Twice Upon A Christmas (2001)

Everyone returns for this sequel to Once Upon A Christmas and, as you might expect, it's slightly inferior to the first movie but gets by thanks to familiarity with the characters and the lovely Kathy Ireland as Kristen Claus.

After the events of the first movie, Kristen has no memory of her life or who her father is. She is happy with the Morgan family but worries about knowing so little about herself. When Bill Morgan (John Dye) proposes to her it should be a joyous occasion but, instead, it reminds Kristen of her unknown history. She agrees to marry Bill on one condition, her background comes to light before the day of the wedding - Christmas day. Meanwhile, Rudolfa Claus (Mary Donnelly Haskell) is trying, once again, to usurp her father and change Christmas completely.

Tibor Takacs is the director again and Steven H. Berman is the writer so it's no surprise that the tone of the movie is exactly the same as its predecessor. It's also no surprise to find that everyone onscreen slips easily back into their uncomplicated roles. Kathy Ireland is still a welcome plus point in the lead role while John Dye, James Kirk, Kirsten Proust and Wayne Thomas Yorke are all smiling, happy and loving family members. The biggest problem here is the potential for boredom to set in as these characters had, essentially, completed a more interesting arc in the first film.

For those who enjoyed the first movie, this at least has the good grace not to move the goalposts or to try and run off in an entirely different direction. It may suffer slightly because of that but it at least goes along with consistent logic and keeps the characters true to how they were (for the most part).

A Christmas cookie sequel to a Christmas cookie first film, these aren't going to become enduring festive favourites but they're also enjoyable enough to pass the time when nobody can find the TV remote control and nobody wants to search for too long amidst the cloud of sprout-powered flatulence. I'll probably never watch these movies again but I didn't want to gouge my own eyes out with ceramic snowmen while they were on.

4/10

http://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Christmas-Twice/dp/B000HWZ4JI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1355419056&sr=8-4&keywords=twice+upon+a+christmas

Once Upon A Christmas (2000)

Santa Claus (Douglas Campbell) is a bit fed up in this TV movie. He just feels that people aren't as full of Christmas spirit as they used to be and that the Naughty list keeps getting longer and longer each year. In fact, he wants to just pack it all in and stop providing Christmas to all when so many don't seem to deserve it. His daughter, Kristen (Kathy Ireland), is more optimistic and thinks that those who are still on the Nice list should still get the Christmas due to them. She's so optimistic, in fact, that she makes a bet on it. She bets that she can move any family from the Naughty list onto the Nice list. If that happens then it's all go for another Christmas. Unfortunately, she gets the Morgans, a family who don't seem to have had any Christmas spirit for many years. Can Kristen turn that around?

John Dye plays the inattentive father of the Morgan family while James Kirk and Kirsten Prout play the troublesome children. They all do what is required of them but that's not a hell of a lot. Luckily, the film is lifted every time the lovely Kathy Ireland is onscreen although she's also a bit sugary sweet at times. Indeed, the whole film adds plenty of schmaltz and eye-rolling character developments when it can but that, to me, is a given in many Christmas films. Elsewhere, Rachelle Carson has a small role as a potential new lady for Mr. Morgan and Wayne Thomas Yorke is okay as the uncle who just seems to hang around the house and not teach the kids to behave themselves but Mary Donnelly Haskell is the most fun as Rudolfa Claus, the daughter of Santa who would happily make the most of a chance to make Christmas into something else entirely.

Director Tibor Takacs does nothing to elevate the material here, written by Steven H. Berman, but he at least just goes along with it all and creates a standard fairytale feeling for the whole thing. That's all this is. A princess in disguise finding some commoners and trying to help them without revealing her true identity. If you accept that as soon as the opening titles appear then you won't be surprised by the constant . . . . . . niceness of it all. Nothing edgy or unpredictable here, thank you very much.

Far from essential Christmas viewing, this is a relatively painless TV movie that may keep the family amused for 90 minutes if there's nothing better scheduled at the same time. Mind you, I can't think of any Christmas TV schedule that would let that situation arise.

5/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share