The Miracle of the Cards

The courageous tale of a young boy diagnosed with a brain tumor and the fight to keep him alive through treatment, and what else, the get-well cards, hence the title. Sounds like sentimental, award-winning material, doesn't it? It does. But there are several holes which couldn't save this cheap picture show.

Catherine Oxenberg portraying the real-life Marion Shergold is just awful; her "emotion" was completely forced, the "accent" made me cringe, and it made me wonder if her authentic British counterparts jeered at her during filming. Aside from her god-awful performance, the storyline completely dragged--I fell asleep twice on my sofa--and regardless of what the millions of cards did for the terminally ill bugger, I was left empty and unsatisfied. This could have been much better.

This is one of those feel-good Hallmark-style TV movies that is based on the true story of Marion Shergold and her son, Craig, who was plagued with a brain tumor. A leap of faith convinced them to launch a get-well campaign for the boy involving thousands of get-well cards, attempting to set a record for the most cards received for the Guiness Book of Records. Craig's will to live remains strong through the encouragement of the cards.

It's a perfect film for the entire audience, very family oriented and very heartfelt at times. The pacing and direction are well done and most of the characters were likable, with the exception of the father who showed indifference in finding a cure for Craig for some reason.

Much of the acting was OK, though there are some corny moments, including the part where Craig's older brother roots for their mom in the contest. I guess much of these made-for-TV movies have acting that is not really on par with motion picture films, but, this movie is still a pleasant viewing experience and will sure give you a tingly and chilly feeling of goodness.

Grade B

In case no one bothered to read, the film was shot in Canada. Not the USA. So even still, of course you're going to see a lot of things USA in it, since I would guess Viacom is an American company. Things get shot in Canada, because it is a lot less expensive then shooting in the USA. Many popular movies and TV shows were done there.

When I learned the premise that The Miracle of the Cards is based on, that discovery was met with an inward groan. Here it is: a young boy with a brain tumor, not likely to survive, wants to break the Guinness Book of World Records count for receiving get-well cards. I was glad to see that the movie is based on a true story, at least, and not some urban legend or internet hoax.

The story is told mostly through flashbacks during a sceptical reporter's interviews with the young patient's parents. From the mother's nightmares of seeing her son in a coffin (which began before his first symptoms), to his hospitalization and diagnosis with a rare form of cancer and his pursuit of the record for most cards received, this sentimental story is worth watching IF you keep reminding yourself that it is based on a true story and that it's not a sappy takeoff on an urban legend / internet hoax.

Good production values, a few solid performances and what could have been a more compelling story line are unfortunately offset somewhat by a premise that has been defamed by internet hoaxes and by the length of the film at 89 minutes. Whether or not an hour and a half was needed to tell this story is debatable, but when a movie feels too long, it probably is.

Would have been nice to have it actually filmed in the UK. The hideous clipped accents were bad enough but the hospital which looked like something from a 50's film, the post vans and ambulances that were obvious North American. And the church, no that doesn't look like it's in the middle of a forest rather than London. Luckily there's some decent actors but I can certainly see why Americans have certain views of what like here is like when you have films like this.

Oh and the addition of Union Jacks everywhere to reinforce the fact you're in the UK doesn't work.