My Dad's Christmas Date

The movie was just so uneven. I really wish I could've given it a 10, just based on how many tears I shed. But there were some real continuity issues despite the great production values, some excellent performances, and sweet storyline. And the song track was really irritating.

That said, I loved the overall story, the main characters were endearing and well-done, and I did cry a lot toward the end (in a good way).

Definitely worth one's time to watch.

Going into this viewing I sort of expected a Hallmark type of story, light and breezy where single man and single woman meet. But it is far from that, it is an examination of the difficulty overcoming a sudden loss.

Jeremy Piven is dad, David, an American working in York, England as an attorney. His daughter is high school student Olivia-Mai Barrett as Jules. They have a good father-daughter relationship but since losing mom two years earlier in an auto accident each of them has difficulty adjusting to life without her.

Jules is not doing so well in school, there is some tension in the household, but she still has a soft spot for dad's loneliness and in a misguided attempt to fix him up for Christmas establishes several "dating" accounts for him. Then she picks a boyfriend who she later finds cheats on everyone.

Some of the scenes are difficult because of the friction between dad and daughter but overall it is a good story of how they work to come to grips with life after mom. A worthwhile 90-minute movie.

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library. We visited York, the walled city, some years back and it brought back good memories to see scenes there.

This has a Hallmark type movie title where you expect the misadventures of a teenager trying to set her dad up, misfire and then succeed. But it is, in fact, a story about a father and daughter experiencing grief. The individual stories take a path that develop each character and explore their own response to the Mother/wife's death. The father and daughter story is poignant and not candy-coated. The father's loss is hard for the daughter to understand and Piven does a great job of not cheesing up his reactions. The character is sad, at a loss, and feeling alone. The daughter is equally complex, alienating a friend b/c she can't contain her emotions.

Some motifs could have been more effectively used. The father loves dancing, but it doesn't show up enough (or the loss of it) to make the ending meaningful. The memories of his wife don't include them.

The daughter being spurned by the boyfriend was sadly cliche as a way of finding out more about herself.

Still, i recommend it for their relationship, for the examination of grief and loss, and for the lovely settings and locations.

This movie has some really funny parts, Jeremy Piven is funny and has good chemistry with his daughter played by Olivia-Mai Barrett, it's both strained and loving at the same time (which couldn't be more real). If however, due to the title, you begin watching it expecting a Christmas movie or Rom-Com (as I did), you're very likely to be disappointed. This is a Drama/Comedy, so if you're in the Christmas movie mood this isn't the one, perhaps that's why it's rating has dropped lower than what is deserves, for what it is. It's worth watching when you''re in the mood for a funny Drama.

The movie itself is bang average. But Jeremy Piven is really good in it!