Der Weihnachtsengel von Beverly Hills

I was only able to see the last half of this film school reject. The only good thing about it was that it made me laugh out loud during the big climactic moment. "Cool!"

Angel Gabriel sporting aviator shades? Not a good look, but it turns out they were necessary for the "big scene."

Shooting the reflection in his shades for the "big scene" was pure artistic genius. I guess there weren't any puddles around.

The standards for these made-for-TV Christmas movies are minimal, but this one really lowers the bar. Directing, production, and writing are gimmicky and formulaic. How hard is it to make one of these things anyway?

I had to look this movie up to see if it was supposed to be a comedy, or perhaps has a cult following in the awful movies category.

It's a tragedy, the acting, the premise. The main Actress should be fined for torturing us with her horrendous acting. I thought it was a joke or a spoof. If you want to cringe and laugh, go for it. If you're actually looking for a quality xmas movie look elsewhere.

I give holiday movies a lot of leeway. But this one was irredeemable. The woman who produced, starred, directed, employed her family, and flushed the toilets afterward was nipped/tucked/puffed within an inch of her life. Her daughter was cast as a queen bee mean girl but really, just so homely and stiff it was embarrassing. And Dean Cain - c'mon. Stop with the Christmas movies or at least lose weight and shave. He looked like he just got off a 2-week bender.

I only finished watching this movie to see how bad it was. On that level, it did not disappoint.

I have been a member of IMDb for 13 years, and this is the first time I've written a review. That's how dreadful this film was to watch! People must be warned...

Even for a made-for-TV Christmas movie, the plot is markedly formulaic. The moral message feels forced, and the pace and timescale are incohesive. The dialogue is flat, and the dramatic elements are predictable and poorly executed. The sets and locations are reasonable, but the special effects are hilarious. Lots of fans, slow-motion and fake electrical discharges that wouldn't look out of place in a low-budget 1980s sci-fi flick.

The characters are trite, and the lead Donna Spangler is wooden to the point of unintentional comedy. Her stilted delivery made me cringe, and as with the rest of the movie, I kept waiting for the punchline that never came. Dean Cain has demonstrated his acting chops in other roles, but in this one he is background noise in bad sunglasses. I second another review that says he did provide the only laugh-aloud moment in the whole film, but even that was unintentional.

The young secondary lead Ravin Spangler is reasonable yet unremarkable as a spoiled rich girl turned good. Mara Rydell as the maid Lucille had potential, but was not utilised effectively. There are several other supporting characters in the film who appear to be there as furniture. They have few lines, wander about in the background of scenes where no background characters are necessary, and they contribute nothing to the plot.

The one dim bright spot in the whole festive failure is Brandon Tyler Russell, who plays his character 'Jerry' in a manner that evokes genuine sympathy. Jerry is essentially the only character who is given any depth, warmth or likability.

On a final note, the movie doesn't have much of a Christmas setting or feel to it. Aside from a few decorations and a brief Christmas party, the plot could have taken place at any time of year. Overall, I'd say give this movie a miss. There are plenty of made-for-TV Christmas movies that get it right. This is not one of them.