The Man Who Saved Christmas

It's Christmas time once again and amid the anti-Christmas media coverage, I happened onto this film. What a pleasant and refreshing surprise! This is a story to warm the hearts of those in my generation who long for the days when everyone said, "Merry Christmas!" and people were proud of their country. The best part of this film is knowing that the film is based on a real person's life: A.C. Gilbert. The Scrooge-type figure of A.C.'s father, played by Asner, is believable and helps make this story enjoyable. Thanks for the memories of the days when Christmas was important, patriotism was shared, and no one thought about political correctness.

A very charming feel-good seasonal tale of a man with strong dreams and expectations. Jason Alexander plays Erector Set inventor, A.C. Gilbert, who is asked by the Government to urge citizens to cancel Christmas during the first world war and buy bonds instead of toys. Gilbert turns his toy manufacturing plant in a war supply plant making gas masks, bomb casings, chemical suits and bayonets among other things. Gilbert has a change of heart and goes with his deepest and long fostered dreams. He goes before the nation's Defense Counsel and gets permission to go back to making his toys. The toy maker still kept manufacturing war supplies, but also turned his own home into a producing center for more Erector Sets. After the war, Gilbert continued manufacturing Erector Sets, Chemistry Sets , Magician Trick Sets, trains and other toys for over forty years.

Alexander is outstanding in this role and light-years away from his obnoxious role on TVs "Seinfeld". Also in the cast are Kelly Rowan, Ari Cohen, Ed Asner and Jake Brockman. Entertaining for all ages.

After his latest series bombed and he was reduced to doing Kentucky Fried Chicken commercials, Jason Alexander makes a refreshing return to TV in this true story based on the life of toy inventor A.C. Gilbert, who created the now-famous Erector Set. During World War I, Gilbert was persuaded to have his factory staff produce weapons and ammo for American troops fighting overseas instead of toys. The decision caused him to forget about the true meaning of the holidays and neglect his wife and son. With their persuasion, however, and his older brother missing in action in Europe, Gilbert and his staff decided to start marketing toys again and took their decision all the way to the Supreme Court.

Alexander gives a wonderful performance, and Ed Asner does a remarkable job playing Gilbert's father, who also tends to have a Scooge-like attitude during Christmas but is finally rejuvenated at the end of the movie, when his presumed-dead son returns home from Europe after the end of the war.

I taped this movie when it first came out and have watched it every year since. I was about to put it in tonight while wrapping gifts and realized, the tape is wearing out and just ordered it on DVD. It should be a yearly classic.

I'm not a fan of Jason Alexander, from Seinfeld but I have to give him credit. He did very well in this movie, I was so surprised. This is a true story.

It is a very well thought out movie, it has heart and I highly recommend it. watch it with an open mind.

Kelly Rowan and Ed Asner did very well.

"The Man Who Saved Christmas" would probably fail the historical accuracy test on any number of points -- casting roly-poly Jason Alexander as the former Olympic athlete A.C. Gilbert, for example; or the fact that A.C. jr., who features prominently in the film's storyline, wasn't even born until almost a year after World War I ended -- and so, if historical accuracy is your main criterion in judging a film, skip this one.

If, however, you're after warmth with intelligence, or a dose of sweetness that is neither sappy nor cloying, with perhaps a few telling insights into human nature thrown in for good measure, I suggest taking a look at this one. Jason Alexander crafts an amazing character, balancing childlike innocence against shrewd business savvy as his A.C. Gilbert struggles in his decency to do the right thing. First, however, he has to determine for himself just what is, ultimately, that "right thing," blind, unquestioning patriotic adherence to what the government wants out of him, or to look within himself as well and to follow the voicings of his own conscience? And, if so, then how to reconcile the two?

It's a particular strength of this film that there are no clear-cut "bad guys," per se. Even the senior Gilbert's seemingly hardheaded Scrooginess (under Ed Asner's stewardship) is tempered by an affection that doesn't come off as forced; but then, neither does the man's various changes of heart as he's forced to reconcile his own attitudes with those of his sons.

The real-life A.C. Gilbert is said to have trusted in the intelligence of the children to whom he marketed his science/technology-oriented toys. The same can be said for the producers of "The Man Who Saved Christmas" and their attitude toward their audience.