User reviews

Other than my lifelong love of Christmas, my main reasons for wanting to see 'The Christmas Candle' were that the messages appealed to me, they are nice messages and still important and relevant in this day and age, and because of the cast, which is a talented one. Lesley Manville especially and Samantha Barks is an immensely talented performer in acting and singing. Despite liking Susan Boyle's voice and liking what she stands for, there were doubts as to her acting ability.

While not exactly loving 'The Christmas Candle', so much is done right here and do agree (if not as vehemently, and in a way as disrespectfully, as with others) that it does not deserve some of the over-the-top criticism it has garnered. Can understand some of the flaws (as they are there), but then there have been some that can easily pass as straight out weird and nit-picky. Is it perfect? No, not to me. But a big part of me really couldn't help appreciate the film and what it had to say and its good intentions are present throughout. As said, its good things are a lot and the best of those good things are done extremely well indeed.

Shall start with the drawbacks. There are parts that are a bit contrived and others that are too sentimental, with the conclusion being one of the prime examples of the latter (too sappy for my taste). Would have liked some of the messaging delivered with more subtlety in the script at times.

Although Boyle does sing angelically, her acting inexperience does show. Compared to the more seasoned actors, she seemed a little stiff but does still do her best.

However, 'The Christmas Candle' is incredibly well made. The scenery is exquisite and the time and place is remarkably authentically evoked in the production and costume designs. The photography enhances all this beautifully and atmospherically. The quaintness and charm of the setting translates very well here while not making too picture perfect. Also a beauty is the music score, it brings a lump to the throat and often haunting without being too syrupy or over-emphasising the mood.

Despite the script not being perfect, it is well-meaning and doesn't sound like it doesn't have any substance to it. It flows quite well too and doesn't come over as stilted. Again the story has imperfections, but it didn't come over as dull to me, it was coherently structured and it was moving. The messaging didn't come over as vague and, while subtlety would have been more welcome perhaps, it is hardly out of date and important in society today in a way if one is not too cynical. The characters engage and one admires and relates to their trials and tribulations and how they go about them. Barks and Hans Mattheson are charming and sincere leads and Manville, Sylvester McCoy and John Hannah are distinguished support, McCoy's more understated than usual performance stands out.

Concluding, very worthwhile and, while with its drawbacks, deserving of more credit. 7/10

Plot In A Paragraph: In the heart of the English countryside lies the village of Gladbury. Legend has it every 25 years an angel visits the village candlemaker and touches a single candle. Whoever lights this candle receives a miracle on Christmas Eve. But in 1890, at the dawn of the electric age, this centuries old legend may come to an end. When David Richmond (Hans Matheson), a young minister, arrives in Gladbury, the villagers discover a new formula for miracles: good deeds and acts of kindness. While David's quest to modernize Gladbury sets him at odds with the old world candlemaker (Sylvester McCoy) he finds an unlikely ally in the lovely skeptic, Emily Barstow (Samantha Barks). Now, the fiery candlemaker must fight to preserve the legacy of the Christmas Candle.

Not sure why I've read so much hate about this movie, it has some good performances especially Barks, McCoy and John Hannah. Susan Boyle is here too, and she performs admirably. It's far from perfect but it was a pleasant way to spend a cold winters afternoon.

I have loved Samantha Barks since I first seen her in "Les Miserables" I think she is both gorgeous and talented, and will continue to look out for her work.

I went to watch this movie knowing it was a tale about hope, inspiration and people. I was not disappointed, enjoyed the characters and message from beginning to end. It is the absolute opposite from zombies, explosions, murder and mayhem, and is all the better for it. Not sure if the movie is true to every historical aspect of the time portrayed, but that is not the point. While the audience was small, there were applause at the end, and some folks wiping their eyes and not rushing to get out of the theater. Beware the onion ninjas when watching. Watch this movie with an appreciation for the human spirit and faith, you will not be disappointed and wish we had more movies like this to watch instead of the normal trashy Hollywood fare.

Christmas movies are a cottage industry. I don't mind watching them because I know the ending will always be happy. Now "The Christmas Candle" is not a great film. The film fails on at almost every level. The film is almost " A Touched By Angel" episode! It never rises above that level. It could of been better What it does well is that it sends the message about hope faith and miracles. The film however redeems itself in the final act and that was a miracle.

The film looks beautiful. The sets make you think you are back in the late 19th century. The films screenplay however is borderline terrible but it does have a great final act.

In this film Deep in the heart of the English countryside lies the enchanting village of Gladbury. Legend has it every 25 years an angel visits the village candle maker and touches a single candle. Whoever lights this candle receives a miracle on Christmas Eve. But in 1890, at the dawn of the electric age, this centuries old legend may come to an end.

Now despite the flaws it is still worth seeing. Family Safe. Most kids will be bored and so will most adults. I did however love the final 10 minutes

One of the best Christmas movies! Has romance without being a "rom-com". Sentimental without being cheesy. Faith filled without being preachy. Some predictability but some sweet surprises too.

I saw this film around the holidays with the hope it would help put me in the Christmas spirit. It didn't. Although well intentioned, this film is a huge misfire.

Every 25 years, the town candle maker is given (magically?) a candle that grants the wish of the villager who receives it. For the sake of story, why not make it every 5 years because the villagers would likely forget after 25 years....but i digress. The new pastor in town tries to dispute this myth as he has his own reason to not believe in miracles.

Sounds good right?

Wrong. The story becomes increasingly muddled and boring with side plots of the villagers, each of whom wants the candle for their own reasons. Susan Boyle plays one of the villagers whose husband is ill. If you think Ms. Boyle is awkward in real life, wait till you see her try to act!

I hate to be a grinch, but this movie and the sappy conclusion left me cold. On a positive note, nice job with the scenery and capturing the quaintness of a 19th century village.

Cute old time Christmas movie with the possibility of miracles. Many reviews complain about the religious aspect of this film. There's definitely a message in the movie it's too bad those who couldn't see past the Christian theme didn't understand it.

Do not waste your money or your time watching this film. This is a cliché laden film which insults the intelligence of Christians and non-Christians alike.

From the very beginning of the film, you already know what's going to happen at the end. The characters are horribly introduced, and the plot set up is terrible.

If you like cheesy hallmark movies with bad acting, this is your film. Aftter the buzz is over, and the people realize they have been duped by a once upon a time politician, there will be skepticism and backlash on the Faith Based film industry.

As far as faith based films go, I will stick to watching Veggie Tales.

If you are looking for a Christmas gift for your grandma, she might enjoy this film.

If you like inspiring, hope-filled Christmas movies, then you'll definitely want to see "The Christmas Candle." I was pleasantly surprised at how well the movie was made. It would definitely hold up to any mainstream movie in its genre. The acting was great overall, the costumes were beautiful and it was easy to get drawn into the story. I also really like how they introduced Susan Boyle's character. The characters in the movie deal with real, relatable hardships and disappointments as they all secretly hope for a Christmas miracle. This movie celebrates communities coming together, faith and the true meaning of Christmas. It leaves you with the warm, uplifted feeling you hope to have after watching a Christmas movie.

You know what, pretty good! Weird, but holds some charm.

'The Christmas Candle' is rather religious-y, though I think it strikes a fine balance for the majority... until they deep dive into it with the ending admittedly, but as a full-blown atheist I can let it pass as it's a conclusion that stills works in film terms to be fair.

The cast are a nicely chosen bunch. Hans Matheson stands out most in the lead role, while James Cosmo supports ably - as do Lesley Manville, Sylvester McCoy and Samantha Barks. Interesting to see Susan Boyle appear in her acting debut, she's clearly not an actress though her performance is alright - a likeable onscreen presence, at worst.

This film is a mess of undirected ideas. It tries to capture some kind of classic Christmas feeling, but completely misses. Giving credit where it's due, the costumes and location filming are quite nice.

Beyond those niceties, the film falls apart. The story is a mess, the moral message unclear. For a film that is trying to put the heart back into Christmas this is a soul-less mess that will not endear itself to any casual viewer.

BUT THE REAL REASON I WANTED TO REVIEW THIS ===========================================

The first few pages of IMDb reviews are filled with glowing 10/10 reviews by "people" who have never reviewed anything else on IMDb. Most of them praise this movie for bringing back the true Christian spirit of Christmas.

Pages of 10/10 reviews for a movie that clearly isn't good by any standard. Is that your message for Christmas? That it's OK to lie and deceive other people, as long as it results in conning them into handing over a few more bucks to see your movie.

I'm not a Christian, but that seems immoral to me.

This film was beautifully written and well acted. I normally don't leave reviews but I saw that Lesley Manville complained about Susan Boyle being chosen for a role as she felt she could only sing and not act, so I felt compelled to put in my own opinion.

First of all, Ms. Boyle has a truly angelic voice. But she thoroughly surprised me by being a very good actress who is a pure natural in this film. She speaks and acts as if this is a real life situation and pulls the viewer into the film. She is not trying to gain accolades or steal the screen from anyone...she is simply doing her job. And what a wonderful job she did, especially for it being her very first time! What a very humble woman she is, indeed. Perhaps Lesley Manville could use a lesson or two in manners and humility?

Having said that, all in all, this film is a breath of fresh air compared to all of the rubbish being shown these days. Your children could watch this and not leave you worrying about nudity, violence or foul language. It opens up all sorts of possibilities for children to ask genuine questions about their own beliefs and for adults to ponder things such as faith, hope and...dare we even think it?...Miracles!

I give it 10 stars b/c ALL the actors did a wonderful job at pulling the viewer into the story and holding our attention in a very comfortable way. The world needs more films like this that are clean and refreshing. Well done everyone! And thank you!

Stiff acting, predictable, overwrought emotionally, rote recitation of dialogue, the "christian" message so blatant it feels like you're being hit over the head with a bible, and now for what I didn't like about the movie. Preachy to the point of being arrogant and vain, prideful. Sins by the way. If you're into that sort of thing. Which I gather the makers of this film are since their point was to show how much closer to god they are then the rest of us. I suppose all they have to do now is buy that ticket to isreal and get ready for the apocalypse. Well at least the popcorn was fresh, more then I can say for the movie. Here's a thought. Want to see a movie that conveys a message and is about Christmas? Then go watch a Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim.

This is a movie filled with hope, faith and kindness. It is a faith builder, feel good movie. It has great acting and interesting characters with a beautiful story line. I loved it and would watch it again. A great Christmas movie for the family.

Save your money, save time, save your brain from one of the most annoying holiday movies ever made. Tea Party propaganda has its place and I actually thought I would laugh myself silly at this thing, but while clearly being anti-everything post-lightbulbs the movie is achingly boring it couldn't even achieve camp status. Whatever the ulterior motive behind Rick Santorums little dude was, it fails to do one simple thing all ticket buyers except: To be entertained. Just grab a cheap Christmas card and stare at it for 90minutes while ating popcorn. That your movie, folks.

Its as bad as it looks and Boyle appears to be in a thorazine stupor. Taking a family of four to the movies these days will set you back a chunk of change which at Christmas time can hurt so I expected something for my cash, not just a Santorum rehash of his looney beliefs.

What a delightful story to come out in the theaters! This stunning movie contains a stellar cast, a charming English village, and a heart- warming story of faith in the face of difficulty.

Based on the Max Lucado book by the same name, this movie portrays a message of hope and endurance, and of answered prayers for miracles. Much like the film, "It's a Wonderful Life", The Christmas Candle is destined to be a classic family Christmas film that brings to mind the true meaning of the Christmas season.

The acting is wonderful, though Susan Boyle is perhaps a bit more amateur in comparison to the rest, and the costumes are stunning! Bustle gowns made of velvets, brocades, and tweeds look lovely against the English countryside.

And the ending of the film is a true "happy ending" Christmas story. I highly recommend this movie!

It took 5 years after its release for me to relent and watch this movie. I've been disappointed too many times by low budget Christian-made movies that, while perhaps good intentioned, falls short of a quality and enjoyable movie. The Christmas Candle does not disappoint.

Regardless of the production budget, this movie is top notch in every way! The storyline is clever, and the script is engaging with enough surprises to keep viewers guessing.

The costuming and setting (Dickens' era England) is spot on. The characters are ordinary people enduring life with all its heartaches. Their struggles are relatable and garner sympathy; you feel their sorrows, share their hopes, and celebrate each miracle. The "miracles" are rational (xcept at the end, there's a bit of the supernatural) and even the seemingly smallest of them (the village recluse who's cat didn't die) feels genuine and brings a smile.

Some have commented on Susan Boyle's (lack of) acting skills but her role is so small it's not distraction.

The Christmas Candle celebrates hope and the enduring joy which God has promised to those who trust in Him.

I have seen it before. I didn't remember that 19th century towns had such a variety of accents.

The Christmas Candle (2013) -

I loved how completely different this film is from the other Seasonal Specials out there and I loved the message that it was trying to send. Don't wait 25 years for a miracle for yourself, when you could be the miracle someone else needs.

So while the candle was a magic idea, the sense of community that the Reverend Richmond (Hans Matheson) built was a far greater power.

It's more of the idea previously explored in 'A Christmas Carol'. How long is the chain you have forged in life? Could you make it shorter by visiting an elderly relative or giving items to a food bank? The small things count as much as the big ones, especially if you do lots of the them and it's like Julie Andrews said in her song 'The Secret Of Christmas' - "It's not the things you do at Christmas, but the Christmas things you do all year through" and that's exactly what the reverend was saying in this film regardless of the miracle candle.

What I also enjoyed about this one was that, despite it centring on a reverend new to a very religious parish, where they all had faith in a candle allegedly sent by God, it wasn't overly religious in the usual God-Bothery, Bible-Bashing way. Yes faith was discussed, but as I've mentioned above, the message of loving one another was the prominent one, even the Nativity and such are hardly explored.

There were some religious elements that I did find odd and I didn't understand why he couldn't give comfort to the sick man. I could only assume that he was having a crisis of faith in that moment?

If I could change anything about this film, which was otherwise relatively well cast, it would be Susan Boyle. There is no denying that the woman does have the voice of an Angel, but I couldn't be sued for libel for saying that she can't act for toffee and it was actually a bit cringey to watch her try.

There were some great actors working here though, that probably don't get the credit they're really due. Samantha Barks for one and James Cosmo for another. She was effortless and he must be one of the hardest working men in the biz. If you haven't seen him in 'All The Queen's Men' (2001) it's definitely worth a watch.

John Hannah did the great job he always has too.

I watch it every Christmas and each year I find more to love about it.

850.77/1000.

Susan Boyle's beautiful voice is one of the few bright spots in this trite and hackneyed movie. It is visually pleasing so for those two reason I gave it fours stars. The story predictable and boring. The dialog is stilted and awful. The acting wooden. It is a "Christmas" movie, but even that does not excuse this utter failure Need I say more?