The Gathering

The Gathering used to be an annual holiday tradition on TV, but I haven't seen it in 20 years. It's a poignant story of forgiveness and shows that for many families, Christmas is not a Norman Rockwell painting. Ed Asner's "Adam" is dying of cancer and wants to make amends with his ex-wife and estranged adult children. Of course, there's the tearful happy ending, but the characters go through a lot of emotional strife to get there.

The Gathering is doubly special for me, since it was shot in Chagrin Falls and Solon, Ohio, my old stomping grounds. When I first moved to Texas and had to spend holidays away from home, seeing this movie with its familiar scenery made me feel less alone.

With all the crappy, sappy Christmas movies out there, it's a shame this holiday gem isn't shown regularly anymore and isn't available on DVD. Judging from all the other comments, I'm not alone.

Sentimental but not sugary-sweet, "The Gathering" is a wonderful holiday treat. Ed Asner is perfect as the businessman who lost his way and his family four years earlier to his career. When he finds out he's dying, he tries to reconcile himself to his four grown children and his estranged wife. She helps him plan the gathering of the family, and in the process they tentatively get to know each other again.

Maureen Stapleton so completely lives her role that you wonder if she's been through something like this before in her own life. She is a revelation, and is the rock-hard center the film anchors itself with. Without her it would be half a film. Lawrence Pressman, Gail Strickland, Rebecca Balding and Gregory Harrison are the children who bring their spouses to the ancestral home to celebrate Christmas. They are all capable actors and actresses, and enhance the production immeasurably. The sets are perfect, the music superb, and the snowfall even arrives on time. It doesn't miss a trick, but you don't realize that while you're watching it. Honest emotions and genuine sentiment, along with a great script, make this a holiday film you won't want to miss.

It's available on DVD through Warner Archive as of 2011, which is great news; however, an audio commentary would have been even better news but the Archive doesn't do extras. "The Gathering" is a classic and is now readily available for everyone to enjoy at Christmas.

I've always been a big fan of Christmas and Christmas movies, but this television offering has to be my all time favorite. I still try to watch it every year on either my (fading) VHS copy or, most recently, on the Hallmark channel. Ed Asner is absolutely perfect as the estranged husband and father hoping for a last minute Christmas reunion with his grown children before he succumbs to an un-named disease. Maureen Stapleton matches him scene for scene as his wife. The children are all excellent as well, particularly Lawrence Pressman as the stubborn eldest son and Gail Strickland (one of Hollywood's most underrated character actresses) as his eldest daughter. Bruce Davison is also very good as Asner's put-upon son-in-law. The sequel is inferior (with two unfortunate cast replacements for the children) and Asner's presence in the second film is sorely missed but worthy of a look if you are a fan of this one. Don't miss the Gathering. It'll make you long for an old-fashioned Christmas reunion--your own gathering, whether you're dying or not.

Along with "All Mine to Give", this is the other film my wife and view each Christmas Eve, and although I disagree in a small way with some of the commentators who precede me, if you can catch this one at Christmas time, watch and tape it--This is a film you should suspend your disbelief, and immerse your self in the story--There are few examples of great acting, except, I hasten to add, that of Maureen Stapleton--Her character has the goodness of "Miss Mellie" in GWTW, but has an era appropriate anger--The writing is equal to the acting, so maybe the actors are doing the best they can with the material given, and if viewing critically, one might think a few more rewrites wouldn't be amiss--But as I stated above, don't view it critically-(after 10+ viewings, some critique does creep in)--This notwithstanding, when viewed as a whole, especially with John Barry's evocative score throughout(I have been unable to track down a copy of the soundtrack},it's a moving tribute to the type of family Christmas some may have had, and all wish they had, but nevertheless evoke nostalgia for Christmas past--The impending death leitmotif, although essential, is not a "downing" factor--One is left with a pleasant melancholy, and an appreciation for one's family, however they define it--Merry Christmas, Everyone--

It was interesting to read the production credits of The Gathering, an extremely well-acted drama, and see the following title - Executive Producer: Joseph Barbera. When Barbera died in 2006, it was a shame that the obits never mentioned his Emmy win for this critically acclaimed TV movie. Barbera, with business partner William Hanna, produced numerous TV cartoon shows and the Tom & Jerry shorts. The Gathering was Hanna-Barbera's few non-animated projects and this Emmy-award winning drama hit the ball right out of the park with its unsentimental view of one family celebrating Christmas for a final time with their long-lost father.

Strong performances by a great ensemble cast including Edward Asner and Maureen Stapleton as the parents, an observant script by James Poe (who co-adapted Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and won an Oscar co-adapting Around the World in Eighty Days) and well-directed by Randal Kleiser (who would direct the movie Grease a year later) made The Gathering one of the better TV-movies from the 1970s.

Update: May 13, 2011

Warner Brothers Archive Collection released The Gathering on DVD in 2009.