A Christmas Wish (2011)

I spend a lot of my time watching certain kinds of Christmas movies. There are the Christmas horrors (of which we now have SO many to choose from), the Christmas films aimed at kids (either animated or focusing on Santa, or just mixing in some adorable pets), and the Christmas films that make up the overwhelming majority nowadays - the safe and inoffensive products churned out every year by Hallmark and ABC and the like. In fact, it's easy for me to forget that there are other kinds of Christmas movies out there. Films with a deeply religious message, the many action movies penned by Shane Black (okay, some count more than others), and those that deliver a message about kindness and love by making you watch a main character get put through the wringer for almost an entire 80 minutes before using the finale to set things right. A Christmas Wish falls firmly in the latter camp.

Kristy Swanson stars as Martha Evans, a struggling mother of three children. She has been placed in that position, just days before Christmas, by a husband who decided to abscond with all of their money. Which is why she heads off for a fresh start, trying to do her best by her children (despite one constantly reminding her that she isn't his real mother), booking into a motel room, and taking on a very low-paid position in a diner owned by a kind woman who would love to help more, but just can't.

Written and directed by Craig Clyde, A Christmas Wish may not be surprising or slick, or even that overflowing with festive cheer, but it is a surprisingly effective and moving little film. As well as the plot details mentioned, you have the potential for romance, a car that decides to break down at the most inconvenient time, a dilemma about living arrangements, and problems ensuring that the children are looked after.

Swanson does well in an unglamorous role, although she still manages to shine without outshining the character she is playing, and the cast also includes Edward Herrmann as a grumpy diner customer who takes a liking to her character, Tess Harper as the aforementioned kindly diner owner, K. C. Clyde as a handsome and sweet local guy, and some decent child actors (particularly Kevin Herring III and Kristin Dorn). There are also good turns from Mike Hagerty, Page Petrucka, Star Herrmann, and many of the other supporting players.

I must have had problems with needles falling off my Christmas tree this year because, just before the end credits started to roll, I felt a little something in my eye. Yeah, it must have been the tree. That is the only explanation. Because there's no way that a TV movie like this would put a lump in my throat and make my eyes so watery. Nuh uh. No way.

6/10

Here is a large selection of Christmas movies to enjoy.
And American elves can pick the same set up here.

Overboard (1987)

The premise for Overboard may be more than a little bit dubious, but it gets beyond that and easily proves itself to be a fantastic rom-com with two stars who spar brilliantly with each other and a great supporting cast that includes a number of mischievous, but likeable, child actors.

The plot sees a carpenter (Dean Proffitt, played by Kurt Russell) given the job of renovating the closet of a spoiled, rich woman (Joanna Stayton, played by Goldie Hawn). The closet is part of a very nice ship and so, when the two fall out over the final result, Joanna refuses to pay Dean and instead pushes him overboard, with his tools following. Dean is more than a little miffed, but his chance for a little payback comes when Joanna herself falls overboard and loses her memory. Joanna's husband (Edward Herrmann) realises that he can enjoy the bachelor lifestyle and so doesn't provide her real identity to anyone in authority so Dean, after seeing her on the news, goes along to the hospital and convinces everyone that he and Joanna are a married couple. Joanna, of course, doesn't find anything familiar as she goes "home" with Dean and her mind remains blank even as she gets used to her many chores and tries to cope with their four rambunctious boys. Of course, it's only a matter of time until she has to be told the truth, but Dean wants to be compensated for the money that he wasn't paid.

Directed by Garry Marshall, Overboard has a bright and breezy, pleasantly light, tone throughout. Everything is so easy to enjoy and go along with that, for the most part, it's easy to forget how nasty that premise really is. Think about it, convincing someone else that they've been married for years, had four kids and spend every day working hard to keep the house in order is pretty bad, even if it's a smiling Kurt Russell doing it. The script by Leslie Dixon helps keep everything just on the right side of light amusement and it's improved by the performances from Russell and Hawn. Edward Herrmann is good fun in his small role, Roddy McDowall (who also signed on as a producer) has some fun and Mike Hagerty is very entertaining as Dean's friend who goes along with the fiction. I'm not going to name all of the child actors because I find it hard to separate their individual personalities from the collective squabble, but they all did very good work.

If you like romantic comedies and you like Russell and Hawn, then you'll like this film. It holds up really well, in my opinion, and the script is full of some great one-liners as Russell's character keeps adding ridiculous detail on top of ridiculous detail to create a life that never was. There's nothing here to shock you, nothing here that pushes the very boundaries of cinema, it's just a fantastic bit of fun for fans of romantic comedies.

8/10

Overboard IS available on DVD as a standalone title but I thought I would share the love for some other '80s flicks here and recommend this pack - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Harry-Sally-Mannequin-Overboard-Anything/dp/B004C9MCCO/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1359004106&sr=8-6