Christmas with a Capital C

The title for this film is somewhat clever from the plot, but otherwise, "Christmas with a Capital C" has very little original. With Christmas movies being made every year, originality in the plot is quite important. Some of the acting is good while most of it isn't.

The story has some well-worn small plots. One is about a school days feud and later reconciliation. Another is about a modern battle of secularism with religion. Here, it's over the display of a traditional Christmas scene on public property, because it is connected to religion. There's a third smaller plot about two young teens - a boy and a girl, competing and discovering mutual attraction for one another.

But with all of this, the story just isn't very interesting. The screenplay is weak and choppy. The actions of the townsfolk seem forced or contrived. The character of Mitch Bright is stiff and strange in the smugness that Daniel Baldwin gives it. On the other hand, the Greg Reed role by Brad Stine is over the top goofy in his staged belligerence. And, the teens aren't at all convincing.

Ted McGinley as Dan Reed and Nancy Stafford as his wife, Kristen, are the only roles done well and that seem like real people. The film was shot entirely in Seward, Alaska. For the scenic shots, the movie is worth five stars.