User reviews

"All I Want for Christmas" is a good modern Christmas movie. Film critic Michael Medved described it best as, "The satisfying family picture that we've all been waiting for." That was alluding to the plethora of Christmas films that are made every year for the holiday season. So many are syrupy, silly or assembly line melodramas. While the plot for this film is predictable, that doesn't mean it isn't or can't be very good. Most comedy romances are predictable, and there have been many very good films in that genre, especially in the mid-20th century. It's the details of a plot, the quality of the screenplay, and the performers that make the difference. And, those are all good in this movie.

This film might also be considered something of a comedy romance, but the focus here is on two children and their efforts to get their divorced parents back together. The final plot on Christmas eve is a lot of fun. The settings are good, and the performances are quite good.

Lauren Bacall plays the grandmother, Lillian Brooks. Harley Jane Kozak and Jamey Sheridan play the divorced parents, Catherine and Michael O'Fallon. Some other roles are fine, including Leslie Nielsen as the store Santa Claus. But the best of the roles are Ethan Embry as young teenager Ethan O'Fallon, and Thora Birch as the nine-year-old Hallie O'Fallon. She is especially good and very adorable as an intelligent and cute third grader.

This is a good Christmas season movie that the whole family should enjoy - even well into the 21st century.

Here's my favorite exchange of lines.

Hallie O'Fallon, "Hi! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah!" Mr. Chase, "Hallie, darling, happy holidays." Hallie, "Teacher says you should always say both things in New York because people are really sensitive."

Ethan (Ethan Randall) and Hallie O'Fallon (Thora Birch) live with their divorced mother Catherine (Harley Jane Kozak) and grandmother Lillian (Lauren Bacall) in their upper class New York townhouse. Their father Michael (Jamey Sheridan) opens a diner based on a place important to his relationship with Catherine. Ethan is infatuated with Stephanie from Boston. Hallie asks the store Santa (Leslie Nielsen) to have her parents get married again. Then she overhears her mother agreeing to marry her boyfriend Tony Boer (Kevin Nealon). She realizes that she failed to ask to have her parents marry each other.

The kids are adorable. They're laying a parent trap. The divorced parents' chemistry is obvious and unflinching. Nealon is not necessarily a jerk but kind of a jerk-lite. This is cute but not actually funny. The movie has its heart in the right place but this is not really classic.

I think this is a great movie. Perfect for families to watch on christmas eve together. Ethan Embry(credited as Ethan Randall) gave a stunning performance for a 12-13 year old, in only his second starring role. Flawless New York accent. Thora Birch was of course perfect for the role of Hallie, and seeing Leslie Nielson as Santa was cool. Kevin Nealon deserves some credit for his role, that man always amuses me.

Although the movie is quite typical for a family christmas film, I like it better than most.

8.5/10 stars.

"All I Want For Christmas" was uniformly trashed by critics when it came out. It was easily one of the worst reviewed films of 1991. Why oh why didn't I listen to them?

The plot is so generic that you know how it's going to end within the first ten minutes. Two parents are no longer together. The mother has found a new boyfriend. The kids do what they can to ditch the new boyfriend and get the parents back together. With that stale of a plot, the only way it could've worked out would have been if the acting was filled with passion and the direction evoked as much Christmas magic as possible. That didn't happen.

There is not a single heartfelt moment to be found in this film. Not one. I don't even know where to begin. Thora Birch has turned out to be an impressive actress. However, she is only grating and precocious to the extreme in "All I Want For Christmas". Her brother, played by Ethan Embry, had no character definition whatsoever. His substory involving a teenage romance was underdeveloped and seemed better suited for another film.

The adult characters are just as bad. The filmmakers could've saved money by utilizing cardboard cutouts instead of actual actors. The Mom, Dad, and Mom's new "jerk" boyfriend are shallower than a kiddie pool.

I was even put off by the shameless plugging of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. It's a sad fact that product placement has been commonplace for a long time now but...come on! Don't they understand that if the product is shoved in your face that it only serves as an unpleasant distraction? At least their Coca-Cola placement was slightly less obvious.

Even Santa would only give this movie to the naughty kids. 1/10

A brother (Ethan Embry) and sister (Thora Birch) attempt to bring their divorced parents back together for Christmas.

Apparently this film did poorly at the box office and critics hated it, too. I can understand that, as it is sort of a lame version of "The Parent Trap", except less quirky and the kids try much less seriously. Really, this one had me wondering why the parents broke up in the first place. (Presumably if it was worth divorcing over, they probably should not get re-married).

What makes this average film worth watching is the kids. Ethan Embry is decent and it is no surprise he has gone on to a remarkable career. Thora Birch is fantastic. Just amazing. Exactly what happened to her, I do not know. After "Ghost World" she seems to have faded away.

All I want For Christmas is about two kids that are very upset by their parents divorce and the only thing they want for christmas is for them to get back again and be a happy family. It's a cute nice little story, but this stuff never happens in real life. Divorced Parents hardly ever get back together, it's an ugly reality, but that's why we have movies such as these to make us feel happy. Thora Birch gives a great performance, cute little thora. I would give All I Want For Christmas 8/10

How can you watch a movie with Thora Birch and not just want to eat her up for being so cute. I am not referring to the lovely Thora in American Beauty, but the really cute one in this film.

She just wants Santa to get her parents back together. Her brother Ethan (Ethan Embry) doesn't believe in Santa, so he tries to help make his sister's wish come true with the help of the lovely Amy Oberer.

Now, I don't know what mom (Harley Jane Kozak) sees in Kevin Nealon, when her ex is Jamey Sheridan (Syriana, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"), so he must have screwed up big time.

Anyway, Ethan comes through and all is well. Or, was it Santa (Leslie Nielsen)?

This film carried me through my parents separation when i was Twelve years old. I was left in a total state of shock which imprisoned me in my bedroom for several weeks with the only comfort being the television, VCR and a copy of all i want for christmas.

I can't honestly say what it is I like about this film, it could be one thing or a million things.....it is completely mesmorising. From the bad acting to the in-film songs......this film is a classic.

Having seen the film now around 200 times I know the complete script off by heart and can pre-empt every forthcoming scene with childish glee.

Opening scene

"From the top" "God bless thee......"

I am not mental

For me Ethan Embry had already made one classic Christmas film prior to this in the form of the Ed O'Neil/John Hughes vehicle 'Dutch' (known elsewhere as 'Drive Me Crazy') and that is the far superior film to this one.

It just didn't grab me I'm afraid. I know for some it's a classic film, one they rush to re-watch every Christmas, but for me it was just all a bit slow, none of the characters really engaged me, and I could see the hands of time ticking on.

It's well-intentioned, it's likeable enough, but I can't say it would be a film I'd be overly keen to watch again.

I do highly recommend Embry's other effort though.

I saw this years ago at the theater at Christmastime. I haven't seen it since, but I remember it made me feel warm and happy. Leslie Nielson and Lauren Bacall as Santa and Grandma were both wonderful. Thora Birch's first major role was in this movie. She played the cute as a button little sister and was absolutely charming. Too bad my most vivid memory of her these days is seeing her topless in American Beauty. But that's another story. Good holiday fun!

Alright, *All I Want for Christmas* (1991) is like getting coal, but the coal is somehow insulting you. This movie follows two kids who plot to get their divorced parents back together for Christmas, and it's like *Home Alone* and *The Parent Trap* had an illegitimate lovechild who was promptly disowned. It's supposed to be "heartwarming," but the only thing it warms is my impatience, which was boiling over around the 30-minute mark. These kids' plan is so convoluted it feels like a test in unnecessary problem-solving. And don't even get me started on the "romantic" moments between the parents-it's like watching two cardboard cutouts flirt.

The dialogue here could've been written by a chatbot, and not even a good one. Every line feels like it was workshopped at a corporate board meeting where no one has ever experienced joy. Watching the kids try to manipulate their parents is somehow both creepy and mind-numbing; they keep whispering and giving each other knowing looks like little Bond villains. It's weird. There's a scene where they try to set their mom up with a "suitable" partner, and honestly, I was hoping she'd just run away with him to escape this chaotic nightmare.

And the cherry on top? Santa Claus himself shows up, but he looks like he's barely holding it together, and I'm pretty sure his Christmas magic ran out back in 1989. By the time the movie ended, I was just grateful the credits rolled and didn't reveal a sequel. *All I Want for Christmas* made me realize what I really want for Christmas: 90 minutes of my life back.

All I Want for Christmas

The best present that divorced parents can give their children is remarrying millionaires.

Mind you, the siblings in this comedy would prefer their parents remarry each other.

Products of the 1990s separation boom, Manhattanites Ethan (Ethan Randall) and his sister Hallie (Thora Birch) only have one wish this Christmas: to trick their mother (Harley Jane Kozak) into falling back in love with their father (Jamey Sheridan).

But in order to implement a plan that will get rid of their mom's new boyfriend (Kevin Nealon), they need the assistance of their grandmother (Lauren Bacall), Ethan's crush (Amy Oberer) and Santa (Leslie Nielsen).

While the surprisingly funny script ventures into familiar reconciliation territory, this seasonal take on the subject is greatly benefited by its snappy dialogue and resplendent setting – even if it does set unrealistic expectations.

Moreover, if you want to really reunite your separated parents over the holidays just fake cancer.

Yellow Light

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A family's children try to revive the marriage of their parents back together again. The problem is, they have to put up with their soon to be new father (Kevin Nealon). So, one of the youngsters tries to report to Santa (Leslie Nielsen). If you're a family who's parents appear to be a divorced couple than this could probably be the movie for you. If you're a married couple, then watch something more entertaining. I have an idea: How about National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? That at least knows what the word "funny" means. Though, two Hollywood actors (Kevin Nealon and Leslie Nielsen) at least try to stretch the laughs out.

There is something about the older Made For TV Christmas Films that were just so much more charming and sweet. Before the "Formula" and Hallmark Channel took over and made them all the same.

This is no exception and I remember watching it when I was much, much younger and having a huge crush on Ethan Embry. Now I have a huge crush on Jamey Sheridan, who plays the Dad, instead.

It doesn't actually have a lot of Christmas elements to it. Yes they visit Santa, but that's about it. However the spirit of the season, love and family are definitely very prominent.

The whole cast play their parts well and the snowy setting of New York, although it has since been overused, is perfect for the shenanigans. It flows well with pace, but without compromise and you really feel you know the characters as you go through their Christmas build up with them.

It's a nice story without that harshness that some of them can have and it even has a little magic.

If I see it on DVD, I'm buying it!

Nice Christmas film with a great Santa, but who wants to rewatch a divorce story every year?

This cheesy little Christmas movie is my favorite of all time. When my children were younger we never missed sitting and watching it together. Now we all own a copy on DVD and it has become our traditional Christmas movie along with the classics. The costumes in this movie, especially Santa's, are gorgeous. The relationships between parents and children, brother and sister, grandmother... are endearing. The performance of Baby It's Cold Outside is a definite highlight. The movie does a good job of giving off the New York feel of Christmas. I hate to admit it, but my children and I so love this movie, that I am Nana to my grandchild because of it.

"All I Want for Christmas" from 1991, is a gentle and winning holiday film that combines family-friendly comedy with sentimental charm. The story revolves around two siblings, young Danny (Ethan Randall) and his younger sister, Hallie (Thora Birch), who wish to reunite their divorced parents, played by the charismatic duo of Harley Jane Kozak and Jamey Sheridan, for Christmas. There is a huge ensemble cast in this movie, including Lauren Bacall, Leslie Nielsen, Kevin Nealon, and many more. Also featured is Danny's puppy live crush in the form of one Amy Oberer, as Stephanie. The film's nostalgic appeal and festive atmosphere, complemented by a wonderful, eclectic Christmas oriented soundtrack, make it much more than just an enjoyable bit of holiday fluff. It's a movie that's engaging throughout however and which makes great use of its talented cast, as well as utilizing familiar Christmas tropes to create a warm and joyful good time. It also effectively demonstrates that the true spirit of the season is not material wealth, but something much more profound. An undiscovered holiday gem, with a message as timeless and inspiring as the season itself.

I greatly enjoyed this movie...yeah...not many have seen it, but its one of me and my bestfriends favorite movies..i recommend it. Its cheezy, but also such good times...i really dont remember where i first saw this movie. Since mice are one of my favorite animals it made it all the more better.