How to Marry a Billionaire: A Christmas Tale

I only started watching this because of the West Wing connection (i.e. Joshua Malina was given second billing) but it was much better than I'd expected from reading the blurb. I found it to be a funny, well-written (if somewhat cliched) piece with strong performances all round, and a cute poodle. It reminded me a lot of "Scrubs" and is certainly worth higher than a lousy 4.4 you guys! (The same score, incidentally as "Legally Blond 2" - Please!)

Three guys who think they are a lot hotter than they really are spend the Christmas holidays pretending to be wealthy playboys so they can hook up with gold diggers and rich women who are looking for rich men. It is a lot shallower than that, and there is nothing positive, uplifting, or good-hearted. Just a sad story about greedy materialistic people failing to find any meaningful relationships.

This movie was the worst Christmas film I've ever seen. Totally inappropriate for any family viewing. Cheap exploitation and crude humor does not make a film! Grotesque "Sweaterpuppets" and dirty old scotsmen grabbing and yanking on something under another man's kilt is truly awful for a evening "family" movie. Needless to say Fox really blew this one.

Movie fizzled out. By 3/4 through it, waiting for the end to come. Completely lost my interest. For a 8:00pm viewing, had things that were inappropriate for that time slot. Acting was good on a whole but some actresses were very boring.

Remaking old classic movies seems to be a trend the last few years. Whether it's on the big screen or on the small screen, audiences have been inundated with remakes. How To Marry A Billionaire is a hip, up-to-date take on Jean Negulesco's How To Marry A Millionaire. The story of three money-seeking women who set out to marry three millionaires. As anyone who has seen the film remembers the story concluded with the ladies redeeming themselves when they choose love over money and then getting both.

In How To Marry A Billionaire, the concept is similar but the tables are turned, as this time, it's three men looking for rich women. The characters are similar with John Stamos, as Tom, heading up the charge playing Bacall's intelligent, scheming character. Shemar Moore, as Jason, is the dim-witted, but kind-hearted ladies man/want-to-be-actor, he is obviously doing Monroe's character. Joshua Malina, as Mark, plays the deep-thinking, conservative character that Grable nailed down in the original.

The three poor bachelors pass themselves off a mega-rich movie producers in an attempt to land an equally rich partner and get married. The three soon find that the idea is much harder to pull off as they had originally thought, whenever emotions are involved, it usually is.

A truly sweet love story arises when Tom befriends a lonely painter on the beach, played by Gabrielle Anwar. She isn't rich but she has a kind heart and before long Tom is falling in love with her.

Will Tom choose love over money? Will Jason gets his big role? Will Mark realize something about himself that he had been suppressing all his life? Something that Grable was never allowed to reveal back in the 50's. You have to watch to find out. I'll let you in on a secret, the film is a remake remember.

Rod Daniel (Alley Cats Strike) is such a talented director that it boggles the mind to know that he is making TV-movies while guys like Danny Cannon are being allowed to direct big-budget Hollywood features. Anyways, try and check this movie out next time it comes on!