Buttons

This is the most depressing Christmas movie I've ever seen. It had all the ingredients for a spectacular movie (that cast!). But its hard to watch. I almost turned it off about 20 times, but i hate not finishing movies.

I, too, had high hopes for this film, but was also sadly disappointed.

The film's greatest assets are, not surprisingly, its wonderful cast: It was great to see Dick Van Dyke and (the late) Angela Lansbury continuing to give it their professional "all," along with so many other talented artists.

Other high points go to the set and props, costumes and hair styles, which are all period-appropriate, and its lovely score (more on that below)

Its liabilities, however, are too many to be ignored. The makeup work (notably Van Dyke's) is inconsistent to the point of being splotchy and, therefore, distracting. The film and sound editing, especially in the scenes with singing, are lacking; the actors (especially Ioan Gruffudd) tend to look and sound dubbed, and the sound is at times inconsistent with the scene's contexts.

While the film has all the trappings of a charming family movie, it could have been told in less than the nearly two hours it occupies. While the double story works acceptably, since it is only peripherally parallel, there is no real reason for it, and I think the film would likely have been more successful had it followed a more Disney- or Hallmark-ish story line telling only Annabelle's story.

I was unfamiliar with Tim Janis prior to this film; while I give him fine marks for the score (he is best known as a composer), I wouldn't recommend him as a director. Also, as other reviewers have observed, there are no writing credits listed in the film-or here-but they're provided on Mr. Janis' website; since no other attribution is given, one must assume that it is their original work. I find it interesting that Mr. Janis has the ego to put his name above the title but somehow fails to list himself and his wife, Elizabeth Demmer as the writers.

This is one of those occasions when the writer should not be the director of his own writing, as he apparently lacks the objectivity to see the flaws that could so easily have been corrected during the filming. This might have been minimized with the oversight of an established studio but, with Ms. Deming, an otherwise uncredited, sole producer, many of the film's flaws appears to be the result of a vanity production.

I would like to see this film re-edited under the guidance of a more experienced producer and/or director to keep all that works well-including, of course, Van Dyke's and Lansbury's appearances-but cut what doesn't ... or (though I'm generally not big on remakes) for it to be reworked entirety.

I am sorry to do this but I have to be honest. This movie majorly sucked. It was such a chore getting through it. Had it not been for Dame AL's I probably wouldn't have stuck with it.

I was so excited to see this, I mean AL and DVD as angels helping orphans. But boy am I glad I watched it first before watching it with Family.

There is only 3 things that made it somewhat pallitable. AL, DVD and the ending (somewhat heartwarming).

Apart from a few notable cast the acting was terrible. The songs were major rip offs from other works. Sync was off in places. These are just the tip.

Don't watch.

Yeah, although I truly dislike what falls under christmas movie section, well... Katie McGrath it seems has a wonderful way of making you watch whatever she starred in... And if it was not for her appearance in the movie.... Otherwise, this is truly truly badly done and badly assembled movie, not even the fabulous cast could have saved it...

I'd been looking forward to Buttons: A Christmas Tale for such a long time! Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury playing guardian angels, a heartwarming tale about orphan girls, and a festive musical - what else could I ask for? Well. . . I could ask for a decent screenplay, and acting that wasn't cringeworthy, and perhaps subject matter that wasn't so depressing. The two reasons that drew in every audience member didn't disappoint, and while it's insultingly obvious to say they shole the show, they did.

The bulk of the movie is told in a flashback format, as Angela Lansbury visits a sick orphan on Christmas Eve and reads her a story to cheer her up. She tells the story of a little girl, Alivia Clarke, who has one run of bad luck after another in what ends up amounting to a terrible life. But, since she has a guardian angel, Dick Van Dyke, she keeps her spirits up and knows someone's on her side. It's inspiring, heartwarming, and downright lovely to see Dick singing, dancing, and brightening up the screen during the musical numbers. And Angela is perfectly charming as a combination Mary Poppins and Mrs. Potts, caring for her sick charge. The cinematography in Buttons was beautiful, with lush landscapes, pretty costumes, and saturated colors and lighting that added quality to the production.

Now for the bad news. The dialogue sounded like it was the first draft of a church play. Most of the cast acted very contemporary, despite the period setting. Those whom you don't recognize probably had very little experience before trying out with the pros, or at least that's what it seemed like. And now the songs: Every single number blatantly ripped off a previously successful song from an established musical - from "Bring Him Home" to "It's a Hard Knock Life" to "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", the songs from Buttons can almost be sung simultaneously with their originals. Isn't anyone going to shout "plagiarism"? The supposedly sweet story that Angela reads aloud is far from it. It's very depressing, hardly appropriate for children at all, and not at all festive for Christmas. Why did the movie have to so much of a downer? Also, I don't know why the title was settled on Buttons, when the segment that honors it is extremely brief.

Yes, everyone is going to want to see this movie. Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury are adorable. And surprisingly, there's quite a supporting cast that agreed to attach their names to such a mediocre project: Jane Seymour, Robert Picardo, Abigail Spencer, Paul Greene, John de Lancie, and very, very brief narrations from Robert Redford and Kate Winslet.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The very first minute of the movie features an intense spinning camera effect, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"