Wishin' and Hopin'

We went to the premier with out 8 and 10 year old daughters with cautious optimism as there has not been a worthy Christmas movie since Elf. To our amazement we were entertained for the full 90 minutes. The lead actor Wyatt Ralff made his on screen debut with the flare of a seasoned professional (and to think he is only 10). The casting was perfect and the set was realistic 1960's. Growing up catholic, It brought back many childhood memories. The audience was engaged and laughing throughout the premier. Narration by Chevy Chase was perfection. It is destine to become a Christmas classic. A must see for all ages.

Full disclosure, have read the book by Wally Lamb - truly a great American writer - upon which the movie is based. The book is a highly entertaining, compulsively readable, heartwarming novel -- and I'm happy to report that the film actually does the book justice!

Was lucky enough to attend a theatrical screening in NYC, and can definitely see this becoming one of those Christmas movies that everyone waits for, year after year, to be broadcast on TV, such as Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott and A Christmas Story...

The movie evokes the era quite wonderfully, the child actors are a talented group (and actually likable) -- standouts are the kid who plays Felix, the girl who plays his love interest/arch enemy (ah puberty), the kid who delivers his "NAACP" punchline perfectly throughout, especially at the very end of the movie, and the Russian student who resembles a 13 year-old Uma Thurman. Familiar faces include Molly Ringwald and the lady from Two and Half Men, and the the criminally underemployed Annabella Sciorra (great in her short stint - one season? - on Law & Order: Criminal Intent), who is lovely as Felix's mother.

An added bonus is that the movie has quite a few 'inside jokes' for anyone who has ever attended a parochial school, or who has any experience whatsoever with a "Live Nativity" or "Christmas Pageant."

If you are looking to kick off the holiday season, and pretty much smile from ear-to-ear for two hours straight, be sure to check out this movie. The best new Christmas-flavored movie to come along in a very long time...

When my family sat down to watch this movie, we were unaware that it is a 'Christmas' movie. We watched it half way through the year, but that didn't affect our enjoyment of it.

There is nothing bad about this movie. It is a perfectly fine little family movie, but there is nothing really special about it either. The plot has its share of charming moments and a lot that you have seen before in other similar movies. The acting is good, particularly from the kids in this. Wyatt Ralff is particularly appealing as the protagonist, Felix. Some of the adults seem miscast though. Conchatta Ferrell is the supposedly strict and mean nun, but her character seemed quite pleasant to me. Molly RIngwald seems an odd choice to play a French Canadian substitute teacher who speaks in a French accent that Miss Ringwald sometimes has trouble maintaining for whole sentences. She also speaks to her class in French for some reason. This is one movie featuring Chevy Chase where I didn't find him overbearing and annoying. That's mainly because we don't actually see him; he just provides a voice-over. He should do more of this type of thing instead of appearing in front of the camera where his appeal is a complete and continuing mystery to me.

I happily recommend this movie as a good 90 odd minutes of screen time for your family, Your kids won't be bored and neither will you. You just won't remember it for long. Some reviewers have suggested that this movie will become a Christmas classic. Personally, I can't see it, but who knows? There are a lot worse movies than this that turn up every holiday season.

A very loving Christmas story, well directed and played by a fine cast. The lead character is especially enjoyable, as such a story demands, and there is not the usual Hollywood overplay on bad versus good characters. Everyone has their own personality as people do, neither dastardly nor saintly, just people/kids. My wife and her sister watched it with me, we are TCM and movie fans in general. All three of us thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I did, by the way, experience many Catholic Christmas school plays as a child. Our parish priest was not a heavy drinker, he smoked a cigar, some of the nuns were certainly way out there, and the kids mostly looked at the old round clock waiting for 3pm. Lay teachers were uncommon but I had one in 4th grade, not as colorful as Molly Ringwald, but just as devoted.

While watching this film, the question of "Holiday Classic" kept coming to mind. First, we thoroughly enjoyed watching this film as a family. The story line is entertaining throughout. The pace is lively and engaging. The slice of time, along with vibrant writing helps bring nostalgia to the forefront. The bits of coming of age humor make the film just edgy enough to keep you surprised. The film has the feel of "A Christmas Story" without repeating it. The seasoned actors such as Molly Ringwald and Conchata Ferrell were great, but I think the young actors such as Wyatt Ralff, Quinn McColgan and Siobhan Cohen helped cement this film into Holiday Classic status.