A Dog Named Christmas

Hallmark as done it again. This was a wonderful first Christmas movie for the 2009 year and I intend to purchase the DVD.

I turned off the lights, turned on the Christmas tree lights, and my wife, our two sons and I sat, caught up in this wonderful, heart-touching story.

Of course, the Hallmark commercials were an added touch.

Yes, I'm sentimental and go for these types of things...but I'm not ashamed.

The young man who played the young boy was so dead-on in his portrayal.

The mom and dad were spectacular in their portrayal as well.

Thank you Hallmark, for this wonderful presentation.

The movie begins with a voice I believe to be George McCray narrating, following the adventures of a dog who won't stay in one place, but has to keep going until he finds the perfect home he was meant to have.

In the community of Crossing Trails, Kansas, George's farm has been in the family for many generations. His wife Mary Ann teaches at a local school. They have four children; all except 20-year-old Todd have grown up and moved out. Todd is disabled but seems very capable and responsible.

The local animal shelter wants people to adopt dogs just for the Christmas season, to give the shelter employees a break. Todd, who raised sheep for 4H, is very excited about the idea, but George doesn't want him to have a dog. He believes Todd will want to keep the dog after Christmas, which of course the shelter employees hope some people will do. George has had dogs, as we see in flashbacks, but for some reason he is very opposed to the idea of having another one. Perhaps it has something to do with what happened to Charlie, who was his canine companion for a time as he served in Vietnam.

George finally gives in and lets Todd have a dog, but he makes it clear the dog will be Todd's responsibility. Todd goes to the shelter and looks at many dogs before he finally finds THE ONE. Someone has trained this dog well; he responds to the usual commands. He has no name yet, so Todd names him Christmas and takes him home.

Todd's two brothers are married and celebrate Christmas with their wives' families, so the big family Christmas, which includes some friends who are not relatives, takes place several days early. Todd, his parents and his sister Hannah will have a smaller celebration on the big day. For the early event, the various families show up and have a good time before finally sitting down at the table in a real Norman Rockwell scene.

And what happens next is pretty amazing.

We all know how this movie will probably end, but it will be a lot of fun getting there, with all the twists and turns and doubts about whether it really will end the way we think.

Noel Fisher does a wonderful job. Todd has been taught to be responsible, and unlike most TV children, he really is. He's easy to like and everyone in the movie likes him. No one treats him as if he is disabled, and sometimes it seems as if he is not.

Bruce Greenwood is very good as a loving but stern father who wants his son to succeed and won't coddle him. George knows the value of hard work and what it takes to run a farm, and even though we see his injury in Vietnam still bothers him, it doesn't stop him from doing anything.

Many of the leading actors also do a very good job. That includes the dog, of course.

This is a movie the whole family can watch, as are most Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations. There are a couple of scenes that might bother younger children, one in Vietnam and one in the present day, but neither scene is that bad.

It's a wonderful holiday film.

I could go on and on about some of the things people have written but it would be silly. The simple fact is this is a perfect family film. If you love dogs, you will love this. It is actually pretty deep and well thought out. But, even the hardest person will tear up at points because this is a very passionate film. If you don't like dogs, you may not get this. If you live in the country, love dogs, have kids, you will love this. I mean, really love this. Life changing film? Maybe. While the theme of the movie is missed in the first part of the film, it is really developed over the last half of the film. The father figure is an incredibly deep character that is very hard to understand until the end of the film. The mom is perfect and the learning disabled young man plays his role perfectly. Give it a couple hours, you won't be sorry you watched this!

I agree completely with Kjirstin-1. I'm glad she pointed out the "errors" (for want of a better word) in sdquinn2-1's post about Bruce Greenwood's age and the Viet Nam postage issue. I thought bringing that into the film was perfect; it was a great way to explain why George didn't want to bond with another dog.

And for those of us who are around the same age as Bruce Greenwood, it was even more powerful to see how his character looked during the war and how he looks now. Something we can 'relate' to, which made the movie that much more powerful and moving. On another note, I adore Bruce Greenwood, and again, in agreement with Kjirstin-1, he could play pretty much any character. He is an incredible actor, and he was perfect for that role. Noah Fisher was also incredible. I've seen him in a few TV shows (Law & Order SVU) where he was good; but he was so believable as the 'challenged' Todd. Not just any actor could perform that well in such a role.

To say that the actor dog who played Christmas was phenomenal is an understatement. This was another aspect of the film which made it so great.

So to sum up, this was just a wonderful film in every sense of the word. And last but not least, the gentleman who wrote the book upon which the movie was based expressing the need for people to adopt homeless dogs for Christmas not only added to the poignancy of the movie, but hopefully, planted a seed in the viewers' minds about adopting a pet.

George McCray (Bruce Greenwood) is a farmer who had served in Vietnam and suffered a limp in one of his legs. He also had a couple of dogs. One as a kid-Tucker-and one during the war-Charlie. Having lost both, he's hesitant of letting his last-born adult offspring, Todd (Noel Fisher)-who's a little handicapped, have one permanently, making him promise to return this temporary holiday adoptee to the shelter after Christmas which becomes the dog's name. His wife, Mary Ann (Linda Emond), knows what he's been through and disagrees with him, though respectfully to the point of not pushing it. I'll stop there and just say this was quite heartwarming which is what you usually expect from a movie presented on "Hallmark Hall of Fame" but not cloyingly so. I mean, all those Christmas party scenes with the relatives and Todd's bonding with the animal and...well, if you don't mind feeling warm inside, this movie is definitely for you. But, yes, there are some compellingly dramatic scenes like those flashback ones of George back during the war or one on the farm later on in the movie. Nice use of Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" (which I just watched her perform on a "Dancing with the Stars" results show) and another song written and sung by leading man Greenwood himself near the end. And seeing the author, Greg Kincaid, with his own adopted dog Rudy in a spot asking for anyone who'd like to get a pet for the holidays was a touching plea. So on that note, I recommend A Dog Named Christmas.