Questo si che è amore

With a title that translates to "This Truly is Love", you might expect an Italian Hallmark movie, and that's what you'd get: A terminally ill, perpetually hospitalized upper class kid escapes with his streetwise scrappy pal on a once in a lifetime Christmas Eve adventure, finding wonder in aspects of everyday life (discovery of something as basic as fire, etc.) lost on those that live it everyday. They end up at his parents that night, where, after a tearful parting with his bud, he performs a Christmas "miracle", reconciling his parents in their troubled marriage. The rest is ...SPOILER. But you may guess from my title, or if not, just by knowing the premise as it is the basis of countless such holiday movies. Competent (I actually somewhat liked the kid's scrappy sidekick--in a role that can so easily slide into cliche' his spunky delivery came off more naturally than most), but so treacly as to give you a Christmas tummy ache.