A Dog for Christmas

I stumbled upon the 2015 Christmas movie titled "A Dog for Christmas" by random chance, though it was titled "Christmas Staycation" here for some reason. Regardless, I opted to sit down and watch the movie given the season and all, and with it being a movie that I hadn't already seen.

And while "A Dog for Christmas" is a Christmas movie, it sort of felt like a watered down attempt of making a movie similar to the "Nation Lampoons Christmas Vacation", except writers Joel Paul Reisig and Scott Voshel didn't manage half the amount of comedy and laughs that the "Nation Lampoons Christmas Vacation" managed. Nor did they manage to create the same amount of contents to the movie that makes it suitable for a yearly viewing in the holiday seasons.

Sure, "A Dog for Christmas" can be seen, but it is the type of movie you will watch only once. And the title of the movie was sort of stupid as the dog part only was in the last minute or so of the movie.

What worked well enough for this movie was the cast, which included Dean Cain - though in a minor role. And also Richard Karn - whom I haven't seen since "Home Improvements".

Ultimately then "A Dog for Christmas" is a Christmas movie that is bound to be forgotten rather quickly, as the storyline is subpar and feels like a poor man's version of "Nation Lampoons Christmas Vacation".

My rating of director Chris Nickin and Joel Paul Reisig's "A Dog for Christmas" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

I've rated one star to try and counteract the currently fake 8 star rating.

There seems to be a plot line missing from this movie. Also, no dog.

The lighting is shocking for a Christmas movie, it's harsh and cold whereas it should be warm and comforting,

Dean Cain must have been desperate to take on this turkey.

If you like to watch all the different Christmas Movies you will like it. I happen to be big Christmas Movie lover. Yeah I wouldn't give it a 10 but it does deserve a solid 7. Loved the "whole family" theme at one house for the Holidays. I am actually from Michigan and we always spent the holidays together. It is worth a watch.

Hello all, I am the writer and producer. I wanted to reply to the comments here.

In general, I agree. If you sat down to watch this movie with your little kids, and you're expecting a cute Christmas movie - you're going to think that this is the worst movie ever made!

The movie was never intended for kids, grandmas, or the Hallmark crowd. The title "A Dog For Christmas" was forced on me by the original distributor. It's a terrible title, there's no dog in my movie! Same thing with the artwork. I was given no say in the matter. The movie has nothing to do with Santa. But the original distributor did not care, at all.

If you watch the movie for what it is, you might actually like it. So what is it? It is a lower budget version of Christmas Vacation, made for adults who have seen Christmas Vacation twenty times and would like to try something new. Does the movie have a plot? Barely. Does Christmas Vacation have a plot? Barely. Both are movies about having your entire extended family in for Christmas. Both are quite funny and relatable. One (ours) has a much lower budget.

Send the kids to bed. Have some drinks. Enjoy the movie.

Geez, what a bunch of Scrooges and Grinches in the review section of this movie! This is solid, but corny comedy with a healthy dose of moral thrown in to make it a nice Christmas movie that despite disclaimers is a family suitable movie that will make you laugh, if not warm your heart.

The role of Santa Claus as the narrator does not add very much to the storyline and is, at times, a hindrance to the flow of the story, but I guess it was meant to add a little charm to the slapstick side of the film. I just wish they had integrated his pr, as it is he just functions as an outside presence into the story.

I am amused at all the complaints about the name of the movie because of the inclusion of the word "dog" in the title, since sometimes a good tale can revolve around an aspect that is not present during most of the story! People need to chill out and just enjoy. Not a great movie, not a great cast and no Oscar nominees here, but just a little good clean fun!