The Christmas Blessing

This made for TV movie is a sequel to the 2002 film, "The Christmas Shoes." Both are based on novels by Donna Van Liere. Some of the characters and cast are the same in the two films. But "The Christmas Blessing," has new characters and several more families and people whose paths cross in interesting ways.

So, this film has love and romance, healing from earlier losses and overcoming long-held periods of grieving. And, it offers some new tragedy with love, sacrifice and redemption. The plot in this film is very good, but considerably more complex than in the first film. It has many sub-plots, and for that reason, the script and direction have difficulty in places keeping the parts tightly together.

As in the first film, the cast are all very good. Again, the scenery, settings and camera work are all excellent as well. This is another very good film for the whole family, including younger children. It's a nice movie for the holidays, with Christmas again forming the main setting for the film.

This was pretty good, one of those made for TV, Christmas (ie) type movies. This one is based on a book and apparently a continuation of an earlier movie "The Christmas Shoes", although I didn't see that one and it didn't matter in regards to the story here. Anyways, Neil Patrick Harris plays a young doctor who returns to his hometown after losing a patient on the operating table. His plan is to give up medicine and work with his widowed father in his garage.

Harris does a decent job here, I mean its a TV movie so its not like he had to push his acting abilities. He does have some good scenes with Angus T. Jones from 'Two and a Half Men' and a plausible enough romance with Rebecca Gayheart who also does a good job. Rob Lowe is in this too, sort of a cameo type role but imperative to the story and enjoyable as always.

I have to say this was a bit of a tearjerker, way sadder than I was expecting especially if you lost a parent as a child. Several of the characters also go through life threatening situations (requiring Christmas miracles and such) with not all of the outcomes favourable. Oh and apparently recovery time for a liver transplant is about 12 hours.

Filmed in Canada -Alberta (as most made for TV movies seem to be) this features a bunch of Canadian talent and I particularly enjoyed Hugh Thompson as the widowed father and Shaun Johnston of 'Heartland' fame. 12/14/14

In this sequel to 'The Christmas Shoes', attorney Robert Layton (Rob Lowe) finds the shoes that changed his life in a dumpster at a church, where people deposit clothes for the poor.

Nathan Andrews (Neil Patrick Harris) is grown up now. As a young surgeon, when Nathan loses a patient, he says, "I can't do this any more" and returns home. He works in the garage run by his father Jack (Hugh Thompson), where he meets Megan (Rebecca Gayheart). Megan needs for her car to be fixed and, since she is learning Spanish, pretends that is all she speaks. Of course, Nathan is also deceiving Megan by pretending to be a mechanic. Lydia (Wanda Cannon) does Jack's office work and gives out advice.

The shoes end up in the possession of Tucker Bennett (Shaun Johnston), who moves around a lot and does yard work. He doesn't want to tell his son Charlie (Angus T. Jones) the truth about what happened to the boy's mother, who he claims was a dancer and wore the shoes.

Megan turns out to be Charlie's teacher. And Charlie has some difficulty as the new kid in school. Nathan shows up to volunteer at the playground where Charlie goes after school, and the two become friends. Also at the playground, Megan meets Nathan once again (can you guess where this might be going?).

Three characters in the movie go through crisis. For two, the situation may be life-threatening. A miracle may be necessary for everyone's problems to be solved. Sadly, the movie does not end well for all, but the ending is satisfying.

This is generally a pleasant family movie, even if the circumstances are not always positive. Neil Patrick Harris does a good job, and his best moments are in scenes with Angus T. Jones. Angus shows much of the same charm that he displays when playing live-action TV's most adorable brat on 'Two and a Half Men'. And Rebecca Gayheart stands out as the devoted teacher. Rob Lowe appears in only a few scenes but does quite well with them.

Some people may enjoy the music by NewSong and Blake Shelton. I'm afraid I can't be counted among them.

Overall, it was a nice movie. Just be prepared for tears.

As we follow a certain pair of red shoes from the earlier TV movie "The Christmas Shoes" (2002), handsome lawyer Rob Lowe (as Robert Layton) appears briefly. He'll reappear later, but does not play a significant role in this sequel. This time, our hero is boyish doctor Neil Patrick Harris (as Nathan Andrews). He promises to see that a teenage patient is home for Christmas, but the young man unfortunately expires during surgery. Angrily throwing his doctor's smock down in the hospital hallway, Mr. Harris declares. "I can't do this anymore!" He goes home to live and work with auto mechanic father Hugh Thompson (as Jack Andrews). Playing "stick up" with Mr. Thompson further establishes Harris has some late-term growing up to do...

While helping dad in the shop, Harris meets attractive single teacher Rebecca Gayheart (as Meghan Sullivan). Felled by a flat tire - a surefire way to find a date in TV movies - Ms. Gayheart thinks Harris is a "cute mechanic." She is learning to speak Spanish in order to be a better teacher, but tells her Vermont, USA class Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Mexico as their Independence Day. The students are either too polite to correct her, or afraid to speak and be asked to leave the set. The main pupil is imaginatively bright, chubby and sad preteen Angus T. Jones (as Charlie Bennett). He is being raised by alcoholic single landscaper Shaun Johnston (as Tucker Bennett). All of the aforementioned characters have physical and/or emotional flaws...

The holy spirit of Christmas, without being too heavy-handed, seems to bring the characters together. Some may live and some may die - but all will benefit from getting to know each other. God is a fan of tear-jerking melodramas, obviously, and Heaven isn't such a bad fate for believers. It is tempting to knock "The Christmas Blessing" for mediocrity and predictability, but each of the stories in the movie series accomplishes something that is becoming increasingly rare - character-driven drama without bombastic special effects. The plots and characters created by novelist Donna Van Liere are handled well by the production team and actors. Lord knows you could find less engaging ways to spend your viewing time, without even looking.

****** The Christmas Blessing (12/18/05) Karen Arthur ~ Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Angus T. Jones, Hugh Thompson

I sat down tonight to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie. The title included "Blessing" in it, so I thought this would be happy-ending movie.

Instead, the entire movie was depressing and brought my spirits down during this Christmas season. There was a list of members of two families that had died, along with a list of people who were ill and dying.

Thanks Hallmark for making our "spirits bright" and bringing us a depressing, morbid movie. The only saving grace to this movie was the excellent acting and the country singing. That's it. I will definitely not be watching this movie ever again. My sister did not like this movie either and said it had a wrong title and should not be a Christmas movie.