En attendant l'âme soeur

I'm writing this review while watching this movie. I missed the first 40 minutes. With that being said the mom is 28 years old (real life in 2006) and the son is 14 years old. Is it me, or is there something wrong with this?

Firstly, many Canadian movies have nothing to do with hockey games - and American movies have been known to feature them as well. But what I found strange were the summer clothes and palm trees at Christmas time, when the movie was made in British Columbia. We've had some warm winters - but palm trees? It was obvious to me that the location was not somewhere in the southern US like Florida or California so shooting a Christmas movie in the middle of summer in Canada just doesn't cut it. This movie didn't fully engage me on other levels as well and it was at times difficult to stay focused on it. I agree that it does have the feel of a Hallmark.

This Christmas movie is only made palatable by its three stars who all give good performances despite what is basically an incoherent, mish-mash of a plot. Jaime Newman creates a very realistic portrayal of a caring woman dealing with the unexpected death of her husband. She isn't perfect but she still tries hard. Michael Shanks is also very appealing as the school counselor with his own tragic past. While he went far beyond what school counselors would normally do, it still seemed believable. Finally, young Burkley Duffield also did a good job in making his character real without being obnoxious. (Why do kids in these movies have such an interest in their parent's love life anyway?) However, they are saddled by a plot that really makes no sense. The ghost of the husband who hangs around seems to have little to do with the plot. The radio contest is a complete plot contrivance. Frankly both ghost and contest could easily have been jettisoned and the focus of the movie on Newman's and Shanks' characters. Why not focus on these two attractive people who have to get beyond their personal tragedies in order to actually see what it is they need? And put it in the Christmas context if you feel the need to. Now that would have been a movie worth watching.

While I was expecting a "not too bad" TV movie, I was thoroughly surprised at the quality of this film. I found it totally believable and especially likable. The principal characters were extremely engaging. The story was very touching and the filming beautifully done. I even found myself thinking of the characters throughout the rest of the day and even for a few days afterward, always with a warm thought.

One of the main reasons this movie works so well is because of the son, Jonathon. Many movies with kids are irritating and hard to get through because of the precociousness of the kids. Jonathon on the other hand is a truly likable young man even though he is going through a lot of "stuff". You never catch this young man "acting" and his portrayal of this character is topnotch.

I would like to say "Well Done" to everyone on this film and encourage all to watch. This is a keeper!

I watched this movie last night with my grandma and my mom. I had just stopped into their place to drop my mom off after Christmas shopping, and my grandma had already begun watching it. I saw a few minutes of it, found it to be so intriguing, that I stayed for the entire length of the movie. The actor who played Jonathan was a really great actor, especially for his age and experience. Very convincing. I hope to see him in more films in the future. The movie seemed really well made, and in my opinion directed really well. In most made-for-TV movies you find a lot of overacting and cheesy lines, I did not find that in this film. It's nice to see a quality Canadian made film, with mostly Canadian actors.

I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to sit down with family at Christmas time, and watch a good Christmas flick.