Mr. Christmas

I'm sure this was a high school play that someone shot with a movie camera. Dad pouts. Wife b!tches. Kids scream. Nothing fun at all. Lumps of coal all around.

You needn't view this fine family film at Christmas time to enjoy it. Its message transcends the seasons and speaks to the goodness people demonstrate, and the gift of the family arrangement God gave to us.

Set in the late Depression Era, the moral of the story is timeless and is clearly pertinent to our time.

Merely for its costuming, settings, and appointments this upbuilding film deserves an award. If you grew up during the Fifties, you surely will recall many homes which looked as do the lovely homes in this film.

Home decor is straight from the late thirties/forties and every bit of it is lovely. The 'floor mode' radio is quite authentic as are all the tobacco cannisters, green desk lamps, and the railway - everything.

Saw this film a couple years ago on THIS TV, and thought well enough of it to purchase it for the collection.

The father's devotion is demonstrated in the little things, making a sleigh for his kids, spending time with them.

If you've a heart you'll surely find it warmed by this fine story.

Paul Vincent Zecchino Manasota Key, Florida 26 December, 2012

If you purchase any movie to watch during the holiday season, get this one. It's only 56 minutes long, yet it is a story that will be in your mind forever. Your whole family will enjoy it!! That goes for grandparents, parents and even the youngest of movie fans. I highly suggest that you also watch the extra sections after viewing the movie. To think that "Carol Lee" had never before acted was amazing. The two little girls....not related to the other....were wonderful.

My sincere thanks and pats on the back go to Beth Brickell for her dedication and diligence in her writing, directing, and sharing memories of her life with the world.

I found this DVD by happenstance at our library's children room and liked it so much I bought the DVD through Amazon. {Note that this film is more a television special than a feature film. It is only 56 minutes long.}The DVD has an excellent background commentary by Beth Brickell, the film-maker and some wonderful out-takes, of which more below.

The film is set in the last three months of 1941 leading up to Christmas day. The setting is Eureka Springs, a real small town in northernmost Arkansas, near the Pea Ridge National Park- a battlefield in the Civil War. Eureka Springs has maintained itself as a Victorian town with some wonderful period architecture.

The movie concerns itself with a young family, a husband and wife in their 20s and their two adorable young daughters about ages 5 and 6.

The film's first merit is its glorious photography that beautifully captures the town and home interiors. {I know nothing about filming movies, but I know what I like. The photographer has some interesting commentary on the DVD for those interested in the technical aspects.}

Second, for those interested in Americana, this film rates a 10 of 10 for its attention to period detail. From Sears, Roebucks catalogues to beautiful period automobiles, the movie puts you back to an earlier and simpler America. Real newspapers and radio recordings provide even more authenticity. I have seen few big-production movies that have done as good a job of putting me in another time and place.

{Personal note: Joel, the father, goes to a Firetown store to try to get Carol Lee a bike. My mother, then just out of high school, worked as a secretary at a Firestone store in Ohio at the very same time. I was born nine months later in Setember 1942!}

The growing friction in the Pacific and the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor provide an historic backdrop to the young family's struggle to make it in an Arkansas that was still in the Depression. The young father is lucky to have a job at all, though it pays only $16 a week. One-in- three Arkansas men were still unemployed at the beginning of World War II. The film is excellent too in juxtaposing the small domestic story of the family's struggles with the global background of America's entering the world stage-however unwillingly.

The next bonus is the two local girls who play the young daughters. There are adorable. I have seen few Hollywood child actors who are as appealing as these two.

Abigail Kinslow plays the younger, "Babby", a proper young Southern lady already.

The older girl, "Carol Lee", is also played by a local girl, Ireland Rose Maddox, whose in my view steals the movie. She wants a bike for Christmas, thinking her tricycle is for "babies". Her little sister will accept whatever she gets. But Carol Lee is heart set on a bike from Santa and will settle for nothing little. This wish and her father's efforts to satisfy it provide the plot.

As played by Ireland Rose Maddox Carol Lee is a treasure. The out-takes showing Ireland Rose acting like Ireland Rose rather than her character Carol Lee are priceless. This is a little girl who knows her own mind ! I have a grand-daughter who is similar. She drives her parents nuts, but she is great for a grandparent.

As Ms. Brickell makes clear in her commentary, Ireland Rose almost made her regret decision not to employ a trained child actor. Ireland Rose largely "acted" when and how she chose. Fortunately however, the result is that the two girls' naturalness is one of the film's prime assets, especially for those jaded by Hollywood's well-trained little robots.

This is not a film for those addicted to Hollywood "production values". Rather, it is in the best sense a work of craftsmanship. Filmed largely with local help and local talent, it shows how modern technology now allows film-making to expand beyond Hollywood's formulas. The film is clearly a labor of love and has a personal intimacy that transcends any defiencies in costly "production values" that a big-budget movie would have had.

I heartily recommend buying the DVD. A good investment that will double your pleasure in watching the film.

This is a nice enough family movie for home viewing over the Holidays. I liked the fact that many locals had small roles in the film and I think they added some charm and believability. I found the ending to be a nice change and a good concept for a Christmas movie.

As for the main characters, I thought the male lead was up to the job, but the female lead had nothing to work with! Granted, this is not intended as a deep character study but at least the male got to show a little range. The female role was one-dimensional and came straight from some old misogynistic playbook. It wouldn't have taken much to turn her into a genuine human, and someone you could imagine as the partner of the male lead. I liked the twist ending as it redeemed the older child from being a copy of her self-involved mother into a child with some heart.

Then I watched "special features". First of all, I hope that poor dog was rescued immediately and found a caring home. The way the director instructed those kids to manhandle that poor dog was abusive. No owner should have allowed it. I'm amazed no child was bitten. You could see the stress in the dog. Then there was the crabby, ill-tempered way the director barked orders at two clearly distracted or tired kids. Note to the director: If you're going to show out-takes, include some where you're showing skill or humor, not just the places where you appear completely incompetent.

In summary, it's ok but could have been less offensive in places Also, do yourself a favor and skip the special features.