O Presente de Natal

Good performances and a touch of the supernatural help along a solid sentimental journey.

McCubbin's directing is impressively understated, and we'd like to see a little more. Where is this guy?

I try to watch this movie once a year at Christmas since it aired on television back in 1990. Mickey Rooney gives a touching performance as Elmer, an elderly homeless man who is taken in by a family at Christmas to repay them by doing chores around their house for having broken into their car previously and having taken some items. The children of the family have no grandparents and grow fond of Elmer. The movie is slow-paced at times and there are a few predictable twists to the story along the way, but it is a well-meaning and good-spirited Christmas film. I enjoy Christmas movies like this, that are not about acquiring stuff, but about the pursuit of happiness and the bonding with one another at Christmas. If you haven't seen this film, take two hours out of your life at Christmas and give it a viewing for the sentimental feeling of the holidays.

Oscar Wilde is reported to have said that you would have to have a heart of stone not to laugh at the death of Little Nell. I am not sure what he would make of this offering. Maudlin, sentimental and deeply unappealing. If I could award it zero stars I would have done. Every cliche under the sun (or should that be snow) was trotted out by the scriptwriters. The director laid on the pathos with a very large trowel and with plenty of gusto. If you must watch this film be prepared to break out into gales of laughter but in all the places where you were expected to burst into tears. Perhaps this sort of film plays better to a different audience.

"Home for Christmas" is a bad film because it is filled with cliches, ridiculous improbabilities and it's oozing with schmaltz. Still, the actors try their best and the film is watchable provided you don't expect much.

A workaholic dad (the only type you see in made for TV Christmas films) sees a homeless guy (Mickey Rooney) stealing from his car as he leaves work. He gives chase but the homeless guy gets away.

Shortly afterwards, the workaholic's wife meets this same hobo in the park. She's a newspaper writer and wants to do a piece on homeless folks over the holidays.

When the hubby sees his wife with the homeless guy, he immediately recognizes him as the thief. But instead of calling the cops, his family convince him to bring him home and have him work off what he stole.

This is ridiculously improbable but what eventually happens goes WAY beyond improbable. Over time, the hobo realizes the man he stole from is the son he never knew he had...and by the end everything is right in their world. Oh, and did I mention the excruciating scene near the end when the workaholic's mother arrives as a ghost to talk to her hobo ex-lover?! Uggh!

If you turn off your brain, you can enjoy this film. However, the reviewer that gave this a 1 is hard to understand. Yes, it's bad...but it's high quality bad. And, the 10...well, that's much tougher to understand...especially as MOST Christmas movies are better than this one!

This movie is one I really have enjoyed since i first saw it in 1990. Mickey Rooney did a great job as Elmer.. If you love movies that is a tear jerker and that is centered around the holiday season, you will love this movie.

I would highly recommend this film...