The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

This under-advertised DVD movie is a gem. It is suitable for all ages, and will be most appreciated by children and mature watchers. The players are all just excellent and I especially liked the work of the director. This is a heartwarming and uplifting tale, something we all need these days! Set at Christmas-time, the story shows how kindness and a strong,loving spirit can break barriers of loss and loneliness. The young actor playing the role of the son is outstanding and Mr. Berenger's genuine portrayal of the lonely recluse is moving and heart-felt. I believe this rather short film could become a Christmas staple and hope others who watch it will agree.

All shot in England...likely in studio sound stages. The surreal imagery added to the tale. The young kid was a bit too bratty at first after his dad died. I didn't know this was a British film until the kid messed up his American accent a few times. Would have been better if the reclusive wood carver had been a true hottie after he got all cleaned up and de-bearded(not depicted). A little bit of eye candy never hurts. The end was a let down as nothing really happened. I suppose the rapid transformation of the reclusive wood carver into a warm, sociable human being was the miracle. We needed to care more about the carver for the miracle to have more impact. His character wasn't developed enough to give us this......Worth watching once.

So beautiful, it enchanted me, it could be even darker, more intense, the childish tone made it somewhat superficial and predictable, as children's stories should be, it had the potential to be better, but the narrative, the characters and the photograph enchant. Cute and charming...

It's ironic, but some of the best Christmas movies are those with a deep strain of melancholy under the surface. THE Christmas MIRACLE OF JOHNATHON TOOMEY is just that; a tale of loss and heartache, yet never losing the hope that is Christmas.

All the leads give excellent performances, the cinematography is solid, and the script, while not breaking any new ground, constantly draws us in. These are characters we come to like and root for!

My main complaint is that it's painfully slow. It took me three or four times to finally get through it on streaming. It's a very cute, quaint story with great young actors. The actress who plays the mother, Joely Richardson is adorable. Probably the youngest I've seen Saoirse Ronan and she's great in everything. As much as I love Tom Berenger in other things, he was a little stiff in this one. But that's what the story calls for, so no one is to blame.

It's just a simple slow moving story that probably could have been better if it was just an hour long special instead of an hour and a half theatrical length. It's also a little heavy handed with the country music and number of times they mention baby Jesus. I like baby Jesus. But I don't like movies that thump the bible over your head like you're in Sunday school.

I didn't really get why the movie was named after Mr Toomey. But now that I know there's a book, maybe some day I'll read it since other reviews said the book is better. But that's usually the case with adaptations.